Meet
the Team

David is from England. He attended Cardiff in Wales and graduated with a degree in History, before moving back across the border to Gloucestershire in the UK. David spent many years working in retail, hospitality and journalism, before changing career and becoming a Primary Teacher. David gained his PGCE from UCL Institute of Education in central London.

David has always taught in Key Stage 1 and loves working with the newest learners. He moved to Bangkok, Thailand and worked for two years in a Thai/English dual-language school. The opportunity for cultural exchange is what motivates David, and he is glad to be in the beautiful city of Budapest to further this experience.

David is pleased to be back in Year 1, where his sense of humour tends to naturally lie, and he is excited to spend some time getting to know Hungary as well as possible.

BA in International Hospitality Management and Travel Management, London Metropolitan University

PGCE, University of Greenwich

Vilma grew up in Budapest but after secondary school she decided to move to the United Kingdom. Having completed her Hospitality and Travel Management degree at London Metropolitan University, she also gained CELTA (Certificate in English Language Teaching to Adults) qualification. She became more and more interested in education and broadened her experiences by working as a Teaching Assistant at Britannica. Her teaching career advanced in 2018 when she completed her PGCE teacher training at the University of Greenwich. Since then, Vilma has had a wide range of experiences as a primary class teacher both in London and here in Budapest.

Her interests include dancing, art, running, learning languages and exploring gluten-free restaurants wherever she goes. She also loves to travel to places where the average temperature doesn’t drop below 25 degrees.

She is eager to become part of the school community at Britannica International School again, and return to the place that inspired her to become a teacher.

Marianna was born and raised in the beautiful city of Athens, Greece. In 2017 she obtained her degree in Philology and Linguistics from the University of Athens, Greece and a diploma of piano performance from the music conservatory of Athens. In the summer of 2017, she travelled to Finland to start her joint MSc degree in Clinical Linguistics; she continued her studies in the Netherlands, and spent the second year of her MSc in Potsdam, Germany. In late August of 2019, she moved to charming Budapest to pursue her PhD. In her PhD, she developed a music intervention programme to support the reading ability of Hungarian children with dyslexia. Apart from conducting research, Marianna has taught various classes in both primary and secondary school, as well as at university level. Specifically, she has been a tutor of music for primary school students, as well as tutor for ‘Latin’ and ‘Ancient Greek’ for secondary school students, preparing them for the national entrance to university exams. Additionally, Marianna has taught in 3 secondary schools in Athens, Greece; there, she taught Greek Literature, History and modern Greek. Finally, she has given several lectures on topics, such as Language Development and Music Psychology and taught her own course for BA and MA students of Speech Therapy and Psychology respectively. When Marianna is not at Britannica, she is usually at home doing PhD work or goes out for walks; during her free time, she loves listening to music, watching fantasy movies (Harry Potter fan here!) or reading books. Marianna is excited to join the wonderful team of Britannica! As the teaching assistant for Year 2 Eagles, she will try her very best to attend to every child’s need and offer them the necessary support to grow within the school community.

Ryan Tormey is from Providence, Rhode Island, the smallest state in the United States of America. His childhood was filled with rugged coastlines, competitive athletics, and cultural trips to Europe, where he developed an early love for history and the arts. He studied Fine Art and Business at Marymount Manhattan College in New York City, later continuing his studies in Early Childhood Education at Boston Community College. Ryan has spent over eight years teaching pre-kindergarten and kindergarten, including six years at The Wheeler School in Providence and two years at St. Matthew’s Parish School in Pacific Palisades, Los Angeles. During this time, he met his Hungarian wife, and together they have two beautiful children. Having had the rare privilege of being the primary parent at home when his children were young, Ryan brings to his teaching a unique perspective that bridges both parent and educator roles. Together with his family, Ryan has lived in Paris, Washington, D.C., and now Budapest, where he is excited to be part of the Britannica community. He loves spending time in nature, traveling, staying active and creative, and especially when all of those passions overlap.

BA Information Management, Thames Valley University

PGCE, South Bank University

Ben grew up in Croydon in south London. He had a fantastic start to his teaching career in a lively and diverse part of London. He caught the international bug in 2006 at a big school in Kampala, Uganda; a city that still holds a big place in his heart. Since then he has worked in international schools in Vietnam, Egypt, Thailand and most recently a short hop away in Prague. During this time, Ben has been lucky enough to have worked with a wide range of children, parents, and teachers across all three primary key stages, as well as leading year groups and a range of topics and projects.

In the last year, Ben has started enjoying leisurely cycle rides around flat city parks but finds hills a lot trickier! He loves hiking everywhere, from urban landscapes to the Himalayas. He is looking forward to making lots of discoveries at Britannica, with some curious pupils as guides.

Nick was born and raised in a small village in the south of England. He speaks English, and a little bit of both Mandarin and Japanese. He has had a wide range of teaching experiences since leaving university in 2007, both in the UK and abroad: teaching across years 1-6 in mainstream British primary schools; supporting 16-25-year-olds with severe epilepsy and autism, in a special education FE College in the UK; providing cover supervision for English, Media, Drama and Film Studies at Key Stage 3; and teaching English language learners in every age-group from pre-school to pensioner, both in the UK and Japan.

He graduated from the University College of the Creative Arts with honours in Digital Screen Arts and has maintained his interest in technology and the arts through his teaching. He went on to gain his PGCE (Primary English Specialism) through the University of Brighton before teaching, co-ordinating MFL, and co-leading Year 6 at a large junior school in West Sussex.
Nick has recently been teaching in Suzhou, China. He joined a large British international school there as an infant school EAL Teacher and has spent the last two years as Head of EAL in the Junior School.

Nick enjoys the challenges that come with living in a different country. He is continues to be excited to learn about the city and the culture of Hungary through his passions: language learning, photography, running, and hiking.

Hanga was born and raised in Nyíregyháza. She is a graduate of Eötvös Loránd University and moved to the UK 2020, where she began her career as a teaching assistant at a school in Manchester. After four years she moved back home to be closer to her family. She is excited about continuing her professional journey as a teaching assistant here at Britannica. In her free time Hanga enjoys long walks, reading a good book and spending time with her loved ones.

Dean was born and raised in Chester in the North West of England. Having originally studied Public Relations at university, Dean decided to pivot towards teaching after joining Camp America where he discovered that he loved working with children. He has taught in a variety of different contexts including London, Hong Kong, Bangkok, Bucharest and Quito. He has prepared students for a wide range of English language exams including Cambridge Exams and IELTS. Dean also completed Master’s modules on learner autonomy and teacher training and remains extremely interested in these areas.

Dean gained his PGCE in Primary Teaching with Distinction from the University of Nottingham. Following on from this, he spent several years working in London where he supported the many students who required EAL support to achieve their goals. He enjoys the variety of skillsets and experiences that children from different cultures bring to the classroom as he believes these can be used for the benefit of all children in the classroom.

Dean has visited Budapest several times over the last ten years, and though the language still evades him, he is very much looking forward to living in such a vibrant city, steeped in history and culture. Over the coming year Dean looks forward to teaching the Year 5 Titan class while improving his singing while working with our choir and his chess skills outside of school.

As a child, Anett was drawn to the pleasant sound of the English language and hoped she would speak fluent English one day too. After finishing her Master's degree in music education in Budapest, her dream started coming true when she won a one-year scholarship to Birmingham, UK. Later she started working as a primary school music teacher in London, and eventually gained nearly 10 years of teaching experience in the UK before moving back home. After returning to Hungary she became a CELTA teacher and started teaching English as an EAL teacher. Anett is excited about her new role as a Teaching Assistant at Britannica, assisting Mr Willoughby in Year 3 Dali with their daily tasks and sharing the joys of school life with the class. In her spare time, Anett likes music, nature, yoga and would like to learn Hungarian Folk dance.

BA (Hons) in Primary Education with QTS, BGU Lincoln.

Nadine’s family is originally from the Derby area of England, but her father was in the Royal Air Force, so she has never actually lived there. They moved around her entire childhood and she mostly only remembers living in Scotland, Germany and Stamford in England, where her parents finally settled.

Nadine has two children of her own, who are now adults, and four step children. She loves all things furry (except spiders!!) and she has four small dogs, who travel the world with her.

Nadine went into teaching later in life and left a job to go back to university and gain her qualifications, while her children were in school. After teaching in England for several years, she chose to explore further afield and left the cold and wet of England behind for the sunny climate of Dubai. Here she worked for several years in a school that linked International School education with Arabic education, and worked alongside some great Arabic teachers. While in Dubai Nadine met and married her husband, an American who was there with work. This led her on further travels, as his company moved them across the world. First to Mozambique in East Africa and then to Houston in the United States of America. In each place Nadine taught at International Schools and her love for exploring new places and cultures only grew stronger. As you can imagine, she is very excited to be exploring once again, this time in Budapest, Hungary.

Csilla was born and raised in Budapest and graduated from the University of Szeged as a Teacher of Mathematics and Teacher of Music. As a family, with her husband and two daughters, they lived abroad for 17 years, where she taught at an American international school before recently moving home for family reasons. She is delighted to continue her work in an international environment. In her free time, Csilla sings in a choir, handicrafts, and hikes.

Hannah is from London, U.K but attended British schools in Dubai and Belgium as a child. She went to University in London, graduating with a degree In Geography before beginning her work in primary schools across London, initially as a Teaching Assistant. Hannah gained her PGCE in Primary Education from UCL Institute of Education before working as a Class Teacher in East London.

Hannah has worked in Years 3 and Year 4, as well as in Year 1, and is now keen to join our Year 5 team. In 2018, Hannah moved to China to work at a British International School in Beijing where she was based for 5 years before moving to Budapest in August 2023.

In her spare time Hannah likes to go on long walks, discover new cafes for a good cup of coffee, and watch Formula 1 – she is keen to go to the Hungaroring now that she lives here! Hannah is really excited to experience everything that Budapest and Hungary have to offer!

Blanka was born and raised in Győr, but moved to Budapest to study law at ELTE university, spending a semester abroad in Lisbon, Portugal where she enjoyed staying near the ocean and immersing herself in the wonderful Portuguese culture. After graduating, she started working as a human rights lawyer, offering legal aid for refugees. However, starting from university, Blanka always spent her free time volunteering in children’s hospitals and in marginalised areas where she interacted with children through various play-based activities, and supported them with their schoolwork. She has always loved being in the company of children and quickly realised that her true calling was in education. She is delighted to join Britannica as a teaching assistant and learn the ropes of being an educator in a dynamic international environment. In her free time, Blanka enjoys doing various sports including running, pilates and tennis, and loves baking, travelling and spending time with friends and family. She is also an avid animal lover, especially when it comes to dogs, so she seizes every opportunity to spend time with them.

Ba (hons) Advertising, Solent University, Southampton Uk

TESOL, Ban Phe, Thailand

PGCE, University of Roehampton, SCITT East London, Uk

Currently studying MEd in Education Leadership, University of Dundee, Uk

Ryan comes from the south of England, he has roots from Dover, to Southampton ,to the old mining town of Camborne in Cornwall. After finishing University he volunteered in Brunei with the Army’s Youth Service. This was followed by starting his teaching career in Thailand as an EAL teacher. Afterwards, he moved back to the UK, where he was a Learning Support Assistant, working in the Visual Support team at a primary school.

After these rewarding experiences, Ryan moved to East London, where he trained to become a Primary school teacher. Once his NQT year was completed, he became the PE coordinator and had amazing experiences in the build up to the 2012 Olympics, such as meeting Sir Steve Redgrave and being part of a team developing a scheme of work for the Mo Farah foundation.

Ryan is a keen traveler and enjoys new adventures. This and the opportunity to be part of a team helping to develop a new International school were the reasons for him moving to Mongolia. While at the school, he was part of a team of teachers that facilitated the school becoming accredited by COBIS. During the two years he was there, he enjoyed trips across the Gobi desert and traversing frozen rivers by Husky pulled sleighs.

Swapping -40 C for the 100 % humidity of Malaysia was quite a shock to the system. His first role was as Art Coordinator, in which he led many whole school projects with a focus on raising awareness about the environment and sustainability. Ryan then became Literacy coordinator, supporting teachers with strategies to engage young writers and how to support them becoming independent. During his time in Malaysia he led Teaching and Learning across the Primary and Secondary schools by introducing collaborative and developmental Professional Learning Teams.

Ryan enjoys a range of sports and activities, such as Rugby, with an abundance of enthusiasm but with little talent! He also enjoys trying new activities, like Parasailing in Nepal to get over his fear of heights. It didn’t work! He has a passion for History, Art and Poetry, which he looks forward to exploring in Budapest, the school and it’s community.

BEd(Hons) U.W.E, Bristol.

City & Guilds (Carpentry and Joinery)

Paul has worked as a teacher in a variety of schools across the UK including special needs. He has been a coordinator of many subject areas in his 18 years both in the UK and overseas. His interests include the nature of learning, experimental play, Hungarian, drumming and cheese. He has lived in Budapest for four years, and is currently enjoying his home life with his partner and puppy.