Committed and Experienced Teacher Trainers
Our teacher trainers have designed a customized course based on their own experiences with TEFL courses, educational training and years of classroom contact.
In addition to the actual course content, teachers will assess the specific needs of the trainees and include tailored workshops as necessary. Barbara Miller, M.Ed.
Barbara is originally from California, but has lived in Costa Rica since 1999. She has a double Bachelors degree in Psychology and Multicultural and Gender Studies. She has participated in a number of Second Language Acquisition seminars through Cambridge University, New England Language School and others. She holds a Masters in Educational Administration, and a Masters in TEFL both of which were completed through Massachusetts's Framingham State University International program in San Jose, Costa Rica.
In June of 1999 she assumed the position of English Department Director at Intercultura, where she was in charge of professional development, curriculum design, teacher training and observations, as well as teaching, her real passion. In order to better train the teaching staff, in 2005 she began Costa Rica TEFL while continuing at Intercultura. In May 2008 she decided to dedicate her time fully to Costa Rica TEFL in Playa Samara and continues to work with Intercultura as a consultant and trainer.
Julia Francis. M.Sc.
Julia is originally from England and holds a Bachelors degree in Sports Health and Exercise and a Masters of Science in Education. She taught English and Physical Education for 9 years and was the Business and Enterprise Education Coordinator at Aston Manor school. While working as the Coordinator, she delivered workshops in Voice Training for Teachers, Positive Discipline in Classrooms, Teaching and Learning, Accelerated Learning Techniques, Active Reading skills, and Positive Behavior Management. She was responsible for the organization and delivery of Enterprise Education in schools in her local area from 2002 to 2005.
She later went on to complete her TEFL certification in 2006 and taught English at Intercultura for two years. In 2008, she began working as a Teacher trainer and living full-time in Playa Samara.
Dana Colligan, M.A.
Dana Colligan has spent the last five years as a full-time ESL instructor at the American Language Institute of California State University, Long Beach.
Dana received her M.A. in Applied Linguistics/TESOL from the University of New England (Armidale, Australia) in 2004 and has also completed graduate studies in Educational Leadership at Northern Arizona University. In teaching second language acquisition, Dana draws heavily on her experience as a collegiate track & field and cross country coach (California State University, Long Beach; University of Texas Pan American, Northern Arizona University, Butler University), which required her to instruct, manage, and motivate competitors in high pressure situations.
She is currently also working as a professional writer and editor of online advertising and technical instructions for SEO Magic, a company that imports magic equipment and supplies from Japan to the English-speaking world.
Now that she is living in Costa Rica, she helps them with translation as they expand to reach Spanish-speaking clientele. In addition to Spanish, Dana has studied spoken and written Arabic, Japanese, and Portuguese.
Jessica Buch, M.A.
Jessica is originally from the Chicago area. She graduated with a double Bachelors degree in English Literature and Spanish from Bethel University.
She began teaching ESL as a volunteer in 1997 and has taught in St. Paul/Minneapolis, Guatemala, Costa Rica and the Philippines.
Her growing interest in language and culture led her to pursue a teaching degree. She became a licensed K-12 ESL teacher in both Minnesota and Illinois and has taught in public schools in both states.
She also earned her Masters degree in English as a Second Language from Hamline University, St. Paul, MN. In 2004, Jessica moved to Costa Rica where she taught English at Intercultura, Playa Samara for three years.
In 2008 she joined Costa Rica TEFL as a trainer and also continues to teach private EFL classes.
Ron Croteau, M.A.
Ron Croteau, originally from Southern California, earned his BA from the University of San Diego where he studied Communication and Economics. He then obtained his M.A. in Linguistics with a mention in Teaching English as a Second Language from California State University, Long Beach. He taught ESL to young adults in Southern California for three years and then taught at Intercultura until 2008.
Ron has been training teachers since 2007 and now works as a full-time teacher in California. Ron spends his summers in Costa Rica training teachers and spending his weekends surfing the beautiful beaches of Costa Rica.
Dr. Rod Streng
A native of Southern California, Dr. Streng received his undergraduate degree in journalism from the University of Missouri-Columbia, the oldest and most prestigious journalism school in the world. He received his Master's in American literature, with an emphasis on applying linguistic strategies to decode written texts, from the University of North Texas, and his Master's in education administration from Massachusetts's Framingham State University as a participant in that school's international program in San Jose, Costa Rica.
Dr. Streng also holds a PhD in English from Middle Tennessee State University. After a twelve year tenure in Costa Rica, he currently resides with his wife and two children in Nashville. Fluently bilingual, he teaches Spanish at a private school located there, and lives part-time in Costa Rica where he imparts TEFL training courses.
Victoria Schwartz, M.Ed.
Victoria Schwarz graduated with a B.A. in Communications and English Literature, with an additional emphasis in Theology and Philosophy, from Lone Mountain College in San Francisco, California. She received her Master's in Education/TESL in 2008 from Framingham College, Massachusetts. She is completing her second Master's of Education/TESL at the University of Costa Rica.
Extensive international training led to work and experiences in several areas including, Criminal Justice, Life Coaching and the Healing Arts. She has created and operated several businesses, including the largest wholly-owned female car brokerage company in the State of California.
Victoria has lived in Costa Rica for more than five years, doing a few businesses including teaching English as a Foreign Language (EFL), English as a Second Language (ESL), with an emphasis in English for Specific Purposes (ESP) as a contractor for language schools and numerous businesses and financial institutions in the San Jose area.
