Staff at TSE
Margie Barker is the Director of TSE and owns the business jointly with Clare Vickers.
Director
Margie Barker
Despite having impulsively made the decision to buy into the school with Clare over a bottle of wine one evening, Margie has never regretted her decision and says, "I love working in a multicultural environment. I grew up in Zimbabwe with the dichotomy of colonialism and apartheid resulting finally in civil war, and so I have always wanted to promote cross-cultural awareness and tolerance and I can think of no better way to do this than through running a language school like Totnes School of English." Margie's three children, Jenny, Tim and Caroline, have done sterling work as Social Leaders on our Course for Teenagers and wonder when they'll get their summers back!
Clare Vickers
Clare is a real Devonian, educated at Dartington Hall School near Totnes and at University College London where she got her BA in French and English. After an underwhelming year teaching infants in London, she found her perfect job, joining a team writing the Collins English Dictionary. Finding that she was about to reach Z, she married her then boyfriend, who was going for 3 years to Delhi University, thus indulging her Sagittarian love of travel. Subsequently they went to Hong Kong where Clare spent 18 years writing more dictionaries and TEFL books for schools, as well as the Culture Smart guide to Hong Kong. "We now had three sons and the family returned to England in 1997 and moved in next to the Barkers - and the rest is history!" explained Clare. Clare's three sons, Rustom, Bruno and Tam, have all worked in the school at one time or another and are still very supportive at a distance.
The school is run by
Margie Barker, the Director, together with
Sue Rea, the Assistant Director, and a small team of dedicated teachers and administration staff.
Assistant Director
Sue Rea
Sue is our Assistant Director and was one of the five original founders of TSE way back in 1980. After taking time out in the early 1990s Sue trained and worked as a Shiatsu practitioner and also returned to teaching at the school a year or so before Margie took over as Director. At about this time the school also moved to the Gate House, its current home.
Sue tells us, "I love the cross section of nationalities and cultures I meet in this job. It gives me such pleasure to witness a meeting of cultures and deepening understanding between our students. I feel we are playing a part in promoting world peace in our own way."
Sue is jointly responsible for marketing (with Margie, the Director) and also responsible for academic management, leading our Academic Management Team who have overall responsibility for academic matters.
Here are the other members of the
Academic Management team who also form the core of our permanent teaching team:
Heather Simpson
Heather loves teaching English, "I have taught English for...well, quite a few years – in London, Cairo, Torquay and now Totnes. I am fascinated by different languages and cultures and love meeting people from all corners of the world so ....I guess I am in the right job." As well as teaching, Heather is also involved in course development at the school and, last year, put together the English Plus Castles and Gardens programme which has proved immensely popular.
When she is not working Heather's favourite things include travelling, music, chatting with friends over coffee and cake in one of Totnes’s many wonderful cafe’s, and "trying to create a garden out of the jungle outside my back door."
Dana Grant
Dana has been working at TSE since 1999. She moved, with her family, to Totnes from London in 1996 when her children were still quite young (Lara was 10 and Nico 4). Totnes appealed to Dana and her family as it was such a special town and the surrounding countryside so gorgeous.
Dana says, "I love my job for a variety of reasons, but particularly because I enjoy meeting people from different cultures. I come from a mixed background and believe that clear communication and the desire to understand each other is key to mutual respect and tolerance. When I'm not too busy I try and practise Tai Chi and my guitar (not at the same time) and am happiest when the sun shines."
Mary Omina-Weyama
Mary is a local, well almost a local, born and bred in Torquay. She has been teaching for over eight years and has experience in three continents. "Outside teaching, I love music and enjoy going to concerts as often as possible. In my other spare time I also like socialising with my friends and family." says Mary.
Also in the Classroom:
Steve Verge
Steve first worked at TSE in 1995 when the school was situated further up the High Street. He has worked here on and off since. Steve is a true Devonian and is very proud of that.
Before working as a teacher of English he had done many kinds of jobs, indoors and outdoors (farming and building etc) and has worked as a professional musician travelling here and there. He likes to think that his previous experiences have helped him to widen his understanding of the interesting and varied people he teaches.
Outside of teaching he plays the guitar a lot, enjoys an active social and family life, goes walking and sketching, writes songs and loves to sing.
Steve Paul
Although Steve was not born in Totnes, he has lived here for 55 years so he considers himself a Totnesian.
On leaving school he joined the Merchant Navy for 12 years. He travelled to many countries especially Central and South America where his passion for language especially Spanish began. On returning to Totnes he worked in a local company before going to University where he graduated with a degree in Spanish. It was during his time at University and living and working in Spain that his interest in teaching English began. Steve enjoys teaching and working at the school and in particular with students with an elementary level of English. He has 2 adult daughters and 3 grandsons. Steve is a keen fisherman and gardener.
Jerome Betts
Definitely not Totnesian, in any sense, Jerome comes from Herefordshire but now lives in Torquay, where he taught English for many years in the same college as Heather. He has worked with overseas students at Exeter University, and has been at TSE on and off since 2003. Apart from teaching, he writes articles on language, local, social and church history, birds, books, dogs, the countryside, paper ephemera and anything that interests him. He likes TSE, not only because of the wonderful school building and its opportunities for jackdaw-watching, but also because of the very varied ages, interests and backgrounds of the students and staff.
In the Office:
Hilary Milner - Administrator
Hilary our friendly and efficient administrator is ready to help with any enquiries you may have, no enquiry is too much trouble and we pride ourselves on our immediate response to students' requests. Hilary explains, "The key to our school is our personal approach to every student: from the moment of enquiry via email, telephone or fax to their receiving the end-of-course certificate, we treat our students as important individuals, with their own particular needs and requirements. Our office is open all day."
Meike Cregan - Accommodation Manager and Welfare Officer
Meike our approachable accommodation manager, is committed to finding you a compatible and high quality host family before you arrive, and to ensuring this remains the case for the duration of your stay. Meike says, "Totnes is an ideal base for a student looking for comfortable and good quality accommodation combined with lots of pleasant interaction and conversation with the host family." In her spare time Meike loves travelling, gardening, reading, walking and having fun with her children. "I enjoy meeting people and learning about different cultures. I have two busy boys, so we all enjoy going to the beach, walking and having fun."
Rebecca Rockett - Work Experience Co-ordinator
Rebecca joined the school in August 2008 and has taken over from Jack Patterson, who has since retired. Rebecca is a true Totnesian. She attended the local schools and colleges. Rebecca comes from a hospitality and catering background but has also worked within the EFL industry before having her family. Rebecca has a boy and girl who keep her very busy. My mum lives in Totnes too and my dad lives in Italy in Massino Visconti, which she loves to visit when she gets time.
If you have any queries or questions Rebecca is very willing to help you sort them out with a smile.
Tim Barker - Marketing Executive and Agent Liaison
Tim has grown up with the school as son of Director Margie and spent his summers running the Course for Teenagers whilst studing for a BA in History at King's College London. He has now moved full time into the office to work marketing the school and as a liaison to our agents accross the world. In this endeavour he recognises the importance of continuing the schools ethos; "As a language learner myself and after experience learning a language abroad I realise the importance of a professional service but also a personal one. I love to spend time with the students whilst they are in Totnes so that I can ensure their welfare, keep agents informed of their progress and ensure that we are delivering the
high quality service that we promised. Besides this it is great to meet people from all over the world in the relaxed atmosphere of Totnes' pubs!"
Tim loves travelling, sports, history and reading.
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