Meet Our Team
We’re keen for you to meet the awesome team we have at PDS Formation. So here are some interesting facts to know about each and every one of us!
Our admin team
Working behind the scenes, our admin team is here from the start till the end. First to assess your course needs and guide you through the options, but also to help and prepare all the paperwork you need to get funding for your courses. Our admin superteam is here to help you all along!
Helen
Owner Manager
What do you do?
I’m the owner-manager of PDS Formation. With the help of the team, I oversee the smooth running of the business, from making sure our students are happy with their courses to dealing with the French bureaucracy surrounding being a professional language training centre in France! Â
A bit about you
Initially from the UK, I studied French at university, spent a year in the French Alps and never really wanted to go back to the UK after that! I have lived in Morzine for 25 years now and have 2 teenage children at the local collège. I trained as an English business teacher and after working in Geneva at ASC International House, I decided to use my knowledge to set up Alpine French School and PDS Formation. When I’m not at work, you can usually find me outside doing some sort of sport.
What do you find interesting in your job
I love encouraging people to improve their language skills and working with our great team of office staff and teachers.Â
What's your French level?
I am a C2 level of French after studying it at university then using it in my work and day to day life for so many years!
What do you think is the hardest thing for a learner:
To break down the barriers built up by learning a language at school. It is about communicating effectively, not getting all of the verbs right. Have a go, get things wrong, that’s how you learn and no-one minds, as long as you are trying.
Helen
Owner Manager
Annelie
Funding coordinator
What do you do?
I’m the funding coordinator at PDS Formation . I look after all the funding applications, guide the students through their course options as well as prepare the paperwork for them to get their funding. It’s challenging at times but very stimulating too! Â
A bit about you
I come from the South of England and did a law degree at Sheffield university. I decided to move to Morzine as I liked the lifestyle, the activities and the french culture. What I like the most about Morzine is being able to enjoy the lifestyle and have time for my family.Â
What do you find interesting in your job:
I like learning new things and being able to speak French.Â
What's your French level
I passed the B1 DELF in 2021. Now I’m aiming at getting the Citizenship!
What do you think is the hardest thing for a learner:
Grammar but also the feminine and masculine.
Pronunciation can also be tricky at times. Try to say ‘armchair’ in French!
Annelie
Funding coordinator
Liz
Scheduling coordinator
What do you do?
I’m the scheduling coordinator at PDS Formation meaning I look after all the students and teachers schedules. I also look after all our elearning and exam platforms so I’ll be happy to guide you through those! In addition to this, I’m an English teacher teaching English as a Foreign language.
A bit about you
I’m from Birmingham where I got an English degree and taught English for many years in British secondary schools. We wanted a change so we decided to move to Morzine. What a change.. our weekends are now filled with hikes, nice lunches and enjoying French culture along with reading, running and knitting.Â
What do you find interesting in your job:
I like meeting new people. I also like problem solving, which you need a lot of when trying to schedule students with as many as 8 teachers. I also enjoy the pedagogical side of the job, helping my students and working with other teachers.
What's your French level?
I passed the B2 DELF exam in 2022. Hard but challenging!
What do you think is the hardest thing for a learner:
Grammatically, the small intricacies such as putting à or de after a verb make me lose sleep at night! More generally, applying the theoretical grammatical rules of French in real life conversation is also very tricky!Â
Liz
Scheduling coordinator
The French teaching team
What would we be without our team of French experts
Lucile
French teacher
What do you do?
I’m a French teacher and I have worked for PDS Formation for many years now!
A bit about you
I’m from the South of France and moved here more than 10 years ago. I did a Masters in English and travelled a lot: from Burkina Faso to the USA, via Nepal, Turkey, French Guiana….by foot, bike, bus, horse-back? (no, not yet!). It’s only when I left France that I realised how rich our culture is and that I was keen to share it with others. Teaching French just came naturally as a result.
When I’m not in class or travelling, I’m in the mountains, on my bike, on my skis or under my paraglider!
What do you find interesting in your job
I really enjoy talking, sharing and helping students through their learning hurdles. I love the challenge of constantly finding the best way of making learning easy, giving confidence to students and accompanying students throughout their learning.
What do you think is the hardest thing for a learner:
From experience, grammar is the hardest thing for a learner. There are so many things to learn… and so many exceptions!
Lucile
French teacher
Philippe
French teacher
What do you do?
I’m a French teacher and I have been working with PDS Formation for a couple of years.
A bit about you
I have recently completed a Masters in teaching French as a foreign language. Originally from Paris, I moved to Morzine because I love the outdoor sports including skiing.
What do you find interesting in your job?
I absolutely love to teach useful tools of the day-to-day life. Seeing the students being able to communicate in French and enjoy it is the best reward!
What do you think is the hardest thing for a learner:
Confidence might be the hardest skill to acquire, but trust me, once you get it, it’s forever!
Philippe
French teacher
Mathilde
French teacher
What do you do?
I am a teacher of French, working alongside PDS Formation. I teach one-to-one lessons as well as group courses either in person or online. I make sure to find the needs of each student by providing them with personalised private lessons. I’m also trained to prepare my students for the DELF exam.
A bit about you
Born and bred in Reims (lovely Champagne region!), I studied languages here before moving to Northern Ireland to work as a French assistant for two years. This was the moment when teaching became an obvious path for me!
I returned to France to do my master’s degree in teaching French as a foreign language and graduated last summer with a PGCE in MFL (French and Spanish) that I did in Portsmouth, England. I fell in love with Morzine a few years ago and coming back here after my studies to live and teach has become an evidence.
What do you find interesting in your job:
The variety of people I meet in my lessons and especially their joy whenever they make real progress in French. Having them tell me when and how they used their French during the week and being super proud of themselves makes me love my job!
I also love to teach people with all different levels, skills and needs, allowing me to always diversify my lessons and approaches to the learning process and try new things.
What do you think is the hardest thing for a learner:
As a language learner myself, being confident in speaking is the hardest thing. A big part of my job is to build the learner’s confidence by doing a lot of speaking activities, pronunciation focus and more than anything celebrating the mistakes as they are the best way to progress!
Mathilde
French teacher
Paul
French teacher
What do you do?
I have been teaching at PDS Formation every summer for the last few years.
A bit about you
A ski instructor in the winter, I love skiing and enjoying the mountain. But then I also enjoy the change of season and helping my students progress their French. I am based in Châtel so I do some teaching there and 2 days a week in Morzine.
What do you find interesting in your job:
I enjoy seeing students challenge themselves and progress their French.Â
What do you think is the hardest thing for a learner:
Getting students to take the plunge and talk and communicate in French.Â
Paul
French teacher
Prune
French teacher
What do you do?
I teach French for PDS Formation and as freelance. I also like to do rock & tree climbing.
A bit about you
I grew up travelling to the UK or the USA almost every single school year. My mom being an English teacher, she gave us all the tips and tricks to “survive” (and actually have a lot of fun !) as a foreigner. Exploring new places, meeting people from around the world or just different backgrounds has become a part of me ! This probably explains why it felt completely natural when I first started teaching French in Bristol, UK.
As soon as I graduated from my Master’s degree in Communication, I went back to the UK and had my first proper job in London ! I lived in this vibrant and mulitcultural city for 5 years, working for an advertising agency and then I registered as a freelancer so I could teach French again. Since then, I never stopped working with languages.
What do you find interesting in your job
I love getting to know people and of course seeing that our efforts, together as a team, have paid off !
What do you think is the hardest thing for a learner
To me, confidence is the key, it’s not always easy to feel at ease but it is probably the most powerful thing… So I always make sure I create a safe environment for my students. They must know that they can “fail” as many times as it takes to get it right. Learning a language should be exciting and a lot of fun !
Prune
French teacher
Celine
French teacher
What do you do?
After 15 years teaching French and Spanish in a comprehensive school near Manchester. I moved to Morzine in 2017, and started teaching French as an on-site teacher. I am now back in the U.K., but have kept working with PDS Formation as one of their online teachers. I teach adults from beginners to advanced learners and support many of them through certifications of French competence such as the DELF or TCF, now part of the requirements to apply for residency in France.
A bit about you
Originally from Laval, in the northwest of France, I studied English at the University of Angers. Like many others, I decided to move to the UK for one year to broaden my knowledge of the English language. I fell in love with England and English people, and I ended up living in Manchester for fifteen years. I taught in a secondary school in Cheshire and I found those years to be extremely precious to me. In 2016 my partner and I decided to take a year out to undertake a renovation project in Morzine. That is when I started to work as a French teacher for local adults wishing to improve their French skills. When we moved back to the U.K. in 2022, I carried on working with PDS Formation as part of their online team.
What do you find interesting in your job
Ok, I’ll admit, I love grammar… I love understanding how a language works and helping my students becoming grammar lovers too. Honestly, they do eventually start to enjoy it and use it to become so confident when talking French! There’s no better feeling than when a student gets the ‘Eureka moment’ and everything clicks into place! From then on, people are unstoppable and can learn so much, so quickly!
What do you think is the hardest thing for a learner
Without a doubt, even with a lot of knowledge, it is hard to find the confidence to speak! The fear of making mistakes can make students so nervous. However, it is so unnecessary, we all make mistakes and no one will be mad at you for doing so! The most important is to just get talking, start communicating and enjoy putting into practice what you’re learning!
Celine
French teacher
