Teachers

Hi,
I'm Annie the Director of Studies and co-founder of our academy. I grew up in Ireland, where we speak Gaelic and English, and I spent my days playing Gaelic football and swimming. During that time, I learned how important dynamic classes are for young people and the balance between fun and seriousness!

At university, I graduated in International Relations, Politics and Spanish, and studied Italian and business. Since 2002 I've been teaching English and/ or managing schools in Euskadi, Italy, and Ireland. Developing personalized language programmes comes easy to me. I have over 10 years of experience as an Academic Director and over 20 years as a language teacher, while still being quite young myself! : )

I continue to develop personally and professionally, and fully support the practice of lifelong learning. I enjoy a good laugh and some good conversation. In my free time I love exploring the villages and natural gems around me and being near the sea and mountains with family..

Hi I'm Ivica which means Jon in Croatian and is pronounced Ivitza! I'm originally from Rijeka in Croatia, a coastal city on the stunning Northern Adriatic. After graduating High School with a Diploma in Shipbuilding Engineering, I moved to Ireland at the age of 18.

In Dublin, Ireland I worked in retail, telecommunications, IT and sales. I completed a Bachelor's Degree in Business Studies in Dublin and numerous IT certs such as CISCO, CCNA, Network+, A+, Software C++, HTML and Salesforce admin. After many years working for multinationals and large companies, I moved to Euskadi in 2014, where my teaching career began.

I have worked in the Instituto Antigua-Luberri in el Antiguo, Orereta Ikastola in Errenteria, Kensington and Hernani Hizkuntzak akademia, local government organisations and businesses. I completed my Certificate in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (CELTA) teacher training in Donostia and I have been teaching English in formerly ELTD Pasaia, now Bay Lingo, since 2016. I continue to upskill, in 2021 I completed the teaching specialisation in Teaching Young Learners and Teenagers.

My main objective is to ensure students are exam ready and encourage their fluency. I focus on student centred communicative use of the skills and topics covered in each lesson. I enjoy fostering an environment of mutual respect and instilling a love of the language and transmitting the benefits it can bring to the learner.

Apart from teaching I enjoy language learnings - these days I'm studying Euskera, Spanish and French. I love hiking and travelling and sailing -I recently passed my Day Skipper licence (PER).

I'm from two beautiful parts of the world, New Zealand and Switzerland, and have been teaching English since 2018. I got into teaching after travelling and volunteering in South America where I saw what a great job it is as it allows you to live in new places and work with locals.

I got my teaching qualifications in New Zealand and taught there for three years, and now I'm in my second year of teaching here in Bay Lingo. One thing I really love about this job is working in an international and like-minded team. Working with genuine, open-minded people is such a privilege.

In terms of teaching, I think it's very important to focus on communication and I try to make my classes as fluency based as possible, with games and lots of speaking tasks. I also enjoy training students for exams, and seeing them fulfil their potential is very satisfying.

Outside of teaching and travelling, I love living so close to nature and spending time outdoors. The outdoor options in the Basque Country are a big draw for me. On the weekends I usually go hiking, rock climbing or for a run. I also really enjoy a good book and a quiet day at home - baking, cooking, doing arts and craft.

I was born and raised in San Sebastián. I studied psychology and always wanted to work with children and young people..

I studied English in Byron Bay, Australia, and lived there for 5 months. It was in England where my teaching career began. I lived in Manchester for 3 years and worked in a primary school during that time teaching children with autism in the classroom. Then I realised that my passion was in education. I really enjoyed the job, not only teaching but also supporting and looking after the children, especially the ones who needed it the most.

Living abroad has been the most enriching experience of my life, meeting new people from other countries and getting to know other cultures and traditions. I have always been interested in languages. I can speak Spanish, Basque, English and a little bit of French.