Our story of Dutch for Children: “My company came naturally. A matter of being in the right place, with the right idea and at the right time. There was a demand for high-quality Dutch lessons in an expat environment in The Hague. I combined this with my strong vision and the necessary entrepreneurial blood and skills. ” – Wendy van Dalen, founder Dutch for Children
Dutch for Children, that’s how our story started
I had the passion for teaching since I was a child. This was evident from my background; my grandmother was a great kindergarten teacher and so was another grandmother.
I’m still happy about the path I chose. At that time I was very young. After my first two years at PABO, I opted for a university study. During this period, I was very motivated. I was uncertain tough. I wondered if teaching was my (final) goal and had a strong interest in psychology and pedagogy. So I went to study psychology at the university of Leiden in the Netherlands.
Big part of our story: Traveling
Traveling offered me a broader view of the world. As I was a little older and believed that I would finish my educations, I interrupted my psychology study to travel. I travelled to most parts of Africa and Asia. It made who I am today: a woman with a broad perspective, culturally sensitive and always interested in the rest of the world.
Back in the Netherlands I finished my studies and at the first opportunity presented by my partner, we moved to Aruba. We became expats. After Aruba we came back to the Netherlands. We stayed about a year and then moved on to Madrid for four wonderful years.
Move back to the Netherlands
After the period in Spain, we lived in the Netherlands for almost ten years. My husband travelled a lot during this period. Our children grew up here in the Netherlands, but there was always doubt about placement abroad. Traveling and the world outside the Netherlands were always the topic of conversation in our family.
Dutch online lessons for expat children all over the world
In Spain my love for education was rekindled, because I started a playgroup group for Dutch toddlers and preschoolers. In the Netherlands, when our youngest went to school, I decided to complete the PABO course with a diploma (accelerated and digital).
I started working at different schools; giving extra lessons to expat children. When the demand for these lessons increased, I founded Dutch for Children. But there also appeared to be a need for Dutch lessons elsewhere in the country. That is why I extended my practice to online lessons via Skype.
In the meantime, we all looked forward to a place where we could live as a family, with relatively few journeys from my husband’s side. It became Curaçao! I just took my business with me and since then the online part has grown explosively.
Teaching in person was simply no longer there. This opened the opportunity for online classes. It opened a new market. Dutch for Children online was a fact.
We moved again to the Dominican Republic and Dutch for Children grew even more with an expansion of more teachers all around the world.
Online lesson is a great solution for expat children
Dutch for Children is a great solution for Dutch children all over the world. They can take Dutch lessons from the comfort of their own room and home. Matching their school and life schedule, their host country and their level and interests. We only have satisfied customers. According to parents our core values about our lessons and services include: Reliable, committed, flexible, knowledgeable, passionate.
If you want your kids to learn Dutch NT2 online or want your toddler to playful learn Dutch, it is all possible at Dutch for Children.
Our team consists of enthusiastic professional Dutch teachers who live all over the world. They can empathize with the children abroad through their own experiences abroad. They are Expats-experts. You can meet them here on our website in the menu under our team:
www.dutchforchildren.nl/dutch-tutor-online-our-teachers/
If you would like to know more or discuss the possibilities for your children, feel free to contact me anytime at dutchforchildren@gmail.com and we can meet online free of charge or obligation.
Wendy van Dalen,
Director of Dutch for Children.