Alda has a degree in Educational Sciences from the University of Lisbon and attended the Linguistics degree in Universidade Nova de Lisboa. She has actively participated in several education and writing workshops and training sessions. She has produced literary revisions for several publishers, newspapers and magazines, as well as translations for various agencies for more than twenty years.

As an author, she has three published works – two novels and a book of poetry, in Portuguese, her mother language.

She has been a Portuguese teacher and tutor for more than twenty years. She loves her work and her students. She loves the challenge of teaching Portuguese to those who speak different languages.

Ana Rita Laureano studied Law in Lisbon and Salamanca and worked as a legal and commercial advisor in Lisbon and Barcelona. In 2010, and returning to Portugal, she created the "andragogical method of taburete" for the training of ELE and PLE. In parallel, she moderates Literary Clubs and Poetic gatherings in Spanish and Portuguese.

With an academic background in translation into German and a several courses in language training, Antonio has given lessons in both languages, Portuguese and German, to various multinational companies as well as embassies. He is focused, fun and has a unique dynamic with his students.

Holding a Degree as well as a Master´s Degree in Speech Communication from Eastern Illinois University, Brazilian born Bea Saiani has always enjoyed the training field. A storyteller and networker herself truly believes in adding her passion to the training sessions where with much humor trainees learn.

Bea’s knowledge and interest for newness, various different topics and challenges are a key factor to the development of her students outside their comfort zone. Bea’s strength is definitely in increasing confidence in her students within corporate environments where those have to face daily challenges and obstacles. Trust, confidence and belief in oneself are key elements for progress in learning a second language.

“I trust that everything happens for a reason, even if we are not wise enough to see it.”— Oprah Winfrey

When I was a child I had a fantastic memory and always competed successfully in General Knowledge competitions. This was a bit bittersweet for me because on the one hand the team would win but on the other hand what use did all of these fact serve me? Now I look back and I realize that I acquired the General knowledge because I loved to learn. If you love to learn, sooner or later you will love to teach. All good students sooner or later become good teachers.

My teaching career started in a most unusual way. I worked as a translator in a Training Department for a large Food-processing plant, and one day a new employee appeared in the department to receive training. Nobody was expecting her to start on this day and no trainers were available. As she spoke Portuguese, my boss turned round to me and said " Michelle here is the manual...teach!" The only access I had ever had to the manual was on my own induction day when I myself had been taught from that same manual. But this could not have worked out better even if I had planned it!Teaching for
me is not a job or even a career but a vocation.

My name is Michelle Ellis and I am very happy to meet you and look forward to sharing fun moments in our classes together."

Paula Pinheiro graduated in Linguistics from “Universidade Nova de Lisboa” and specialized in Terminology from the Paris VIII University. While living in Paris, she taught Portuguese as a foreign language, later and already in Portugal, Paula taught mainly French and Portuguese native language in schools. In recent years, after Portugal has begun to gain notoriety abroad, the teaching of Portuguese as a foreign language has once again become a focus for Paula, both to children and adolescents and to adults.

The love for teaching and sharing knowledge is undoubtedly what motivates Paula to meet the needs of her students, adapting the lessons and adapting to the reality of each one, because we all have our own unique goals when acquiring a new language.

Philologist, linguist, language teacher, translator and interpreter with a master’s degree in Teaching Romano-Germanic, Slavic and Asian Languages and a master’s degree in Translation and Interpretation.

She has a vast experience in the teaching of foreign languages, in the area of translation of literary, technical-scientific and audio-visual texts, as well as in the area of interpretation, localization, transcription, revision and editing.

She gives training in international companies, prepares diagnostic language tests, prepares for official foreign language proficiency exams (TOPIK, HSK, BCT, YCT, RKI, SIELE, DELE, GOETHE-ZERTIFIKAT, DAF, DELF, DALF, TOEFL, FCE, CAE, CPE, IELTS, etc.) and performs translations in various language combinations.

Has a degree in graphic design and master’s in visual arts teaching! She was raised in South Africa and has lived in Germany and Portugal. Living in different countries and learning different languages has given her a better understanding of teaching a foreign
language.

She decided to get the CELTA as she wanted to be connected as much as possible to the English language training. A field she loves working in.

The training sessions are as much fun as work, as she believes that business English can also be enjoyable.

Her strength is in transmitting confidence and correctness to trainees. “I think that as trainers/ teachers, it’s our responsibility to correct our trainees/ students so that they don’t feel ashamed of speaking English.”

Vanessa always says: I love what I do! And this says it all!