Jazyk je taký rôznorodý, akí rôzni sú ľudia, ktorí ho používajú. Táto rôznorodosť je našou motiváciou, umožňuje nám učiť sa jeden od druhého a rásť spolu s našimi kolegami a klientmi.
Tím Edifiers
Kto sme
Sme kvalifikovaní učitelia anglického jazyka s dlhoročnými skúsenosťami s firemným vzdelávaním.
Spoznajte nás bližšie:
Alexander ŠTRBÁK, Founder | Chief Executive Officer
MA TESOL, DipTesol, FTBE, CELTA
Pôsobil 10 rokov vo Veľkej Británii, kde získal pedagogické vzdelanie (MA TESOL) na University of Brighton. Špecializoval sa na problematiku profesionálneho rozvoja učiteľov a prínosu spätnej väzby vo vyučovacom procese.
Popri štúdiu a po ňom pracoval ako lektor anglického jazyka, neskôr ako manažér v jazykovej škole v Brightone. Tam získal bohaté skúsenosti v rôznych oblastiach vyučovania angličtiny ako cudzieho jazyka, predovšetkým v diagnostike jazykových zručností a v obchodnej angličtine.
Okrem vedenia spoločnosti je aj garantom programu Premium pre vrcholových manažérov a riaditeľov firiem, v ktorom zúročuje svoju 25-ročnú prax. V rámci tohto programu pripravuje klientov na rôzne medzinárodné obchodné stretnutia, či už na prezentáciu v Bruseli alebo rokovanie v Londýne. Vedie medzinárodný tím senior lektorov, ktorí sa venujú agilným formám vzdelávania a poskytujú prémiovým klientom konzultácie, jazykový mentoring alebo koučing.
Náš tím lektorov
Jana Svetlíková, Assistant Director of Studies
I’ve been a member of the Edifiers family since 2013. I graduated in the British and American Studies from the Faculty of Arts, P.J. Safarik University in Kosice and was employed by Edifiers the same year.
Since then, I’ve gained a lot of experience teaching both general and business English. For me, teaching adults means a unique opportunity to experience a wide range of clients from different industries and interesting backgrounds, a challenge to meet their specific requirements and an extremely rewarding feeling to see them making progress and performing in English.
Currently, I hold the new position of ADoS (Assistant Director of Studies) which means that besides teaching, I have a key task of assisting with managing the academic life of the company.
Mária Nemčeková, Teacher
I am Mária and I have been fascinated by foreign languages from an early age. This interest of mine later also influenced my choice of university education. Since I could only choose two majors, I decided to study English and Japanese – two languages that I found the most appealing to me.
In 2017, I obtained my bachelor’s degree from English and Japanese Philology at Palacký University in Olomouc, and then I continued my master’s studies at university in Trnava. In 2019, I finished my master’s degree along with the additional pedagogical education specialized in English language and literature. This provided me with a deeper knowledge in teaching English which I have been actively doing since 2017.
I am thrilled to study foreign languages and I chose to teach so that other students can feel this passion too. Language is a way of communication, that’s why my goal during the lessons is to speak as much as possible. I am teaching my students to let go of their barriers and find freedom when speaking a foreign language. When I am not teaching, I myself am a learner of new skills and knowledge which I am very eager to obtain.
Michal Béreš, Teacher
I majored in the British and American Studies from the Presov University in Presov in 2010. Thanks to several years of experience working as an English language teacher in public sphere as well as a lecturer at language schools and as a freelancer, I have broadened my horizons in ways how to teach English as well as how to interact with students from various backgrounds. It has been a challenge to educate young talents, but also a pleasure to motivate adult learners in corporate environment.
My endeavour has always been to get the best out of me as well as of my students. To date, I pride myself on succeeding in both. Apart from teaching English, I spent years working as an in-house translator/interpreter in multinational construction companies on challenging projects. I have always been extremely passionate about English language, and yet I still cherish every opportunity to improve and learn new things while teaching English. A perpetual learner, one would say.
A keen trail runner, hiker and MTB/road cyclist. A devoted fan of nature, Cormac McCarthy, Mogwai and pasta.
Claire Hegarty, Teacher
Hi, I’m Claire from the wonderful city of London and am currently based in Cardiff in Wales where I am pursuing a Masters degree in Education. Growing up and Living in such an international city as London gave me a great opportunity to meet and mix with people from all over the world from a young age, which helped me to improve my intercultural awareness and communication skills.
After graduating with a degree in international business and modern languages from Birmingham,U.K in 2010. I embarked on my journey to become an international language teacher and completed my CELTA later that year. Since then I have had the opportunity to teach many different age groups in different countries and at different levels. I have wide experience teaching students from 4years old to adults, General and Business English, as well as preparing students for IELTS and Cambridge exams.
I have always been committed to educational progress and therefore aim always to help my students meet their full potential. My teaching philosophy is to ensure my students have practice in all 5 areas, listening, speaking, writing, reading and grammar, in a supportive environment, where they can grow in confidence. I am adaptable and will endeavour to tailor each lesson to individual needs. I love meeting my students and learning about them as well.
In my free time I love going to the beach, travelling and spending hours in a coffee shop with a good book.
Katarína Košťálová, Teacher
I have a Master’s Degree in English and Italian from Comenius University in Bratislava. Even though I originally studied to become a translator/interpreter I have always been more drawn to teaching. My qualifications include 15+ years of hands-on experience with teaching adults from diverse professional backgrounds. I have taught General and Business English classes for all levels, both individuals and groups. Besides English, I have also conducted courses of Slovak language for foreigners, which I particularly enjoyed.
I am communicative and connect easily with students trying to create a fun learning environment in order to encourage students in active participation and make the learning experience as positive as possible.
When not teaching I enjoy spending time with my family, doing yoga and Nordic walking. I have a passion for travelling, reading and Indian food 🙂
Martina Bierbaum, Teacher
Though born in Slovakia for most of my life, I’ve lived in different countries and on different continents. Traveling was always my passion, as was the English language thus it was kind of inevitable that I would end up somewhere behind the Slovak borders. Although I’ve lived all over; from Israel to England, and even worked a few months in Africa, I’ve spent most of the time in the USA.
However, the time came when the change was calling my name again, so I packed my bags and moved back to Europe for a while where once again I indulge in good coffee, the company of old friends, and hope to discover new passions.
I’ve got my Associate’s Degree from St. Charles Community College, Missouri (still like to go back and finish my studies) and the TEFL Certification from the International TEFL Academy in Chicago.
Tracey Cook, Teacher
I have been teaching English for over twenty years. I am originally from Glasgow in Scotland. I have taught in the UK, Japan, France and Turkey. I specialise in Business English and exam preparation courses, which include IELTS and ILEC, a Legal English exam. I enjoy teaching because it allows me to help students obtain their goals, which may be related to their careers, studies or a general interest in the language. I also enjoy getting to know my students.
In my spare time, I enjoy walking. I live in Turkey on the Mediterranean coast where there are so many beautiful places to explore. I also practise yoga and am interested in photography. I regularly take part in the British tradition of pub quizzes, and occasionally act as a quiz master. When I can, I like to travel, meet new people and experience different cultures.
April Kaye Young, MA, TEFL, TESOL, Teacher
I’m originally from Edinburgh, Scotland, but I live permanently in Greece. I’ve been teaching since the tender age of 18, having been thrown in at the deep end at a language school in Greece. The classroom setting and rapport with my students appealed to me so much that I decided to make it a career.
I have been lucky enough to experience teaching at all levels and for all needs, from exam preparation to Academic English and Business English during my career so far. I fulfilled a lifelong ambition of teaching at Oxford University, taking part in International programmes for five years. I have also enjoyed the responsibility of running summer schools as an EFL teacher, ADoS, DoS and Academic Manager. I have taught in Italy, Germany, Greece, France, Spain, UK, and now Slovakia.
I use a variety of methodologies, and ‘tailor-make’ lessons for my students’ specific needs. I follow Linguistic news and articles of interest for authentic and interesting lessons.
My main interests are wine tasting, gourmet dining, full day trips and entertaining guests with delicious Greek treats while watching the sun set. My little dog, Frixos.
Gareth Landers, Teacher
I’ve been a TESOL practitioner since 1994, although I don’t feel as old as the hills. I’ve taught adults in academic and in-company courses in Spain, Germany, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, England, Italy, and, informally, in Mexico. I love what I do, especially, because it lets me be creative and meet people from all walks of life. This is the first time I work with people from Slovakia and I am very pleased to be a member of Edifiers.
Anna Kuncio, Senior Teacher
At the age of eight I had only 2 goals in my life: kick a football as high as I possibly can (preferably so it lands on the roof of a house), and to achieve proficiency in English in order to travel the world. And as I was impatient about it (both of those things actually), I worked hard from an early age to reach the latter goal as soon as possible. On the way, I discovered how much fun it is to communicate in a foreign language and how it easy it is once you start to enjoy it.
I was born and raised in Poland, the cold but beautiful seaside. As mentioned above, I had a clear plan of my life. I consider myself lucky because my father understood very early on how important languages are, and he encouraged my sister and me to work hard and always push ourselves in our studies. Because of that, I was able to study in London, UK, and travel just as I had planned. I lived in various European countries, usually for at least a year if not more, and used my knowledge of the English language to teach others. I worked a lot with young learners and teenagers, who to this day I find fascinating to teach as their perspective on life and things are so different from adults’. I completed my CELTA course in Brest, France where I started teaching adults…and discovered that some adults’ perspective on life is actually also different and interesting.
My adventure of teaching continues, currently in Bratislava, which already feels like home. My current goal is to become the best teacher that I possibly can because I want to help others and share my knowledge and experience of English. I believe that somehow I got it for free so why not share it with people?
Kinga Gyökeresová, Teacher
I am Kinga Gyökeresová , I was born in Bratislava but spent quite a few years living and working abroad, both in Britain and China.
I graduated as a music teacher but also acquired an English as a Foreign Language diploma. In London I worked for a summer school with my CELTA qualification teaching mainly children. The school is one of the prominent language schools in Britain where a special teaching method is used to teach students from about 40 different countries. I truly enjoyed teaching in a creative, international setting, so I spent a decade there. The most rewarding feeling was to see my students improve their English, become more confident with fun activities and interesting projects. I also worked in China for two years, in primary schools in Slovakia and my latest project was teaching Syrian refugee children based in Lebanon online.
I believe students remember the most from a lesson if they have enjoyed it and this is what I am trying to achieve while teaching.
When I am not teaching, I like to spend my time on creative projects (writing , photography) and a lot of traveling (I am a qualified tour guide). Another “hobby” of mine is learning. It can be about a new destination, new recipes or a new skill.
Hollie Alexander, BA TEFL, Teacher
My name is Hollie and I’m from Cambridgeshire, England. Besides teaching, my great passions are reading, learning languages, and exploring the world. My lifelong love of languages and books led me to the University of Nottingham, where I graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in English. During my studies, I focused heavily on linguistics and English language teaching, and I also passed my Teaching English as a Foreign Language (TEFL) course.
My teaching journey has led me to countries all over the world with students of all ages and levels. I have volunteered at language schools in Europe, teaching young professionals communication skills in both general English and business English. Since graduating I have lived across Europe and Asia, gaining practical experience teaching using a variety of methodologies, and guiding students towards their individual language goals, whether that be for personal use or language examinations such as Cambridge exams.
My teaching has been strengthened by the years of varying practical experience, as well as the courses and training that I have undertaken. Since 2020, I began teaching in the form of online and blended lessons, with these classes consisting of young learners and adult students. It has been a joy to experience the development of interpersonal relationships and language skills in virtual classrooms and discover the multitude of online teaching materials which I use to create an interesting, dynamic, and student-centred learning experience.
Silvester Rapca, Teacher
I am a graduate of the University of Western Australia, Perth, majoring in Linguistics. In 2003, I obtained a Certificate in Teaching English as Foreign Language at Via Lingua, Prague. I have been working as an English teacher since September 2001. Until June 2011, I worked for two different language schools in Nitra, Slovakia. In July 2011 I became a freelance teacher, providing both in-person as well as online lessons.
After all these years I am still passionate about my job and English, which I hope is obvious to my students. I teach English in group and one-to-one courses and have extensive experience in teaching students of different age groups and from a variety of professional backgrounds. I have also been successful in preparing several of my students for various language exams, including the Slovak school leaving examination, Cambridge English: First (FCE) and Advanced (CAE), and IELTS.
I always strive for a friendly and relaxed atmosphere in my lessons while making sure my students practise their language skills, expand their vocabulary, improve their knowledge of grammar and, overall, enjoy learning English.
Edward Gamlin, Teacher
Born at the age of 17, and half a century too late, Dr Edward Gamlin was raised bilingually in London, avoided expulsion from school and found himself, some years later, unexpectedly in possession of a PhD, MA, BA, PGCSE and Delta in Applied Linguistics and Intercultural Management from Cambridge and London, together with an urge to play music, act and write, having five children, all polyglots, at the last inventory. A volunteer paramedic, psychologist, youth leader, but, primarily, linguist and researcher, he relishes helping others, especially the less advantaged.
Enthusiastic, committed, and totally dedicated to his research and students, Edward has experience tutoring many levels and abilities, from kindergarten children to the most advanced senior citizens, the latter being afforded English for the next life, from beginners to native speakers, spending most of his time with his beloved faculty university students. A module and course manager and director, he is also a teacher trainer, being fully committed to CPD, while maintaining that most tutoring work is done before and after tutorials, and that being a pro-active listener is a key to excellent communication. Edward is adamant that every day is a learning process, that he knows very little, and that we are all life-long learners.
A hybrid, in many respects, he enjoys British, German and Australian citizenship, being particularly fond of Spain and South East Asia where his immediate family live. For him, the glass is always half full; Edward has a great sense of humour and loves to be the joker in the pack, while taking all roles most seriously, and adopting a bespoke, flexible, and refreshingly innovative, yet humble approach to his inspiring students, wearing his scholarship lightly, and taking positive delight in, but no credit whatsoever for the significant learning strides his global students consistently make in their studies and career goals.
James Reynolds, MA TESOL, Teacher
I am an enthusiastic and dedicated English language teacher, skilled in preparing and delivering engaging lessons focused on meeting the learning needs of learners and teaching institutions. Demonstrating a strong record of successful teaching in both academic and business English, I effectively utilise my strong interpersonal, communication, and demonstration skills to present concepts clearly and increase student understanding.
I love travelling different countries and experiencing diverse cultures. I also really enjoy reading both for learning knowledge and new skills and immersing myself in stories. I also love music and I am constantly seeking new things to listen to. Finally, I enjoy outdoor activities such as hiking, jogging, and cycling.
Ian Macmillan, Teacher
My name is Ian, and I am originally from Canada. I have been teaching for the past 15 years and been lucky enough to live and work in a variety of countries. After completing university and receiving my BA and MA, I started my teaching career and completed my TEFL certification.
I started teaching in Ukraine teaching both children and adults and getting experience teaching General and Business English as well as International English Exam preparation. I started focusing on teaching adults as I grew in the profession. Since 2015 I have been focused on Business English helping professionals advance in their careers and reach their language goals. For the past two years, I have switched over to teaching online full-time and have enjoyed the opportunity to work with clients from around the globe. I am always interested in developing and learning.
When I am not teaching, I love to travel and experience new cultures. I enjoy reading and listening to live music. I also try to play sports and get some exercise when I have time. I have two dogs that also take a lot of my free time. Trying food from the countries I visit is also something that brings me a lot of joy.
Z našej histórie
Prečo Edifiers?
Vedeli sme, že v našom smerovaní, vízii či hodnotách nechceme meniť nič.
Počas dvanástich rokov sme odučili desiatky klientov z rôznych odvetví, na rôznych postoch. Popri tom všetkom sme sa s nimi naučili, ako komunikujú, na čo všetko potrebujú angličtinu, a hlavne to, na čo vlastne potrebujú nás.
Dostávali sme tiež otázky: „Takýto kurz nemáte? Tak študujte, nájdite materiály a kurz nám urobte na mieru.“ A tak sme hľadali materiály, študovali, vyrábali sylaby, školili seba aj lektorov.
Uvedomili sme si, že našou hlavnou pracovnou náplňou je prinášať našim klientom odbornosť, osobný prístup a pomáhať im pri ich osobnom rozvoji.
Už sme neboli iba špičkoví lektori – stali sme sa tímom, ktorý zveľaďoval myseľ svojich študentov. Stali sme sa Edifiers.
Naša vízia
Spolupráca je u nás vždy na prvom mieste.
Staráme sa o kvalitné a kvalifikované jazykové vzdelávanie a zároveň sme konzultantom pri navrhovaní a organizovaní programov pre firmy a jednotlivcov.
V spojení s našimi klientami vytvárame na základe ich potrieb a požiadaviek na mieru šité, špecifické a efektívne programy jazykového rozvoja s využitím nášho potenciálu, skúseností, vedomostí aj zručností.
Naši klienti
Vždy rešpektujeme ich právo na anonymitu a sme hrdí na to, že pre mnohých sme výhradným dodávateľom služieb už od začiatku nášho pôsobenia.
Naši klienti sú väčšinou z oblasti farmácie, práva, financií, bankovníctva, ale aj potravinárstva a finančných služieb.
Naše hodnoty
Denno-denne pracujeme v prostredí, ktoré na nás kladie špecifické nároky. Nielen na výkon, profesionalitu, odbornosť ale aj komunikáciu.
Zároveň sme však učitelia a naša práca je pre nás poslaním. Veríme, že poctivosť, pracovitosť, ľudskosť a vysoké nároky na seba sú základom vysokej úrovne našich služieb.
Ako pracujeme?
Insightful Language Development
Vo všetkom, čo robíme, je náš klient/študent na prvom mieste. Možno to znie ako klišé, ale pre nás je tento princíp hlavným východiskom pre všetky praktické kroky pri práci s klientom.
Takže či ste veľká korporácia a potrebujete nastaviť celofiremné vzdelávanie, vždy sa v prvom rade riadime tým, čo potrebujete a očakávate VY. Nie tým, čo chce učebnica („po lekcii 1 má nasledovať lekcia 2!“), nie tým, čo chce lektor („poďme sa len rozprávať a budem vám opravovať chyby“).
Vždy sa zariadime tak, aby ste dostali presne to, čo pre svoj rozvoj potrebujete. Ak sú to pravidelné, systematické lekcie, vyberieme vám tú najlepšiu učebnicu a dáme pozor, aby ste z nej vyťažili čo najviac. Ale ak potrebujete kurz úplne na mieru, zostavíme vám ho, pripravíme vám všetky vyučovacie materiály a dozrieme na to, aby ste svoj cieľ dosiahli.
Na to, aby sme to dokázali, vás potrebujeme dobre poznať. Vašu súčasnú jazykovú kompetenciu, históriu vášho štúdia, vaše očakávania, časové a finančné možnosti a v prvom rade vaše akademické potreby. Potrebujeme vám rozumieť. Potrebujeme INSIGHT.
Preto sme našu metodiku nazvali Insightful language development. Skôr, než váš kurz spustíme, spravíme si svoju domácu úlohu. Dôslednou diagnostikou jazykových potrieb zistíme všetko, čo potrebujeme vedieť na to, aby sme váš kurz nastavili dobre. Žiadny pokus a omyl. Keď už ho raz spustíme, dbáme na to, aby bežal hladko a aby vás pri vašom štúdiu nič nerušilo.
Na základe výstupu z diagnostiky vám navrhneme spôsob a obsah vášho kurzu, presne zadefinujeme akademické ciele a aj spôsob, akým skontrolujeme ich plnenie v čase. Na toto používame overený model SMART, ktorý nám umožní váš kurz objektívne vyhodnocovať v čase a prispôsobovať jeho formu a obsah vašim životným a pracovným okolnostiam.
Každý klient, firemný aj individuálny, má svojho manažéra vzdelávania – Language Development Director – ktorý dozerá na to, aby bolo všetko tak, ako má byť.
Dospelí študenti nie sú deti, a preto sa ani nedokážu učiť ako deti, len tak z kontextu. Do vyučovacieho procesu dospelého študenta vstupuje veľa rôznych faktorov: jeho osobnosť, predchádzajúce skúsenosti, vedomosti z iných oblastí, vlastná intelektuálna potreba veciam hlbšie rozumieť a v neposlednom rade zažité pracovné návyky.
My tomuto všetkému rozumieme a máme odborné know-how na to, aby sme každého študenta posunuli k splneniu jeho cieľov.
Model SMART
Pri navrhovaní koncepcie jazykového vzdelávania postupujeme podľa modelu SMART. Tento model používame aj pri hodnotení efektivity jazykového vzdelávania pre firmy aj jednotlivcov.
