About

Viviane Oualou

Formation FLE

Bonjour, je m'appelle Viviane, je viens de Montréal(Québec) mais j'ai grandi en France dans la région Rhône-Alpes.I have been  an early childhood teacher  for more than 25 years in France, in French Canada and in New Zealand and I have still the passion. I have a french diploma and the equivalent NZ qualification.I have 2 children and they inspire me in my work.I have traveled in many countries, I love to discover other cultures and essentially kai and share my cooking with people. I came back to NZ last November and decided to work with French Alliance.Looking forward to meet you.

Sabrina Guarino

Master MEEF & Formation FLE

Bonjour,

I come from Toulouse, a town located in the South West of France. I have been working in education for several decades. I have lived on three continents, in both hemispheres. I am delighted to be teaching at the Alliance Française in Wellington and to contribute to learning my mother tongue to Kiwis.

Djena Labro

Master MEEF & DELF Habilitation

Bonjour ! I am Djena, I am 35 and I am originally from New Caledonia. I have a Master’s degree in Education and 12 years of experience in early childhood in New Caledonia. I am passionate about the children’s
education and I like to participate in their development. Teaching is a passion like arts, crafts, travelling, cooking, gardening … A bientôt ! 

Samuel Tardif

Formation FLE

Bonjour! My name is Samuel and I'm from Montreal, Canada. I studied ethnolinguistics and Japanese at Université de Montréal and did a 1-year exchange in Japan back in 2012-2013. After that, I worked for many years in international education with French and English learners in Montreal, helping them improve their language skills while enjoying la belle province of Québec. I'm an avid language learner (proficient in 5 languages and playing around with a few others), and my travels have led me all over the place, from Europe to Asia, all over the Americas and now Down Under!

Nadia Ettaher

DAEFLE Diploma

Nadia is originally from Paris. She arrived in Wellington in February 2015, and graduated with a DAEFLE Diploma , DELF/DALF examiner. Previously, she worked as a clinical psychologist in France for 2 years, and spent 7 months living in Melbourne. She is now teaching adults and bilingual children at Alliance Française Wellington. 

Mélanie Lacombe

Master FLE (French as a foreign language)

Mélanie has been working at the Alliance Française Wellington since 2014 after spending 7 years in Japan where she taught French to a very diverse range of students: in small private schools, in a university and at Institut Franco-Japonais de Yokohama. After completing a Bachelor degree in English and a Master's degree in FLE in Paris, she also enjoyed traveling and experiencing life in several places, from England and India, to New York or South America.

Patricia Yim

Formation FLE & DELF/DALF Habilitation

Bonjour, je m'appelle Patricia (but most people call me Pat).

I was born in Laos and have been living in the heart of the French Alps since I was 5. I moved to New Zealand 3 years ago and have settled in Wellington with my husband and two daughters. I have a Master's degree in International Management gained in my home town Grenoble and a Master of Tourism from Lyon University. I flourish when I can share with others about cultures and languages. My peculiar personal history makes me proudly wave the francophony flag and teaching French to non native speakers sort of completes the circle of my life.

Au plaisir de vous croiser un jour!

Louise Cusset

CELTA Training & Master Droit Public

Je m'appelle Louise, I arrived in New Zealand two years ago after graduating from university in France where I studied law. I have varied experience within the administrative and legal field. That's in New Zealand that I discovered I had a passion for teaching. I taught English as a foreign language and now I am looking forward to meeting new students and teaching French as a foreign language.

Domitille Fave

Formation DAEFLE

Bonjour ! Je m’appelle Domitille. I was born in France and started travelling a lot in my 20s thanks to my job at Cirque du Soleil (assistant head usher). I arrived in New Zealand last year, February 2020 and enjoyed the lockdown to finish studying for the DAEFLE exam. I have always been interested in languages to discover different cultures and new ways of thinking. I am looking forward to meeting new students and connecting with them by sharing our beautiful French culture. A bientôt !

Sophie Bagart

Formation FLE

Bonjour ! My name is Sophie and I come from the North East of France.
I love to discover new things which led me to live abroad and work as a geologist, then as a primary school teacher and now as a French teacher. I like nature, games, dancing, reading, crafting, ...  I love teaching, meeting new people and sharing about almost everything. I hope to see you soon at the Alliance Française!

Nathalie Dourneau (Buckrell)

Director

Nathalie first arrived in New Zealand in 1996 and has a background in education and administration, having previously worked in International Schools and Universities in Indonesia and more recently Victoria University of Wellington. Nathalie has previous AF director experience in Indonesia, broad teaching and administration experience along with extensive networks both in Wellington and overseas.

Claire Trotot

Administrator and Librarian

Hi I'm Claire! I've come from Nancy, which is in the north-east of France. There I studied a masters in French literature and cultural studies, which then lead me to work for a children's book publisher.  I am a New Zealand permanent resident and I have been working at the Alliance since 2019.

Gary Childs

Accountant

I am an accountant who has lived and worked in Wellington for most of my life. My work experience covers a wide range of sectors including government, multinational, listed companies, manufacturing and not for profit. This covers many industries mostly involving finance and insurance. I was overseas for two years in my twenties, based in London with several months spent travelling in Europe and especially France. I have played many sports and now follow various codes, especially the English Premier League.