Learn more about Taalthuis teachers, students and team
Leontine is the coordinator of the Taalthuis teachers. Quite a job, managing the timetable of up to 90 Dutch teachers! We asked Leontine about what she loves about her job, why she thinks Taalthuis is special and what she means when she says ‘gezellig’!
What is it that you love about your job?
Where do I start? First of all, I love the social aspect of my job. Every teacher is different: they have different personalities and different qualities. My job is to place the most suitable teacher in front of each different group of students. That’s a big puzzle; it’s helpful to really know the teachers well. I’m managing up to 90 teachers!
click here to read more about Leontine
Marcella is a 28-year-old master student at the University of Amsterdam (UVA). At her Master of ‘Dutch as a second language and multilingualism’, Marcella needed an internship placement. She had heard many positive things about Taalthuis, and therefore applied for a job there.
At wat level are you teaching Dutch?
I am currently teaching several levels: from the Beginners Course and the Beginners Plus Course – the latter is suitable for those who already have a background in the Dutch language, such as South African and German speakers, which have another plan when it comes to learning Dutch – to the Advanced Course that works all the way to a B1 level of Dutch.
Click here to read more about Marcella.
Ozge had been trying to learn the Dutch language for a long time, but never really made it work. Then came the lockdown, and Ozge decided to take on the opportunity of a lockdown to spend more time on her language skills. Taalthuis, it was!
Why did you figure learning Dutch would be useful?
As my partner is Dutch and we often visit the Netherlands, it’s worth learning the language to be able to speak with my family-in-law and with his friends. Of course, conversations often start in English with me, but after a couple of beers, people tend to switch to their native language. Besides, I and my partner have a 2-year-old together and he speaks Dutch with her. Even though we tend to raise her bilingual, it is convenient and pleasant for me to be able to understand their conversations and to join in sometimes. Last but not least, I’m just very fond of Dutch culture and I enjoy learning a new language. It’s a great way of connecting with the country and the people!
Click here to read more about Ozge