Instructors

Andrea has taught Italian and German at Bellevue Community College. At South Seattle Community College he helped to initiate the Italian program and, for some time, Andrea taught for the Berlitz School in Bellevue. For some time Andrea also taught French classes to elementary students in Seattle.
Andrea grew up in Switzerland and was raised bilingually: German and Italian are his mothertongues, though he learned French at a young age, studied it for many years and also attended the University of Lausanne in the French speaking part of Switzerland.
Andrea is a Swiss certified teacher with over 12 years teaching experience and has worked for more than seven years in junior high, and high schools teaching French, German, German as a foreign language and Italian classes. As a trained teacher in language acquisition and more importantly, as a learner of different languages, Andrea has a personal understanding of the difficulty of learning a foreign language at an advanced age.
With plenty of experience, extensive training in different teaching methodologies and most importantly with a lot of humor and in a personable, stress free atmosphere, Andrea will teach you not only your language of choice, but will also prove to you how fun learning can be.

Christine was born and raised in the Northwest of Germany. She studied German and Religion at the University of Bonn to become a professional teacher and passed the first state examination with distinction. Christine completed the traineeship for teachers at a private High School, where she mainly taught classes for students between the ages of 10 and 19. Overall, she stayed two years at this school and passed the second state examination, also with distinction. After Christine moved to Seattle, she started teaching at Seattle Languages International, where she is mainly teaching adults. She also works with young children at a local private school. The ability to present the German culture and German language to children and adults makes the job as a language teacher very rewarding for her.

For over 20 years, Estrella has been teaching English as a foreign language to students from almost every continent. Her students range from elementary school students to executives of bio-tech companies. She develops her curriculum after listening to their needs. Her clients' requests include increasing English fluency, preparing formal speeches for American audiences, and communicating more effectively with Americans. She also helps American employers improve working relationships with international employees through the understanding of cultural values. Estrella received her Masters of Education from the University of Washington and her Bachelors of Arts from Seattle University. In addition to English, Estrella speaks Cantonese fluently and can converse in Spanish. She has lived in three countries with cultures very diverse from each other and involves herself with projects that bring people together.

Fabio has taught Italian and German in several states, both in the private and public sector. He is perceptive of student's needs and has experience in assessing learning goals and methodologies that will work best with each student. Fabio grew up in southern Italy, but later lived in South Tyrol, the German-speaking part of Italy that borders with Austria. Fabio left Italy at 16. He earned a degree in Hotel Management and worked in Norway, Austria, Germany and Switzerland. Fabio taught German for several private schools in Utah, Colorado and Washington, among which he was a professor's assistant at Brigham Young University and an instructor at Colorado Free University. Fabio also taught English as a second language for German immigrants in Salt Lake City and currently teaches German at North Seattle Community College. Fabio is a contributor to the "Italian in 10 minutes a day series" published by Bilingual Books, Inc. He also currently teaches Italian at Highline and Bellevue Community College. Finally, as a law student, Fabio is a legal translator for the Italian Consulate in San Francisco. Fabio has an in-depth knowledge of phonetics and the reproduction of sounds. He will be able to teach you how to sound the closest you can to a native speaker of Italian or German. He is outgoing and enjoys teaching in a fun and entertaining environment.

Hong “Anna” was born and raised in Beijing, China where she worked as a reporter and editor for Xinhua news agency. Anna holds a B.A. in Chinese Language and has taught in several language schools in Washington D.C. After coming to Seattle she continued to teach Mandarin. Today, with over 7 years of experience teaching Chinese, she is regarded by her students to be a truly gifted teacher.

Ida has taught ESL and Spanish to children and adults for over 20 years.  She has an M.A. in TESOL with a minor in Bilingual Education from Teachers College, Columbia University and a B.A. in Early Childhood / Elementary Education with a minor in Spanish Literature from Queens College, CUNY.  A native of Cuba, she grew up bilingually in New York City realizing that one day she would be a teacher. After a few years teaching in N.Y.C. and suburban public schools, she moved to Japan where she taught English at a University and Community College. In 2006, she taught Spanish in middle school at an international school in Yokohama, Japan. 
Ida uses a variety of methods in her teaching including music and the creative arts to make the learning more fun, personal and meaningful. Her goal in teaching children is to help
them bridge their first language literacy skills to Spanish so they can become independent learners. Ida has traveled to Spain, Mexico and the Carribean.

Born and raised in Otavalo, Ecuador, Juan received his B.A. in Linguistics from the Universidad Catolica. He enjoys working with both children and adults and has taught both group and private lessons in public and private schools since 1984.  For the last 6 years he has taught his native Spanish here in Seattle. Juan is very outgoing and uses an active, communicative approach along with a good dose of humor and interactive exercises. He uses a combination of teaching modalities and tailors them to each group. Through lots of class participation and activities he helps students gain confidence using the language.
At a young age he began singing and playing traditional Andean instruments and spent a number of years performing throughout Europe.  He presently performs traditional South American music throughout the northwest both as a solo artist and with his band.  This allows him to add a unique cultural element to his classes when his students' interests dictate.

Originally from mainland China, Jun holds degrees in Chinese Language and Literature from Fuyang Normal College and a M.A. in Teaching English as a Second Language from Seattle University. Jun has eight years experience teaching Mandarin at a variety of educational institutions in both China and the United States.
While teaching in China, Jun passed the National Standard Spoken Mandarin test and earned a National Teaching Mandarin certificate. Jun loves teaching Chinese Mandarin to students of all ages, both native and non-native speakers.

Raan Marie was born and raised in Miami, Florida, where she lived among Spanish speaking people and began learning Spanish at age six. She began her teaching career in music, when she taught classical piano to children and adults. While in Miami, she also taught English to Cuban, Colombian, and Brazilian young adults. Later, in Seattle, she tutored Japanese students in English, and taught writing at the University of Washington. Raan Marie’s overseas travel experience began with a trip to Europe, where she stayed in the homes of local citizens for extended periods of time, and picked up a bit of French. She has also been to Mexico and Argentina, where she again stayed with the locals. Raan Marie has a Bachelor’s degree in English Literature, with a minor in Mathematics, from the Florida State University; and a Master’s degree in English literature from the University of Washington. Over the years, she has developed a method she calls “Student-Centered Tutoring,” which focuses on the needs and desires of the student, rather than those of the tutor. She finds that this approach greatly enhances her ability to develop warm, fruitful relationships with her students. Currently, she works as a professional writer and editor, and teaches people from all over the world in English at Seattle Languages International.

Tsha just recently moved from Switzerland to Seattle. She speaks German, Spanish, French, and English. She has manifold teaching and tutoring experiences acquired in different fields.
Her mother tongue is German. However, as she lived in Ecuador as a child, Spanish is almost her second mother tongue. In 1992 she also went back to Ecuador for half a year in order to pass the “diploma de aptitud”. Also in 1998, during her business studies, she spent an exchange trimester in Mexico City. She holds an MBA from the University of St. Gallen, Switzerland. During her high school and college years she tutored students in German and Spanish. She has a fascination for languages which she passes on to her students while teaching and tutoring.