Our teams
Ensuring both the well-being of our pupils and a meaningful learning journey is our very first priority and constant focus. Teaching staff at LIFT are seasoned professionals, with a substantial track-record in an international school setting, native speakers of their teaching language, and with required higher education qualifications to teach elementary pupils from their home country. All our French teachers are civil servants of the French ministry of education.
Anthony Belin
Head of School
Anthony grew up in France where, after studying in “classes préparatoires”, he graduated with a double master’s degree at the Panthéon-Sorbonne University in philosophy and teaching.
After getting his teaching certification, he worked in various Parisian establishments to then experience the richness of a bilingual education for five years at the Taipei European School.
This professional career at the crossroads of languages convinced him that a quality education must build a dialogue between cultures and offer the conditions to bring out the singularities and potentialities of each child. To him, the classroom represents a space for exchanges between researchers, teachers, parents and students to build a joyful and lively relationship with knowledge and to raise future generations of enlightened citizens, who are advocates for sustainability.
Tristan Chang
Administrative & Financial Officer
Tristan graduated from the french department of Fu Jen University. Inspired by the class of linguistics during the four years in the college, he went to Belgium to study more about French linguistics at the University of Louvain.
Coming back to Taiwan, he worked as a director of academic affairs in a private institution for three years and also taught students from 7 to 18 years old English. During the three years in the institution, he was also Vice-director of the institution to help the director to deal with administration work and students’ affairs.
Gwenola Galichier-Chen
School life manager
Gwenola is French and was born in Normandy. She studied in the medico-social field in Orleans. After that, she worked in the area of Montpellier. She worked in institutions dedicated to child welfare, then to adult reintegration, before joining a facility that support foreign people in their asylum application.
At the same time, her passion for oceans and seas made her take professional training in scuba diving. Raising awareness about ocean protection is a cause that she deeply cares about, and she is proud to be able to share and transmit it.
Gwenola is extremely proud to join LIFT’s pedagogical team and to share with them the goal of a learning respectful of each pupil’s evolution. Our mission is to enable them to discover and explore new things everyday.
Marine Verchain
Primary Teacher CP (Year 2)
Marine has always been attracted to learning languages. She first took a degree in foreign languages, English and Chinese, at the Aix-Marseille University, then she moved to Taiwan to improve her Mandarin. She then became interested in teaching French. She therefore decided to take a master’s degree in teaching French as a foreign language.
For more than 10 years, Marine has actively taken part in many activities related to teaching about French and French culture in Taiwan, working with the association of French teachers in Taiwan. She also was in charge of teaching summer camps for children at the Alliance Française. This allowed her to learn more about teaching French to the youngest.
It is very important for her to be in contact with others in order to develop truly authentic relationships. She believes that language teaching should be done with respect for the culture of the student and offer an environment where the learner feels encouraged and supported to allow him to improve.
Valérie Catrice-Brignon
Primary Teacher CP/CE2 (Year 2/4)
Valérie has spent the 10 first years of her life abroad, where she evolved in a multicultural environment. After she graduated in history and geography, she later studied musicology. She taught music for a few years in a parisian high-school before taking the civil service entrance examinations for Primary teachers.
She then taught different schools in Paris before leaving for Germany where she lived for 9 years, then Egypt for 3 years and finally 9 years in Taiwan at the Taipei European School, multiculturalism being the guiding principle of her professional and personal life.
She has always attached the utmost importance to teaching in an innovative, dynamic and caring framework, and put at the forefront of her work to allow each of her pupils to progress at its own pace. For Valérie, to listen to the needs of the pupils is a priority to be able to create an adequate learning environment.
Nezli Hafiz-Khodja
Primary Teacher CE1 (Year 3)
Nezli grew up in Austria, France and Algeria. She studied Hypokhâgne and Khâgne and has two bachelor’s degree : one in History and one in Italian. She then graduated two masters degree in primary school teaching : one from the IUFM of Montpellier and one from ESPE de Paris-Sorbonne. She has been a civil servant primary school teacher in the Academy of Paris for 8 years. Training and experiences gave her the opportunity to pass certifications in digital teaching, English, German and Italian primary teaching, and teaching French as a second language.
French and Algerian binational woman, she is fund of culture, languages and foreign lands : she speaks 7 languages and lived in 5 countries before coming to Taipei. As a former Lycée Français pupil, coming back there as a teacher was the obvious choice.
It is with a great commitment that she joined the LIFT team, which project fascinates her from the start. The pedagogy by project, the multilingual and multicultural teaching, the use of digital in teaching, the cooperation with the parents and, most of all, the pleasure of learning and the well being of the pupils are her favorite professional matters.
Pierre Pellerin
Primary Teacher CM1-CM2 (Year 5/6)
Pierre was born in the North of France. He started graduate education in preparatory class in Lille, then joined a business school for one year in Montpellier. He then chose to turn to teaching to become a Primary teacher. Pierre holds a bachelor degree in English and Spanish and two Master’s degrees in Teaching and Education; one from the university of Montpellier and one from the Sorbonne university.
At the same time he grew out of international experiences through internships abroad in New-York and Lisbon, and a certification to teach French to allophone students. After a career of 7 years in Paris, Pierre joined a school in Tunis.
He is a teacher with an international mindset, who considers teaching as a rewarding vocation, focused on the well-being and fulfillment of pupils but also communication with pupils’ parents. He works to pass on values such as mutual respect, solidarity, autonomy and citizenship training.
Kimberley Ward
Primary Teacher (in English)
Kimberley grew up in the UK and graduated with a degree in Forensic Science and Biological Anthropology. Soon after she set about acquiring her PGCE teaching certification from Chester University.
Since graduating Kimberley has enjoyed 9 years of teaching in both British and international school settings including the vibrant and multicultural International School Seychelles before finally settling in her home away from home, Taiwan.
For 3 years, Kimberley worked at a prestigious bilingual private school in Taipei where she was a grade leader and subject leader for English and Mathematics and an English homeroom teacher in a bilingual primary school classroom.
Kimberley approaches teaching and learning from a global perspective. Her scientific background makes Kimberley a passionate advocate for inquiry-based learning and kinesthetic activities as part of learning. For Kimberley the most important thing is creating an inclusive classroom environment and forming meaningful connections with students in order to personalize their learning journey.
Kuoying Chiang
Primary Teacher (in Mandarin)
Kuoying graduated from the Department of Applied Psychology of Fu-Jen University. Her studies focused on counseling and psychotherapy. During that time, she regularly went to remote villages to participate in children’s summer camps and studied children’s physical and mental development, psychotherapy, and educational psychology. Kuoying has worked in a children’s clinic and special children’s education institutions for many years.
Kuoying then studied in France. After living in France for more than ten years, she opened a Chinese tea house, to promote Chinese tea and music. It quickly became a Sino-French cultural exchange institution. During the 2003/04 Sino-French Cultural Exchange Year, she cooperated with French music artists to integrate Guzheng and Tang poetry into her music creation.
After returning to Taiwan with her family, Kuoying engaged in French-Mandarin translation work and worked with Waldorf Education. She then joined the French Section of the Taipei European School. She trained in Chinese as a foreign language for children and held various positions such as special education assistant, preschool Teacher and Primary MandarinTeacher.
With a background in psychology, many years of cross-cultural experience and nearly ten years of work experience in the field of children’s education, Kuoying believes that one should understand children before teaching them. Through multilingual learning, children can develop the ability to face the world of tomorrow, to understand and put into practice universal values.
Ying-Hsuan Lee
Assistant Teacher of Mandarin
Ying-Hsuan graduated from National Taiwan Normal University with a Bachelor’s and a Master’s degree in Teaching Chinese as a Second Language. Throughout her academic career, Ying-Hsuan earned the secondary teacher credential as well as the International Baccalaureate (IB) educator certificate.
Ying-Hsuan has taught Mandarin at several schools in Taiwan and abroad over the past 5 years. She has had experience teaching preschoolers at a Chinese immersion kindergarten in Germany, developing their language abilities in a natural setting. She has also worked with young pupils from numerous countries, ranging in age from 3 to 18, helping them improve their Chinese language skills. Furthermore, Ying-Hsuan has also worked as a classroom teacher in a Taiwanese public school, demonstrating her adaptability to various educational settings.
Through these experiences, Ying-Hsuan has gained valuable insights into meeting diverse learning needs. The most important thing to her is to create a welcoming classroom environment in which children can build lifetime passions for learning and reach their full potential.
Elise François
Teacher of French as a foreign language
Elise was born in the North of France, where she studied a Chinese language, literature and civilisation bachelor’s degree before specializing in a master’s degree of French as a Foreign Language. Passionate about foreign cultures, she also studied a bachelor’s degree of English at the same time.
After several experiences abroad, she arrived in Tiwan 4 years ago and taught french in different private schools in Taipei. During her career, she worked with children from different cultures and origins, and could thus develop a pedagogical approach adapted to their needs. Teaching to foreign children in France helped her understand the issues non native learners can be confronted to in a total french environment.
In her class, Elise actively encourages oral participation and expression by creating a reassuring environment where kids feel comfortable expressing themselves in french. Her objective is to make french learning fun and interesting, so that each pupil can improve at its own pace.”
Solène Cornileau
French as a foreign language teacher
Alexandre Szmahaj
Mathematics and science teacher
Alexandre holds a Master’s degree in Fundamental Mathematics from the Université de Lorraine-Metz. For many years, he has nurtured a deep passion for mathematics, which naturally led him to teaching. With hisl teaching methods, enhanced by a touch of humor, he strives to make this often dreaded discipline accessible and engaging, thus reconciling future generations with the joys of mathematics.
He began his teaching career in France as a titulaire, before broadening his horizons in Luxembourg, where he taught in the Luxembourg system, and in Hong Kong, in the French system as well as in IGCSE and IB schools as a registered teacher. Today, in Taipei, he hopes to continue inspiring and boosting the confidence of his students.
Omar Rivera
Teacher of mathematics and English language
My journey in the educational field full-time started more than six years ago, and to this day, I have never regretted saying yes to such a life-changing invitation.
I was born and raised in the Dominican Republic; from a very young age, I was surrounded by educators: my grandmother was a primary school teacher for several years, eventually becoming principal, and my dad and uncle were part-time college professors. This made a huge impact on my life and education.
I have been evolving in an international educational system, teaching local and international students the American curriculum. I have enjoyed teaching English and Art at the elementary school level and Spanish and Math in high school.
My greatest desire regarding teaching goes beyond the academic: I yearn to see my students grow and develop good character, morals, compassion, and sympathy for each other.
Uira Picard
French, History-Geography and French as a Foreign Language teacher
From his childhood, Uira grew up in a multicultural environment, between France and Brazil. Former Sciences-Po Bordeaux student, he graduated in Philosophy and Modern Literature. During his studies, he did some university exchanges at the Coimbra economics university, in Portugal, then at Cluj-Napoca in Romania.
After his studies, he teaches modern literature in a high school near Bordeaux, where he trains its classes to the Baccalauréat. Then he goes to Malaysia to teach French as a Foreign Language at the Alliance Francaise of Kuala Lumpur. At the same time he teaches Literature History at the American School to a french speaking class. Back in France, he teaches French at middle school, first at Bordeaux then in a bilingual school in Paris.
In his work, he regularly shows his will to encourage his pupils and bring to all, according their needs, some help. He offers at the same time reassuring rituals and demanding projects. His diverse training enables him to offer a transdisciplinary teaching in order to make them build themself a solid classical culture, a must-have to overcome modern world’s challenges. He is convinced that Literature and imagination artworks help the student’s self-fulfillment as individuals and as future citizens.
