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 and Executive Director

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 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 12 Tutor, Career Counsellor, Physics and Mathematics Teacher and CIE Exams Officer

Armando Caracheo was awarded a BSc honors in Physics Engineering from Universidad Iberoamericana (Mexico City) as well as a Master’s degree and PhD in History of Science from Utrecht University and the University of Bologna, respectively. He also holds a PGCEi from the University of Nottingham. With extensive experience as researcher and teacher, Dr Caracheo is also the Cambridge Exams Officer and careers counsellor at ISCS.

Johana Saenz

School Administrator / School Counsellor

Originating from Venezuela, Ms Saenz was awarded a Bachelor’s Degree in Business and Finance from the University of Houston- Clear Lake (UHCL). In addition to being a certified primary teacher, she holds a M.Ed in School Counselling from St Thomas 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.

Rebecca Bradley

Secondary School Art, Spanish and French

Originally from the UK, Ms. Bradley was awarded a Bachelors Degree (Hon.) in Fine Arts and French from the University of Liverpool, as well as a Postgraduate Certificate in Education. She has over 20 years teaching experience in the UK teaching French, Spanish, and Art, as the Head of Transition, the Head of Languages in large secondary schools, and served as a professional mentor for teacher training and career development. She is passionate about being part of ISCS’s journey in delivering quality teaching and learning to ensure it becomes the benchmark school in the area to offer the British Curriculum. “It’s an exciting time for our school and I am committed to helping to realise the vision of our excellent team.”

Gezu Boelle

Grade 2+3 Tutor

Gezu Boelle is joining ISCS as the new Grade 2/3 teacher. Having gained both a Bachelor’s (Hons.) and a Master’s degree in English language and literature as well as a Bachelor of Law, she brings a wealth of qualifications and professional experience to ISCS. She has been a teacher since 2008, working in various international schools (India, Armenia, Switzerland) across different age groups and both in the IB and Cambridge program. Apart from teaching core subjects, she has ample experience in extracurricular learning and community service programs, having worked as the Service Learning Coordinator at several schools. She has a passion for enabling learners holistically and comes to ISCS excited to contribute to its wonderful learning environment with her skills and personality.

Bethany MacMillan

KG + Grade 1 Tutor

My teaching philosophy is very simple: ‘pupils do not care how much you know, until they know how much you care.’
I first gained a BSc in Psychology with a minor in Linguistics. Whilst studying I thoroughly enjoyed volunteering within a Special Needs School and
tutoring children in Spain, which prompted me to follow my passion for working with children and to study for my teaching qualification at Sheffield Hallam University. Since qualifying, I have had the pleasure of teaching full time within Early Years, Grade 1, Grade 3, Grade 4 and Grade 5, both within UK mainstream and Special Educational Needs Schools and at the International School of Como in Italy.
I chose ISCS because I want to be part of a teaching staff team that provides creative, engaging and immersive learning experiences for the children. My years of experience within education has led me to develop a strong belief that children learn best when they are having fun, feel secure and happy and are engaged in practical activities which develop essential skills for life.

Maria McVeigh

Early Years Teacher

 Joining ISCS from the UK, Maria McVeigh was awarded a BA (Hons) in Primary Education with QTS from the University of Brighton. Ms. McVeigh has experience teaching in the UK and in Nepal and is also a certified swimming instructor. She chose to become a part of the team because “I feel it is a real family orientated school and l enjoy having a close community as well as close relationships with pupils and families. I also love that the school is so international and I am able to adapt my teaching style to each individual pupil.”

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’ and ‘Working Together for Children’.  Perry has a rich array of experience in many fields, including being a healthcare administrator, youth worker, arts-health and theatre-in-education practitioner.  He also has expertise within Additional Learning Support, working with Inclusion and Support & Learning Difficulties and Disabilities teams over a 5 year period.

Perry is also a dual professional in that he is not only an experienced lecturer, teacher and educational support worker, but also brings a wealth of industry experience as a theatre practitioner, performance coach, actor, music producer, sound engineer and saxophonist spanning ten+ years.  By no means least Perry is a passionate and experienced teacher having lectured and taught in a variety of subjects in his career, including Performing Arts, Music Technology/Performance, I-Media, Fashion and Design, ICT and Vocational Studies.

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.

Adrian Boelle

Secondary German

Born on Lake Constance, Germany, close to the Swiss border, Adrian Boelle is teaching German to both native and second language learners at ISCS. He earned his BA at the University of Tübingen, Germany, spent a year studying at the University of Edinburgh in the UK and completed his Masters at the University of Heidelberg. He started teaching in the IB diploma programme as a Philosophy and Theory of Knowledge teacher at UWC Dilijan, one of the 17 prestigious United World Colleges around the world. Prior to joining ISCS Adrian Boelle worked as the German Language and Literature teacher at Talent-Campus Bodensee in Kreuzlingen, Switzerland. Apart from teaching Adrian Boelle has ample experience in pastoral management and experiential education having worked as a house master in boarding education and as a coordinator for after-school activities. Adrian Boelle joins ISCS as he cherishes its family-like atmosphere, the spirit of internationalism and the opportunity to play a part in further developing ISCS as an educational institution of excellence.

Efi Tsolaki

Spanish and German

Heralding from Greece, Ms. Tsolaki was awarded a Degree in German Language and Literature from the Aristotle University of Greece and University of Heidelberg, Germany through the Erasmus exchange programme. Her certifications include the DELE Nivel Superior (C1) through the Instituto Cervantes and a Qualified Teacher Status through the Department of Education, U.K. Efi has a vast range of experience including teaching languages to both secondary students and adults her hometown of Thessaloniki, Greece, in Spain and in Egypt. She also taught integration courses and helped students prepare for TELC exams in Frankfurt and Rüsselsheim, Germany. She is excited to join the international team at ISCS!

Venissa Blaser

Receptionist/Administrative Assistant

Venissa Blaser is half Swiss and half Thai. She was born and grew up in Switzerland. She holds a diploma in Finance and Administration and a certificate as a Teaching Assistant. Venissa has experience in the classroom as  a Teacher Assistant from Kindergarten up to grade 5, and as a Sport Assistant with Pre-Kindergarten. She has also supported the school in finance, administration, HR and compliance. Venissa has been at ISCS for 7 years. Her true passion is working with children and enjoys motivating them every day. She is very proud to be part of the ISCS team.

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.

The Team