Manchester Academy of English UK

Céline Cameron - Director
BA, PG Cert. in International Business

Before starting her sales and marketing career in EFL and Higher Education in the UK, Céline held managerial positions within British charities in Milan. Céline is originally from Montreal, Canada, therefore she has the added advantage of not only speaking French and English but due to her travels and varied work experience in Italy and Mexico, she is also fluent in Italian and semi-fluent in Spanish.

Since Céline came to the UK, 20 years ago, she has liked and lived in many cities; however, she has chosen to stay in Manchester because of the unique sophistication this city displays. She feels that no other city in the UK offers the same feeling of comfort and cheer amongst a mix of international cultures as Manchester.

Srisail R. Panjugula - Operations Manager

Srisail comes from India and has over 15 years of experience in IT support. He enjoys meeting the wide variety of people at Manchester Academy of English. Srisail likes the fact that Manchester is such a multi-cultural city as it makes him feel at home.

Srisail enjoys reading novels (non-fiction), listening to music and going to the cinema. He is also a poet, his poem 'Peace' bagged an international award!

Srisail is currently pursuing an MSc in Business IT Management.

Aldona Norkus - Director of Studies
BA Hons, CELTA (B) DTEFLA

Aldona has taught EFL since 1991. She joined Manchester Academy of English in 2002. Prior to this, Aldona taught in Taiwan, Japan and London. She has extensive teaching experience including general and business English and exam classes such as Cambridge exam preparation courses. She likes the school because of the enthusiastic students and professional teachers.

Megan Menendez - Assistant Director of Studies
BA (Hons), CELTA (B) DELTA

Megan gained 5 years teaching experience in Poland, Hungary and Argentina before joining Manchester Academy of English in 2003. Previously she was the Language Coordinator at the University of Aberystwyth. Megan likes the friendly, relaxed atmosphere of the school and the mix of nationalities. She thinks Manchester is great for its bustling nightlife. In her spare time, Megan enjoys tae bo, swimming, and studying Spanish. She is also a massive fan of rugby and Tom Jones.

Vanna Carter - Director of Teacher Training & CELTA Assessor
Member Institute of Linguists, Dip RSA, Dip Translation & Interpretation

Vanna has taught EFL since 1986 and trained teachers in the UK since 1995. She joined Manchester Academy in 2000. She has extensive experience in the private sector and has worked on a wide variety of courses, including designing English language courses for corporate clients and courses for overseas teachers of English.

Vanna is a member of the Institute of Linguists and also an approved CELTA assessor.

Katie Fielding - Teacher Trainer
B.Sc, DELTA

Katie started teaching EFL in 1994 and worked in Poland, Japan, Thailand and London before joining Manchester Academy in 2006. She has taught all kinds of classes, from business one-to-one lessons and Cambridge exam preparation courses to groups of pre-school children. She became an approved CELTA trainer in 2002 and is now responsible for running the part time CELTA courses at Manchester Academy.

Kathy Byrne - Teacher and Teacher Trainer
BA Hons, RSA DELTA

Kathy has taught EFL since 1999, following a varied career in local government. Prior to joining Manchester Academy of English, she worked in Spain teaching general and business English. She has been a member of the Teacher Training Department at the Academy since 2005.

Kathy has recently been accepted as an examiner for the Cambridge FCE writing paper.

Chris Robinson - Teacher and Teacher Trainer
Cert Ed (University of Durham), RSA Diploma

Chris has over 25 years teaching experience both in Germany and in the UK. He has taught English at the Academy for seven years and is also involved in teacher training.

Chris's hobbies include classic motor vehicle repair and riding his Indian Royal Enfield. Chris believes it is the people who make Manchester Academy of English special, as they are always a fun, interesting mix of nationalities. Chris likes the beautiful architecture and the museums of Manchester.

Dolores Long - Teacher and Teacher Trainer
Teaching Cert (University of London), Trinity Cert TESOL, RSA Diploma

Dolores has worked for the British Council teaching English in Egypt and Bangladesh and has also taught in Cambodia and Vietnam. She has worked as a VSO volunteer for 3 years in Tanzania training teachers and also trained teachers in Nicaragua and Zambia. She joined Manchester Academy in 2002 and currently trains on the CELTA course.

She enjoys reading novels, listening to world music, going to the cinema swimming and playing squash.

Pam Womack - Teacher and Teacher Trainer

LL.B(Hons), Cambridge CTEFLA and DELTA

Pam has over 12 years ESOL teaching experience and has worked in Indonesia, Singapore, Finland and Poland.

Pam has worked as an ADOS and DOS at International House and was a Cambridge Oral Examiner Team Leader in Poland.

Pam joined Manchester Academy of English in 2007 and works as a teacher and CELTA trainer.

Her hobbies include reading, scuba diving, skiing and hiking.

Michelle Ashby - Teacher
BA (Hons), CELTA, PGCE (in higher education)

Michelle has been teaching both in England and abroad for over 10 years. She has spent a considerable amount of time in Egypt and has also worked in countries ranging from Turkey to Latvia. Michelle is a friendly and sociable person who enjoys travelling, meeting people and learning about new cultures. She is regularly in contact with some former students who she considers to be friends!

Sue Wrigley - Teacher
BSc, TESOL

Sue has recently joined Manchester Academy of English after spending three years teaching English in Portugal. She enjoys working at the Academy because of its friendly and helpful staff. There is always a good atmosphere among students and teachers. She thinks Manchester is a great place to live, work and study in. Especially because of its great nightlife and shops.

Tamara Ranatunga - Teacher
BSc Hons (Social Psychology), CELTA (B)

After graduating from Loughborough University in 2001, Tamara left for Japan and taught English there for 3 years. She was very glad to return to Manchester, which she thinks is a vibrant and culturally diverse city. Tamara joined the Academy in July 2005 and thoroughly enjoys working in such a warm and friendly environment. Her hobbies include scuba diving, snow boarding, travelling and yoga.

Gabriela V. Sanderson - Teacher
BA in Spanish, RSA/Cambridge Diploma in TEFL

Gaby has been a teacher for over 15 years. She moved to Manchester in December 2005 and likes the city for its rich history and architecture, its vibrant cultural life and excellent restaurants. Gaby thinks Manchester Academy is a great place to work because of its truly international atmosphere and the dedicated and supportive staff. When not teaching, Gaby enjoys visiting museums and National Trust properties, going for walks in the country and eating out.

Agnieszka Pietrzak - Registrar

Agnieszka, from Poland, understands the needs of international students well, as she herself has a background in language learning, having studied in Spain and Germany as well as her native Poland. She is impressed by the friendly atmosphere at Manchester Academy of English and feels really at home working here. Agnieszka likes Manchester because it is lively and there is so much to see and do here that she is never bored. She loves films, music and socialising with friends.

Frances Simpson - Assistant Registrar and Administrator

Frances has recently moved to Manchester from Newcastle where she was working in admin and sales. She had wanted to move to Manchester for a while as she feels it is a much more vibrant city with lots more to offer. She enjoys working at the Manchester Academy of English as it is a chance to meet new people and learn more about different cultures. Frances lives close to the city centre, it has a good social scene, lots of good bars and restaurants. She enjoys going to watch live bands, going to the cinema and is enjoying getting to know Manchester more.

Hina Khan - Finance Officer

Hina is originally from London and moved to Manchester in 2004 when she got married. Hina feels Manchester is a very calm, friendly and modern city. She also feels that is very up and coming. Hina is a Part Qualified ACCA student who is currently finishing her finals.

Hina enjoys socialising, spending time with her family and, most of all, travelling. She has visited over 15 countries and has no intention of stopping there. Hina joined Manchester Academy of English in May 07 and has felt very welcomed at the Academy by all the staff and students. She hopes to grow with the Academy in the coming years.

Elspeth Coppock - Accommodation Officer

Before joining Manchester Academy as Accommodation Officer, Elspeth worked as a special needs teaching assistant. She enjoys learning about different cultures and is looking forward to meeting students and host families. Elspeth grew up near Manchester and feels it has a lot to offer students.

In her spare time, Elspeth enjoys spending time with her friends and family, going to the cinema, swimming and playing the flute.

Laura Hockenhull - Receptionist/Administrative Assistant

Before starting her Marketing career here at Manchester Academy of English, Laura studied French and Spanish at university. As part of her course, Laura studied at Granada university in Spain and also worked for a telecommunications company in Paris. Laura also has a wealth of experience of organising international events for the medical industry, which allowed her to travel extensively and use her languages.

Laura returned to Manchester as she loves the cosmopolitan feel of the city and all that it has to offer culturally. She enjoys watching foreign films, going to see live bands, socialising and can often be found trying to dance 'salsa' in one of Manchester's famous clubs.

Consultants

Brian Richbell - HR Consultant			Gillian Wych - Payroll
Karen Page - Football/Activites Consultant			Mary Johnson - Finance Consultant