Our faculty and staff chose to become part of the International School of Central Switzerland team because they all share a vision for education at its very best.
All of our teachers are fully qualified in their field and have been selected for their passion and commitment to international pedagogy.
José Antonio Parra
CEO
Married with two sons and one daughter, José Antonio is an aeronautical engineer and additionally holds an MBA from Instituto de Empresa (Madrid). José Antonio was General Executive for Carrefour Group and CEO of the Sotogrande International School before arriving in Switzerland. He is the Chairman of the Executive Committee.
Alexander Wickham
Director of Education
Born in Oxford, England and raised in Spain, Mr Wickham holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Sports Sciences and Education with a specialisation in Management from the European University of Madrid, complemented by a Master’s in Business Administration. He began his career as a secondary school teacher and was later the Head of School at a British International School in Spain. He is currently the Director of Education of our International Schools Group.
Lee Hawthorne
Primary School Leader and Grade 3+4+5 Tutor
Originally from Birmingham, UK, Mr Hawthorne studied Sociology with History and was awarded a BA Honors and a PGCE in Primary Education. Lee Hawthorne has been working in teaching and education since 1999 and has worked in primary leadership roles for the last 10 years.
Christine Helyer
Secondary School Leader
Ms Helyer holds a dual BA Degree in English Literature and Spanish from The University of Leeds. She completed her Secondary PGCE in English and English Literature at Newcastle University in 2006 and has taught in schools in the UK, Spain and Switzerland. She is the Secondary School Leader and teacher of IGCSE and AS/A Level English Literature.
David Alvarez
Operations and IT
David holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Electronic Engineering and has a Master’s in Team Management. He has worked at Sotogrande International School, leading the design, implementation and data structuring of Inbound Marketing. He also has broad theoretical and practical experience in back office, network and systems.
Dr Armando Caracheo
Grade 11 Tutor, Secondary Science Teacher and CIE Exams Officer
Heralding from Mexico City, Armando holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Physics Engineering, as well as a Master’s and PhD in History of Science. In addition to teaching, Dr Caracheo is also the Cambridge Exam officer at ISCS this year.
Johana Saenz
Business Administration/Counsellor
Originating from Venezuela, Ms Saenz was awarded a Bachelor’s Degree in Business and Finance from the University of Houston- Clear Lake. In addition to being a certified primary teacher, she holds a M.Ed in School Counselling from Texas University. She has extensive experience in management, school counselling, teaching and disciplinary coaching.
Vasyl Perliyev
Physical Education and EAL
Originally from Ukraine, Vasyl Perliyev brings years of experience teaching in international schools in both Kyiv and Trieste before arriving at ISCS. He holds a BA and MA in both Physical Education and English as an Additional Language.
Ryan Hopton
Grade 8 Tutor Secondary English, History and Global Perspectives
Mr Hopton holds a Degree in Law and a Postgraduate Certificate in Education for Secondary Citizenship with Social Sciences Education. Mr Hopton is a very experienced teacher and expert in curriculum mapping, assessment and delivery of IGCSE and A-Level Humanities frameworks.
Ana Azpeitia
Secondary School Art and Spanish
Ana Azpeitia is from Spain. She was awarded a Master’s Degree in Fine Arts. She is a professional visual artist and has years of experience in international schools teaching Art and Spanish IGCSE.
Tessa Deutschle
Grade 1+2 Tutor
Joining us from New Zealand, Tessa Deutschle holds a Bachelor of Education. She has specialised experience in the arts, digital technologies, sustainability in education and special education integration.
Yolanda Mooijer
Early Years Tutor
Yolanda is from Vancover, Canada. She has a Bachelor of Sociology Qualification and holds a PGCE in Early Childhood Education. She has been teaching Early Years Stage since 2014.
Perry Jackson
Grade 9 Tutor and Music and Performing Arts/ICT
Originally from Derby, UK, Perry Jackson has a Diploma of Higher Education in Contemporary Performing Arts. In addition to earning his Certificate in Education, he also has an Open Degree specialising in ‘Managing Health and Social Care’. Perry has over 10 years of teaching experience and is a professional performing arts practitioner (saxophone).
Lila Predouli
Grade 10 Tutor and Secondary Sciences
Lila Predouli is from Athens, Greece. She holds a BA in Geology and Geo-environmental Sciences from the University of Athens and a Master’s Degree in Natural Sciences & Palaeontology from the ETH and University of Vienna. She has experience teaching both IGCSE, A-Level and IB Programmes.
Mark Evison
Secondary Maths and Science
Mr Evison holds a BSc Honors in Physics from the University of Nottingham; he was additionally awarded a Professional Graduate Certificate in Education in Science and Qualified Teacher Status by the University of Portsmouth. Mr Evison has experience teaching in the UK and in international schools in Switzerland.
Gisela Preising
Administration, Admissions and German
Gisela Preising was born in Germany and has lived in five countries. Over the course of her career, she has worked in business, educational and performing arts (music) environments. She holds degrees and certifications in Teaching and Learning, Economics, and Music.
Stefanie Busse
Frau Busse has a Bachelor’s Degree in Applied Linguistics and International Studies and holds a UK Postgraduate Certificate in Education for Secondary Schools, Modern Foreign Languages (German and Spanish). She has extensive experience teaching the IGCSE and A-Level Curriculum in the UK as well as the IB and Swiss curriculums in Switzerland.
Venissa Blaser
Early Years Teaching Assistant
Venissa Blaser was born and raised in Switzerland. She is half Swiss and half Thai. She holds a Diploma in Finance and Administration and a Swiss Teaching Assistant Degree by Foundations for Learning.
Michele Simeone
Maintenance and Care
Michele is from a town near Naples, Italy. He is our caretaker and is always ready to support the needs of our school, staff, and students. We are very fortunate in having him amongst us.
Ciarla Irena
Maintenance and Cleaning
Also joining us from Italy, Irena takes care to ensure ISCS is a pleasant and clean learning environment for our students.