About Our School and Team
We are a team of dedicated and highly qualified Dutch as a Second Language (NT2) teachers.
Our teaching methods and educational philosophy are shaped not only by our experience in education, but also by a modern perspective on migration, integration and empowerment.
We offer people a safe and calm learning environment where they can study and work towards their future in the Netherlands using the best possible resources.
Those resources are excellent teachers and high-quality books.
We take great care in developing our courses and teaching materials.
All our classes are now online.
The Partners
Ad Appel, Kirsten Verpaalen and Tanja Verhaegen jointly run the language school. Together with knowledgeable and experienced teachers, they help students learn Dutch and/or prepare for the Basic Civic Integration Examination (A1) or the State Examination NT2 (civic integration at B1 level).
Ad Appel
Ad Appel has been a Dutch as a Second Language (NT2) teacher since 1974. He studied Cultural Anthropology and Dutch as a Second Language and completed a teacher training programme for NT2 teachers. From 1999 to 2014, he worked as an examiner for the Dutch State Examinations NT2.
In 2012, he founded Ad Appel Taaltrainingen. Ad has published textbooks for civic integration at A1, A2 and B1 levels of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR), as well as other teaching materials for people learning Dutch as a new language.
Kirsten Verpaalen
After completing her degree in Cultural and Social Anthropology, Kirsten Verpaalen completed a teacher training programme for Dutch as a Second Language (NT2) and has been teaching NT2 since 2008. In 2015/2016, she completed training as a TPRS teacher. She has an excellent knowledge of the Russian language and culture.
Kirsten has worked at Ad Appel Taaltrainingen since 2012 and became a business partner in 2016. Together with Ad, she develops textbooks and teaching materials.
Tanja Verhaegen
Tanja Verhaegen studied Marketing in Belgium and subsequently worked for many years in the international business sector. In 2015, she completed a teacher training programme in Dutch as a Second Language (NT2) at Utrecht University of Applied Sciences.
Since 2015, she has taught both literacy learners and highly educated students, and she also provides training for NT2 teachers. Tanja is also a certified ONA counsellor.
She has worked as a teacher at Ad Appel Taaltrainingen since August 2020 and became a business partner in 2023.