Our Teachers
Meet Our Teachers
Head Teacher / Reading and Writing
Caryn Leuthardt
Caryn comes from South Africa and moved to Uster in January 2009 together with her husband and 2 daughters. Caryn has been teaching for over 25 years and joined the WAC teaching team in 2010, then later became Head Teacher in 2021. She also teaches at a Secondary Schools in Uster and feels very fortunate to be able to say that she loves her job. Caryn also enjoys cooking, travelling, hiking, skiing and spending time with family and friends.
Teacher, Reading and Writing
Yvonne Bernet
Yvonne studied in Aberdeen, Scotland and taught music in secondary and special needs schools in Glasgow and Edinburgh. She moved to Switzerland in 2000 with her Swiss husband, Roland. She has two children – Fabienne and Andre, and a dog called Iona . Yvonne has been teaching various classes at the WAC since 2001 Yvonne is a regular at the WAC`s Pilates classes. Yvonne feels that the WAC has played the biggest role in helping her to settle in Switzerland, providing her with part-time employment whilst raising a family and of course the opportunity to socialize and develop friendships. Yvonne enjoys skiing, cycling, hill walking, reading, playing the piano and spending time with friends and family.
Teacher, ESL Flyers and English Accelerators
Kate Eibeck
Kate is originally from the sunny south coast of England, and is a UK-qualified translator and English Language Teacher. She has been a member of the WAC for over twenty-five years. Kate has lived and worked in the UK, Spain and Germany before settling in Switzerland with her husband Michael. Their three sons are all WAC veterans! Kate has taught English at all levels and to both adults and children and is passionate about the English language. Other hobbies include travel, coastal walks, Pilates and reading.
Teacher, Preschool / Explorers / Lunch Club
Sharon Billing
Sharon is from the UK and moved to Switzerland 18 years ago and lives with her husband in Hittnau. In 2002 she started working as an assistant teacher at Rainbow School and after 2 years of training, started taking her own classes. Sharon was approached by the WAC to set up the Lunch Club in 2007 and has extended her role over the years to include the Preschool and Explorers classes. Sharon likes to travel and her main hobbies are walking, cooking and making her own jewellery.
Teacher, Preschool and ESL Flyers
Micaela Rodrigues
Micaela is originally from sunny South Africa. She started her teaching career in Australia where she taught in Early Years learning centres. Micaela moved to Switzerland in the summer of 2019, where she continued working with Early Years children as an English Teacher. She then went on to finish her teaching degree and is now a qualified Primary School Teacher. She is excited to continue and share her passion for education. Micaela loves travelling around beautiful Switzerland and enjoys reading, writing poetry, cooking and spending her weekends in the outdoors.
Assistant Teacher
Susan Junod
Susan is a British National brought up in Belgium. Her twins were two years old when Susan and her Swiss husband moved to Uster in 2009. Susan served on the Board as Secretary and set up the WAC Dinner Club. For a number of years, she volunteered in childcare for the Uster Asylum Seekers Organisation. Susan now works for the Red Cross on their emergency childcare team and also enjoys working as a substitute teacher at the WAC.
Spielgruppe Leader
Andrea Schümperli
Andrea comes from the scenic Lauterbrunnen. After graduating as a kindergarten teacher, she worked in various kindergartens and early childcare facilities. She moved to Zurich with her husband and 2 young children and worked as a nanny. She enjoys working with young children and has nearly 20 years experience in leading playgroups. Andrea is particularly interested in the integration of foreign language children and has gained a lot of experience in this area through various further training courses. Andrea lives with her family and her dog in Volketswil and supports her husband in leading an integration church for Spanish and Portuguese speaking families in Zurich. Her other hobbies are travelling, riding her e-bike, spending time with her family and friends.
Teacher, Preschool - Creative Movers
Ashley Smith
Ashley is originally from Nova Scotia in Canada. After finishing her Education Degree in 2008, Ashley has enjoyed the joyful responsibility of helping children to learn in Canada, Scotland and Singapore. Now, as a Preschool teacher at the WAC, she is passionate about finding what motivates each child and building compassionate classroom environments. When Ashley is not teaching, she can be found with her family, running, trying recipes or learning something new!
Teacher, Reading and Writing
Carol Conzelmann
Carol is from Shropshire in England. After her studies she worked as a Fashion Buyer in Asia before settling in Switzerland with her Swiss husband. Carol found great friends at the WAC and volunteered in many roles, including President. In 2014 she trained to become an English Language Teacher and has loved teaching both adults and children since then. Carol loves hiking, nature, yoga and reading.
Teacher, English Accelerators
Sue Mailley-Smith
Sue is a Primary School teacher from England. She lives in Uster with her husband and their three children. She volunteered on the WAC Board from 2012 to 2014 in the roles of Membership, Secretary and President. Sue started teaching at the Learning Tree School in 2015. Sue loves skiing, hiking, singing and being creative!
School Administrator
Swapna Patil
Swapna, having previously worked in the Legal and Compliance sector and originally from Mumbai in India, moved to Uster in 2007. Her family has since been active WAC members and both her children ‘graduated’ from the WAC. Over the years, Swapna has volunteered in various roles on the WAC Board and made some very close friends. She considers the WAC as an extended family. Her interests include cooking, baking, travelling, hiking and painting.
