Jane Dancaster – Principal

After a few years working in France I joined WSE as a teacher in 1989 – I used to love teaching grammar & Cambridge Proficiency was my favourite course. In 1990 I became Director of Studies and really enjoyed working with our wonderful team of teachers. I then left & worked for another excellent organisation for a couple of years, but I missed Wimbledon School of English, its fantastic staff, its friendly atmosphere and its beautiful building & garden, and I was delighted when I was invited back as Principal in 1999. Nowadays I spend a lot of my time on marketing, which means I travel all over the world. I am very proud of this school and everyone who works here and I really do believe we are one of the best schools in the UK.

Sandro Saviolo – Operations Director 

I came to Wimbledon School of English as a student over 25 years ago and liked the atmosphere so much I stayed on as a part-time general assistant after taking my English exams. Then I was lucky enough to be offered full-time employment in the administration of the school, working on the introduction of computers into every aspect of the School’s activities from courses to accommodation to leisure activities and developing the examination centre side of the business. I am here to ensure you have an enjoyable, profitable and smooth-running time at our friendly school.

Fiona Dunlop – Academic Director

I am the Academic Director and have been at WSE for over 8 years. My door is always open and I am happy to advise our students on anything from which course or exam to take to how to solve a grammar problem. I also work closely with our team of highly experienced teachers to make sure they are happy and providing the best service for our students. I love my job as I have great opportunities to meet people from all over the world and be part of people’s learning experience. Our school is a fantastic place to work with a welcoming atmosphere, lovely building and friendly people. We are all very dedicated to our jobs and to offering the highest quality in English language teaching.

Barbara Goodson – Registrar

My name is Barbara Goodson & I am the Registrar at Wimbledon School of English. I first came to work here in 1994 and since joining the school I have enjoyed meeting people from many countries. I enjoy my job enormously as the students and staff create a very happy atmosphere. In my free time I like gardening, seeing my grandchildren and retail therapy!

Stephanie Adam – Student Services Co-ordinator and Welfare Officer

I started at WSE in 1999, having previously worked for the British Tourist Authority and the Museum of London. My job is very varied as I deal with all different types of enquiries both from our students and also potential customers, as well as looking after Reception and providing whatever our students need, from student cards & certificates to help with homesickness. I enjoy working with our students as I studied languages at university and have always been interested in other cultures. I spend a lot of my free time in Spain where I have an apartment.

Alasdair Ross – Accommodation Manager

Hello, my name is Alasdair and I have been Accommodation Manager at WSE since January 2004. I went to school in Wimbledon and have lived here for many years and love everything about this beautiful part of London!   I have worked in Public Relations and International Promotions in the music industry in the past, so I feel it was a natural progression to working in accommodation with students from all nationalities and cultures. My aim is to make sure students are happy with their choice of accommodation and get the most out of their experience staying in Wimbledon and studying at the school. I understand how important the accommodation is to students as it is a huge part of the whole experience and I am always on hand help and offer advice.  Together with my assistant Lynn, we are a friendly and approachable team and we really do care about your welfare and happiness!

Shanel Ali – Self Access Manager/Teacher

I combine teaching here with the role of Self-Access Manager, which means that in the mornings I teach, and in the afternoons I look after the Self-Access Centre. This includes showing students our computer programmes, helping them plan individual study programmes, and advising them on borrowing books, CDs, DVDs etc. I also give advice on what materials they can use to prepare for exams and how they can improve their English. I feel really lucky that I have the opportunity to do both jobs as I have always loved teaching and recently I became really interested in the way we can use technology, such as computers, to improve learning. That’s why I am currently doing a Master’s degree in ICT in Education, which takes up most of my free time but is very interesting.

Meet Some of Our Teachers

 

Hilary Busso

After spending five memorable years at Wimbledon School of English, I left in 1984 to further my horizons and experience by living and teaching English in South Africa, the USA and Japan for a total of 8 years. I had always kept very fond memories of my years spent at the Wimbledon School of English and on coming back to Wimbledon in the early 1990s (with the addition of a young family!) I couldn’t imagine working anywhere else! I taught part-time ‘au pair’ classes for a number of years and am now teaching full-time general English classes. I love having the opportunity of meeting so many wonderful students from all over the world and helping them to make good progress in a very special and unique school!

Ali Tierney

I taught at the Wimbledon School of English for 10 years after qualifying in TEFL, & then went on to teach for the British Council in Spain and Italy for four years. When I returned to the UK there was only one school where I wanted to work!   My favourite classes are examination classes because students are so motivated and I like to make them work hard! There’s nothing like the sense of achievement you get with a good exam result!

Jacquie Cox

Seventeen years at Wimbledon school of English and never a dull moment! I’ve gained so much experience and knowledge from teaching and writing different courses, meeting our students and going to all the training sessions we are offered.  As for our teachers and administration staff, I’ve never worked with such friendly, funny and dedicated professionals!

Helen Gailer

After nearly 16 years teaching at the Wimbledon School of English I still look forward to a day’s teaching and leave feeling I’ve done something fulfilling. I’ve taught a whole range of courses from Beginners to Proficiency. One of my favourite courses is English and Culture which allows me a chance to indulge my interest in art and literature. I also keep fit playing tennis with the students once a week and have been known to appear on stage in funny costumes for our Christmas show! It’s simply wonderful to work with a fantastic group of people and meet such lovely students from all over the world. Work here really is a pleasure.

Tim Goodwin

I first arrived at the Wimbledon School of English in 1993, having worked in media and education. In 1999 I left to act professionally and later became Head of Drama in a state school. I was lured back to the school and its beautiful surroundings in 2003. As well as teaching, I enjoy contributing my creative gifts to the life of the school. I love encouraging students to become confident in speaking good English!

Mark Smith

After spending five memorable years at Wimbledon School of English, I left in 1984 to further my horizons and experience by living and teaching English in South Africa, the USA and Japan for a total of 8 years. I had always kept very fond memories of my years spent at the Wimbledon School of English and on coming back to Wimbledon in the early 1990s (with the addition of a young family!) I couldn’t imagine working anywhere else! I taught part-time ‘au pair’ classes for a number of years and am now teaching full-time general English classes. I love having the opportunity of meeting so many wonderful students from all over the world and helping them to make good progress in a very special and unique school!

Julian Oakley

I’ve been at Wimbledon School of English for nearly six years, having spent a year teaching in Macedonia followed by a few years teaching and teacher-training at another London school. While here I have written numerous courses which I have found extremely stimulating, and in the past few years have taught many of the IELTS courses held in the school. I have recently been involved in the new Certificate in Teaching English for Business teacher training course. When I’m not busy writing new courses or teaching I enjoy cycling – last year I was mad enough to cycle from Land’s End at the bottom of the UK to John O’ Groats at the top!

Sarah Perkins

I have been teaching here at Wimbledon School of English for over 16 years and so I have taught most of the courses we offer – ranging from Business English to English and Culture for Mature Students.. That is a lovely course to teach as we visit some wonderful places and the students make good friends with each other. I love the fact we have so many different nationalities here – I enjoy teaching students from all over the world and learning about their cultures. I have been lucky enough to visit some of my ex students – I had a wonderful trip to Japan a couple of years ago and what made it particularly special was the fact we stayed with Japanese friends. Wimbledon School of English is a great place to teach, with its friendly atmosphere and the pretty garden that we can enjoy all year round.

Robert Rowland

I have been teaching at the Wimbledon School of English since 1991. Before that I taught at other schools both abroad and in the UK but I love this school more than any other. It’s the students, the staff, the premises and the atmosphere that make it so good. Outside of school I love painting, reading, music and going to my local pub!

Cathy Yarrow

After teaching in several European countries, Australia and the USA, I ended up in London at the Wimbledon School of English. I’ve been here for over 11 years and the reason for this is simple. I love the people I work with – staff and students – it’s a pleasure to come to work every day. I’m also lucky because I get to write our courses regularly, such as the IELTS and Business courses, as well as teach them. So it’s job satisfaction all round!

Anna Ryan

I’ve been at the Wimbledon School of English for almost two years and I teach the part-time courses. Students generally include au pairs, expatriots, working people and housewives. I’m fascinated by the variety of backgrounds I come across and really enjoy learning about all the different cultures and countries. The teachers and staff at are fun, interesting and motivated people and there’s a fantastic atmosphere within the school.