FARO - Key Persons
Ana has worked at the Centro de Línguas for over 15 years as our receptionist and secretary and it is no exaggeration to say that the smooth day-to-day operation of the school is due to her administrative skills and professionalism. She runs the office, schedules courses, and deals with students directly. She ensures that students are directed to the courses that are right for them so that they can derive maximum benefit from their studies.
There´s also no need to worry about your level of language skills as Ana is fluent in Portuguese and English and is always happy to take you through the courses offered and discuss your language needs with you.
When she´s not at work, Ana loves to spend time walking her dog, cooking, reading or putting her artistic talents to good use in arts and crafts.
Annie James has been teaching for many years after an early career in Fine Arts. She is qualified with the Cambridge University CELTA (Certificate in English Language Teaching to Adults) and IHYLTC (International House Young Learners Teaching Certificate). She also has a BA honours degree and two master's degrees from the United Kingdom.
Annie has taught in Spain and in Portugal, mainly in Portimão and Lagos. She has experience and is equally comfortable with a range of ages. She taught 3-5 year olds in Lisbon for International House and has fronted language learning workshops in professional settings for large companies. Her main teaching group has been teenagers in preparation for Cambridge exams.
Annie believes that a teacher must be flexible to the needs of her students and that if the classroom is too book-based then students become bored and don't learn. A language has to be used in real contexts. Her teaching philosophy is that learning should be interactive and fun, with an emphasis on speaking and confidence building.
In her spare time Annie enjoys training her dog, surfing, fitness and she is currently writing her first novel.
The school is really happy to have Christina back - she worked here 12 years ago before leaving to continue her career in Lisbon. She decided to return to Lagos because of the more relaxed lifestyle.
A highly qualified teacher, she is bilingual in English and Portuguese. She graduated from Reading University, holds a PGCE from the University of London, a Master's Degree from the University of Lisbon and the DELTA (Diploma in English Language Teaching to Adults).
She has worked in a variety of contexts teaching one-to-one and group classes of all levels and age groups.
She is a certified Cambridge Speaking Examiner for the Young Learners and Main Suite exams and has vast experience preparing students for the IELTS exams.
A keen reader, she is a member of a Lagos book club.
In her free time, she enjoys travelling, hiking and meeting new people.
We are so happy to have Debbie on our team. Not only is she a highly qualified teacher with a lot of experience, she is devoted to her work and really cares about her students.
After a short spell as a geography teacher in a secondary school, Debbie decided to specialize in working with deaf children. The most obvious challenge in this work was how to communicate with her students. Learning British Sign Language certainly helped and a general acceptance that you have to be flexible in your approach to learning and teaching. She went on to gain her Cambridge CELTA qualification, followed by a BA(Hons) in Language Studies (French and Spanish) from the Open University and more recently a Masters´ degree from Birmingham University in Applied Linguistics.
She worked for several years at Wolverhampton University as an English Tutor for Deaf Students before a spell teaching English in Spain.
Here in Portugal, apart from working at Centro de Línguas, Debbie also does some freelance writing and volunteers as a dog walker at Lagos Caníl, from where she adopted her beloved dog, Pistachio.
Job Titles:
- Portuguese and English Teacher
Filipa is a very recent and welcome addition to our team - she teaches Portuguese and English online (and is fluent in German). She is noted for her enthusiasm and in her own words is attentive and a good listener. All qualities essential for effective teaching. As well as working for us, she has been doing academic research in arts and philosophy for some time now, currently at Universidade NOVA de Lisboa. Filipa also does audio visual translating and writes texts for contemporary art exhibition catalogues. If she ever has any free time, with all these professional commitments, she likes making music, writing and being outdoors.
Maria João has been on our team since 1998 and is our Director of Studies. Having gained her degree at Lisbon University, she initially taught in the Portuguese state school system. However, after a while, she decided that teaching adults was her real passion.
Her students come from a wide variety of different countries and backgrounds for private Portuguese lessons which she expertly tailors to their individual needs. She also has a keen interest in local history and at times can be seen taking students around the town on guided tours, often finishing up with a pastel de nata or two at a local café.
Her role as Director of Studies also means that she regularly meets with publishers so that the school can be kept up to date on the latest teaching and coursework materials available on the market.
Away from work, she enjoys various cultural pursuits such as visiting museums and art galleries and exploring new places.
Maureen has been the owner of the school for over 20 years. After graduating from St Andrews University in Scotland with a MA (Hons) in English Language and Literature, she went to work for the Arts Council in Edinburgh. However, she decided to combine a love of English with a desire to travel by heading overseas to Lisbon to work as an English teacher.
After a while, she moved to the Algarve where she started to work for Interlingua Language School. Not long after, she got the opportunity to buy the Lagos branch of Interlingua, which she later renamed Centro de Línguas de Lagos. She also holds a post-graduate qualification in Business and Management from Edinburgh Napier University which has helped her with running her business.
Over the years she has put together an excellent team of people who work hard to ensure the students have a positive experience with the school starting from the moment they first make contact and that they have a unique learning opportunity which is directly related to their personal needs or work requirements.
When she´s not working, Maureen enjoys walking her dogs, birdwatching and reading.
Job Titles:
- Portuguese and French Teacher
Pedro has been with us for 8 years and is highly prized as he is able to offer both Portuguese and French classes. He graduated from Lisbon New University with an Honours degree in Portuguese and French and later went on to gain his Master´s qualification in Education from the same university.
He is very well-liked by his students for his sunny personality and his belief that learning should be fun. He has an easy-going style that is much appreciated by his students and helps to motivate them.
When he´s not teaching, he´s still a very active man, as he enjoys cycling around the amazing local landscape, taking to the stage as an actor and listening to music.
Job Titles:
- Portuguese and English Teacher
Sílvia has been with us since January 2018 and is extremely versatile as she teaches both Portuguese and English. Her ability to speak both languages and her warm and friendly manner make her a real asset to our team, especially in working with complete beginners.
Although she was born here in Lagos, Sílvia has travelled extensively and gained her degree from Winnipeg University in Canada, where she lived for 10 years. During her time in Winnipeg she worked as a developer and translator for an IBM company and also at the International Centre of Winnipeg as a community interpreter and translator.
However, despite enjoying her time in Canada immensely, she is more than happy to be back in Lagos working with the team and her students at the Centro de Línguas.
Sónia has been with us at the Centro de Línguas for 15 years as a Portuguese teacher and is a very popular and highly respected member of our team. She holds an Honours degree in European Studies and International Relations as well as a Master´s degree in Portuguese, both gained from Brigham Young University.
Sónia clearly enjoys her work and this enthusiasm rubs off on her students. She has an ability to put her students at ease and bring out their potential as language learners. Her lessons are always stimulating and enjoyable.
Besides being a teacher, Sónia makes the most amazing cakes, enjoys travelling and as if that wasn´t enough, she finds time to do voluntary work in the local area.