Meet
the Team

I am delighted to be rejoining the English International School of Moscow family. Previously, I was lucky enough to teach on the wonderful West campus.

Since graduating from the University of Brighton with a BA (Hons) in Primary Education, I have been privileged to combine my passions of teaching and travel. Over the years, I have taught in Russia, the Dominican Republic, the United Arab Emirates and in my home country- England. I have been fortunate to gain experience teaching in the EYFS and Years 2-5. A creative, curiosity driven approach is central to my philosophy. I believe in empowering children through celebrating their individual character, providing choice and facilitating self-regulation. At EIS, I look forward to immersing children in a happy, safe and challenging environment where they thrive.

Outside of work, I am an adventurer at heart. I adore exploring the great outdoors by hiking up mountains and diving down into the ocean. As an animal lover, I am lucky to own the perfect pet. My dog is called Skadi- Goddess of the Mountains. I feel lucky to be living in the thriving and fun city of Moscow with an infinite number of places to discover. After school, I enjoy escaping into an exciting book or expressing myself creatively through painting.

It brings me great joy to step into the role of Year 1 teacher at the English International School, and I’m truly looking forward to becoming part of this vibrant, welcoming community. I am originally from South Africa, where I completed my Bachelor of Education degree at the University of South Africa. My teaching journey began there, giving me a strong foundation before I moved to Moscow. Since then, I have had the opportunity to teach across KS1 and KS2, gaining invaluable experience and a deep appreciation for helping children grow, question and discover.

My passion for teaching goes beyond the classroom. I am dedicated to shaping young minds and helping each child achieve their full potential. I believe that every moment spent nurturing curiosity and creativity is a step towards fostering a love for learning. Living in Moscow has been a delightful adventure, and with each change of season, I find myself falling in love with this vibrant city all over again.

In my spare time, I enjoy photography, practicing yoga, SUP boarding, and exploring my creative side through embroidery and reading. I also love spending quality time with my son, creating magical moments that we will cherish forever. I look forward to embarking on this exciting journey with my students at EIS and contributing to their growth and development in a nurturing environment.

I am both honoured and excited to be Head of Primary at the English International School (EIS) Moscow. My journey here has been incredibly fulfilling, having taught Year 1 and 2, served as the EYFS/KS1 Coordinator, and Lead in Primary planning. EIS is a remarkable educational institution where every child thrives in a nurturing environment. Our students feel happy, safe, and intellectually challenged , which is essential for their growth and development.

My experience at EIS has been rewarding; I continue to cherish my time here as I witness the positive impact we have on our students' lives. With over three decades of teaching experience, I bring a wealth of knowledge to my role. My qualifications include a 2:1 Bachelor of Education Honours Degree from Manchester University. Additionally, I have served as Deputy Head of Primary in two London schools and held positions as Head of EYFS and SENDCO, allowing me to build a broad understanding of age-related expectations.

I was born in Northern Ireland, at five years old we moved to London. My mother served as a Headteacher at a school in London, and it was through observing her dedication and commitment to education that I developed my own passion for the field. Outside of my professional life, I enjoy singing, dancing, acting, and traveling. However, my favourite pastime is spending quality time with my amazingly supportive family.

It is an honor and a pleasure to be joining the English International School as Year 3 teacher. This is my third year living and teaching in Moscow. After teaching in America I moved here in 2022, I met my lovely Russian wife after my first year and we are now eagerly expecting our first child! I come from a family of teachers, my father earned his PhD in Scotland and went on to teach at multiple universities and helped found a successful private academy in America; my sister is currently the head of the primary department at her school, and I am eagerly following in their footsteps as I strive to bring the joy of learning to the next generation.

The love of travel and new experiences was ingrained in me from my formative years and I have been blessed to visit many countries over the years. I attended an international school as a child when my family spent a year in Greece, and I can honestly say it had a major impact on my world view and appreciation for travel and different languages and cultures. I personally believe it is a huge advantage for children to broaden their horizons and perspectives via international education and travel experiences.

I am CELTA certified and I did my Bachelor of Education in Elementary Education at Washington State University and went on to get my Master of Divinity at St. Tikhon’s Orthodox Seminary. This will be my fourth year as a primary teacher, and I am very grateful to be joining all of you at EIS. I look forward to this exciting new year of opportunities and formative experiences.

I was born and raised in Ireland. My qualifications include a BA Honours degree in Psychology and a Postgraduate Diploma in Primary Education. I taught for five years in the beautiful, historic town of Kells in Ireland. My class teaching experience ranges from Year 1 to Year 6. I also worked as a special education teacher for two years, helping children with dyslexia, autism and learning difficulties. This is my ninth year in Moscow. I previously taught Year 2 at EIS West before joining the fantastic team at EIS South-West. This year I am delighted to be teaching Year 4. My interests include swimming, baking, reading and learning the Russian language!

I am delighted to be joining EIS as the Year 5 class teacher. I am from the UK where I studied International Relations at the University of St Andrew before gaining a PGCE teaching qualification.

I have been teaching since 2012, with experience in the UK, Uzbekistan and Russia.

When I’m not teaching I enjoy playing various sports and exploring beautiful Moscow.

My journey in education has taken me across countries, cultures, and classrooms, shaping both my teaching philosophy and my passion for helping children grow with confidence and curiosity. Originally from South Africa and currently teaching internationally, I have worked extensively in primary education, creating supportive learning environments where children feel safe, valued and encouraged to reach their full potential.

With experience teaching across a range of primary year groups, I particularly enjoy making learning engaging, creative, and meaningful. I believe strong relationships, kindness and consistency are at the heart of successful teaching, and I strive to inspire learners both academically and personally.

Throughout my career, I have embraced opportunities to work within diverse international communities, adapting to new challenges and learning from different educational settings. My approach combines high expectations with warmth, humour and encouragement, helping children develop independence and resilience.

Outside of school, I enjoy travelling, exploring different cultures, reading and spending time with family and friends. Working internationally has given me a deep appreciation for connection, adaptability and lifelong learning — values I aim to pass on to the children I teach every day.

I am honoured to be a part of this great school, which is the perfect place for children to be taught in a family friendly environment. I am qualified as a specialist physics teacher. My secondary specialist subjects also include chemistry, mathematics and science. It has been my privilege to teach these subjects for the last 27 years in different schools (Africa, Europe and the Middle East) with varying curriculums that helped me grow as a teacher. I also have extensive experience in many district exam boards and I was previously a marker in the National physics exams. Teaching is my passion and I am always learning in the process. I always look at concepts from my student’s point of view so that I can build from that pre-knowledge.

Apart from my teaching role at EIS I am very passionate about the development of the Curriculum since I believe that it must be looked at holistically and every year group is an integral building block. It is important to have progression horizontally and vertically so our students can get the best out their time at EIS. It is one of the primary aspects of the learning process and it is part of my job to assimilate this in our teaching and learning. I will be continuously assessing our curriculum and looking at innovative ways in which we can integrate all subjects across all year groups. There are over-arching concepts across our curriculum that will be highlighted in our teaching and learning that can ensure that good progression is made. In other words there are some skills that can really help our students make great improvement as they progress to higher year groups and I(with our staff) will identify these skills and help our students hone on it so that they can get the best of their time here at EIS.

I am also responsible for the fine-tuning of our Assessment programmes and I assist in the planning of all internal and external examinations. We are always evolving with the changes in curriculum and exam boards so I help facilitate these transitions. We are working on developing a Tracking programme that will assist in identifying our students progress so wherever possible we can develop Individual Learning Plans to help our students. Our school is also UCAS registered (a body that helps students enter top-tier universities in the United Kingdom), and I am the school UCAS representative. We as a school also take great interest in your child’s future even after they leave our school and we will do our best to prepare them for university or even other schools if they have to leave. I as a curriculum leader will always strive to everything in the best interest of your child.

My name is Ervine Scholtz and I come from Stellenbosch South Africa. I graduated from Stellenbosch University with A BSc. (Microbiology and Biochemistry) degree and a Hons.BSc. (Microbiology –Molecular biotechnology) degree. I obtained my teaching credentials form UNISA (University of South Africa). I have been teaching for 11 years classes that range from year 4 to year 11, science and mathematics. My teaching experience includes 6 years in South Africa; 4 years in Kazakhstan and I am now starting my 5th year in Moscow. I am a fully qualified Molecular Biotechnologist (somebody that can manipulate DNA).

Hello! My name is Aida and I come from a multicultural family. I have over 10 years of teaching experience in both Secondary and Primary School settings. I am very passionate about my teaching and I have had the privilege to teach in Africa, Asia and Europe, working with different curricula. This has helped to shape me into the multifaceted professional that I am today. My priority is to understand the child and his/her style of learning and then ensure that my lessons cater to the child’s needs. I firmly believe that any subject can be loved and understood by a child if the right approach is used and therefore, I take great care to make my lessons interesting and engaging. My qualifications include an MSc in Biomedical Engineering and a PGCE. In my free time I like to listen to music, visit new places and spend time with my family.

My name is Patrick Woods and I am the new History lead and senior level English teacher here at EIS. I am originally from Auckland, New Zealand where I studied and gained my teaching credentials in English and History. I have worked extensively overseas in British curriculum schools in Oman, Sudan, Jordan, the UAE and Russia. The school in Russia was the EIS east campus and I am enthusiastic about my return to EIS.

I am Larisa Puchkova and I am living in Moscow since my childhood. I have been working in EIS for more than 10 years.

I graduated with a Master’s degree in Aerospace materials (Chemistry) from the Moscow Aviation University and also got a PGCE diploma in Sunderland University (UK).

In the EIS I teach Chemistry and Mathematics in Secondary school and I truly love my job. I think that it is essential for all students in a class to feel comfortable and always be challenged. This is what I try to follow in my lessons, using an individual approach for every pupil. Every day my students learn, but they also help me to analyse what was done well and where I should improve and do better next time.

In my free time I travel a lot and go downhill skiing with my family.

My name is David Nicholas and I am originally from England. I have a Masters in Victorian Literature and a Masters in Education. I have taught in England, Spain, Turkey and Russia and I am delighted to be back at E.I.S. after several years working at another school in Russia. What I like about the school is that the pupils are happy, secure and motivated to learn. I am looking forward to teaching the students here Geography and English at Secondary level.

I`m Khaled Kaboury the French teacher in EIS, I am French Algerian, I was graduated from 2 universities French Metz (UTEF) and (I T E) Algeria. I have been teaching French language since 1991 in different French speaking countries such as Luxembourg, Tunisia, and Lebanon and Russia. I enjoy immersing students in the French culture and language. It is a pleasure working in EIS with your wonderful children.

My name is Stuart and I’m the new Psychology and Business Studies teacher here at EIS. I grew up in England and completed my master's degree at the University of Warwick. I worked in business before moving to Russia seven years ago. I’ve taught a variety of different subjects and year groups, including, exam preparation, and worked in management roles.

I strive to make complex concepts accessible and interesting for all students. I believe that education should not only impart knowledge but also inspire curiosity and critical thinking. To achieve this, I design lessons that are both fun and intellectually stimulating, encouraging students to explore ideas deeply and connect them to real-world situations.

I look forward to seeing my students grow over our years together.

Ms Charlene is a dedicated Computer Science teacher committed to creating an engaging, supportive learning environment for all students. She is passionate about helping learners build confidence in technology and critical thinking.

Hello everybody! My name is Catherine and I am a Russian teacher. I have graduated People’s Friendship University of Russia in 2019 and have a degree in International relations and Arabic and Spanish languages, also I am a professional English and Russian teacher. Ever since I entered PFUR I have been teaching Russian language to students from different countries. I have made up my own system of explaining Russian to foreigners which is based on their native language and therefore personalized for students of different language groups. I love my subject and the culture of Russia and I make my students fall in love with it too and be proud of learning Russian language.