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, ELTE-BGGYK, Special Needs Educator and Therapist (Physical Disabilities)

BA, ELTE-BGGYK,Special Needs Educator and Therapist (Speech and Language Therapy)

Krisztina grew up in a village close to Debrecen. After finishing high school, she moved to Budapest, completing her university degree. During her last year at university, Krisztina worked at a foundation as a Special Needs Educator and Therapist for children with physical disabilities. She then had the opportunity to work in Luxembourg as a special needs educational assistant and learning support teacher for almost 4 years, later qualifying as a Special Needs Educational Teacher. After moving back to Hungary, Krisztina joined Britannica as she wanted to carry on being a teaching assistant again in a Primary school in an international environment. Her interests include reading, travelling, sport, watching movies, going to the theatre and music.

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 where she is currently working. 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 hoping to go to the Hungaroring for the first time next year!

Hannah is really excited to be in Year 1, to see our little learners excel, and to experience everything that Budapest and Hungary have to offer!

I was born and raised in Hungary, Budapest. During my university studies I have worked in the hotel

trade, like a kid a sport program organizer. On my Erasmus program I worked as a teacher assistant

in Northen Ireland and Spain. When COV 19 came, Ihad started to teach in a primary school. After I

have changed to an alternative school to learn the project method.

Now I am really happy to join Britannica as a teacher assistant in an international environment. My

interests are: sport, languages, music

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 the 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 she spent the second year of the 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 teacher 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.

Aiperi Sadykova is from Kyrgyzstan. Aiperi is a Professional Psychologist and ABA Therapist. She has provided individual and group therapy, and has more than 4 years of experience working alongside people to facilitate positive change in their life and their communities. Aiperi graduated from International Ala-Too University in Kyrgyzstan as a psychologist. She started working in the International Child Development Center in 2016 in Bishkek. She worked in an International training and coaching institution . She had opportunity to work abroad.

She speaks 4 languages and she is learning Hungarian and Chinese. She likes cooking ,going to the gym, reading and self-development.

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.

I was born and grew up in a small town in the south of Hungary. After my first degree I moved to Szeged and started to work as a language teacher for different language schools and companies and I completed my master degree in both Hungarian and English. During these years I had the chance to work with a wide range of age groups from teenagers to adults. Then I worked for the Hungarian Army as a coordinator and interpreter for military exchange programmes for three years. In 2014 I moved to Berlin to further my career as a teacher and started to work in an international kindergarten and nursery with children between the age of one to seven. I also completed a three-year-long professional training to become a certified educator. Less than a year ago I moved to Budapest and I am very happy to be a part of the team at Britannica International School. In my free time I love reading, translating short stories from English to Hungarian, travelling and learning languages. I am also fond of theatre, including small alternative theatres, and mindfulness.

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.

Sophie grew up in a small village in the South East of England, and ever since Sophie was young she has always had dreams of being a teacher. Sophie went to Roehampton University and had a lot of classroom experience within the diverse and bustling London. During this time, Sophie experienced many different cultures, languages and people. This led to her wanting to see the many different people and cultures around the world.
Sophie first started teaching back in her home town, where she taught at a school where thinking skills were at the forefront of their education. In 2022, Sophie got the opportunity to start her international teaching adventure, where she worked a year in the beautiful country of Albania.
Sophie enjoys travelling and her favourite city in the world happened to be Budapest! Sophie is excited to continue her international teaching journey in Budapest and at Britannica, it just seems the perfect fit!

Gabi was born in the East of Hungary. After she graduated from the University of Nyiregyhaza, she moved to the United Kingdom. She had been working for 23 years in a variety of Independent Institutions in the UK. She also studied at Henley College. For 13 years she worked at an Independent Senior Boys School in Buckinghamshire as a senior librarian, teaching assistant and reading coordinator. In 2012 she became a British citizen and she also had the pleasure to see the late Queen Elizabeth and the Royal family at Windsor Castle. She also spent 23 years of summers in Algeria, Sicily/Italy and different parts of Europe. In July 2023 she returned to Hungary and joined Britannica in August. Her interests include fitness, mainly body pump, box fit, hiking and exploring different cultures and languages. She would like to learn more about the Middle-East.

Gertrúd is from Hungary, born and raised. In high school, she really enjoyed the Hungarian literature and grammar lessons, so she followed her dream and started studying in Kaposvár. Four years later, she received her degree as a primary school teacher with a Hungarian language and grammar specialization. After this, she decided to stay at the same university and start her Special Education Needs studies. There, she specialized in learning difficulties and psychopedagogy. In her free time, she really enjoys reading, studying and learning about different languages, baking, and, last but not least, spending time with her loved ones.

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.

Julia was born and raised in Budapest and has a degree in Italian from Pazmany Peter University. She lived in Rome for three years before moving to New York City. A couple of years ago, together with her husband, they decided to move back to Budapest to raise their son in family environment. Julia recently completed her MA degree in English at ELTE University. She has always pictured herself working in a school and is very happy to join the international crew here at Britannica. In her leisure time she loves to do jigsaw puzzles and take long walks with the family dog.