School Coordinators and Teaching Staff

Birgit Hofer – Adult Coordinator [email]

I am originally from Vienna in Austria where I tutored high school students in German during my university studies. I met my Australian husband whilst travelling in Africa and subsequently moved to Australia in 2000. In 2015, I started tutoring adults and home-schooled children on the Gold Coast. I came to the Brisbane German Language School in 2020. I thoroughly enjoy teaching German and seeing the progress students make. In my spare time, I enjoy pilates, bushwalking, movies and planning my next travels.

Sandra Macha-Peck – Youth Coordinator [email]

I am a native German speaker, as well as a Registered Nurse from Thüringen and have been living in Brisbane since 1995. My husband is an Australian from Sydney but Brisbane is now home for us. Since our three children came along, I have worked part time at the Royal Brisbane and Women’s Hospital where many students come through my ward to get work experience to become nurses one day. For many years I led and coordinated the Monday German Mothers Group in Brisbane. I started teaching at the BGLS in 2011 and really enjoy  interacting with children and watching them discover their talent for language learning.

Anita

I am originally from Namibia (Africa) where German is one of the national languages. I am a native German speaker and have been teaching at German Schools overseas and in Australia. 

I joined BGLS in 2018 and thrive on the enthusiasm and keen participation of the students I teach every Saturday in my Junior group. It is a privilege to be able to teach German and share my culture with young Australians. My passion is to promote learning for young people enhancing their interest. My free time is dedicated to my family, animals and garden.

Christian

Hi, my name is Christian and I’m Australian. I’ve been a teacher since 2007. I studied at the University of Queensland and the Friedrich-Schiller-Universität in Jena, Germany.

I’ve taught German Immersion and I currently teach German and Social Sciences at a private girls’ school in Brisbane.

In my spare time, I like to read and go to the theatre.

Elke

I am a native German speaker and have been teaching students at High School and Primary Level, including the German Immersion programs in Brisbane since 2003. Originally from Melbourne, I have spent my childhood and some of my adult years in Sachsen-Anhalt, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern and Bremen.

I love teaching German to foster the language in creating interesting and exciting classes for the students.

In my free time I like to hike and go to the theatre.

Holger

I come from Frankfurt am Main in Germany. In 1998 I completed my studies in business administration and have worked in this area since. I commenced teaching at BGLS in 2015.

One of my favourite parts about teaching is showing kids how to have fun whilst learning. I have a wife and two children.

Ruth

I grew up in the Franconia region of Bavaria and studied English and French, linguistics and literature at the University of Würzburg. I taught English and French at several secondary academic schools in Germany before my passion for travelling and teaching languages brought me to Sydney in 1995 as an exchange teacher. 

I have been a member of the Brisbane German Language School for almost 20 years, first as the mother of twins attending the youth classes and then from 2007 as a teacher and for many years as adult classes coordinator.  For a few years now I have been learning Italian, my fifth language, and I enjoy being a student again. It also makes me more appreciative of all the time and effort our courageous students here at BGLS put into learning a foreign language.

Gloria

I was born and raised in a little town close to Austria’s capital Vienna. Coming from a family with many teachers it was quite clear what profession I would take up as an adult.

I finished my Bachelor of Education in 2011 and have since been teaching German as a second language to adults, teenagers and children from several different countries in Austria and at the German School in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, before moving to Australia in 2017.

I always strive to create lessons that are stimulating and fun, so students enjoy reaching their individual language goals.

In my spare time I love being outdoors, teaching yoga and playing the guitar.

Mary

My name is Mary and I grew up in Frankfurt am Main in Germany. I speak 4 languages: German, English, Arabic and French. I finished a degree in engineering but after the birth of my son, I had a carrier change and started working as a teacher at a German school abroad. Since then, I have visited and lived in many countries such as Germany, USA, Egypt , Kuwait and finally Australia. I have been living in Brisbane with my family since 2016, started working at BGLS in 2022 and love it here.

Beate

I am Beate, originally from Cologne. I come from a large family of 5 kids and according to my mum always had a knack for languages. My parents took us all over Europe in one old red and white Samba bus so the exploring bit was a big part of growing up. As a 19 year old, I went to Canada as an Au pair for a year which turned into 3. Once back in Germany it was time to be serious so I studied languages at the University of Cologne but changed to Economics half way through. My goal to be a language teacher was side tracked by joining Nokia for the next 13 years which included traveling and living in South Africa, Melbourne, Perth and now Brisbane. I always had a passion for teaching and wanted to get back to it one day.  I have a CERT IV in Training and Assessment and a CERT V TEFL. So I started teaching German to adult beginners and advanced students at a City Language School in 2018 in the evenings. I then changed to BGLS in 2022. I love the students and the great community feel at BGLS. I immensely enjoy teaching German and sharing some of my culture with the students in class. None of my German lessons are without fun and some local Cologne flavour. Did I mention Karneval???

Marie-Christine

I was born in India to a Belgian father and Indian mother. My primary and secondary education in the German Schools in Mumbai and New Delhi equipped me with a high level of both written and verbal communication skills in German. During my teenage years I relocated to Europe and continued to be immersed in the German language, culture and lifestyle through my career as a lawyer in countries where German was one of the official languages. One of my sons now lives in Germany and I enjoy visiting him and my friends there, enjoying the food, festivals, and the countryside. My hobbies include cooking, spending time with my family, playing the piano and writing poetry.

Bert

I was born in India to a Belgian father and Indian mother. My primary and secondary education in the German Schools in Mumbai and New Delhi equipped me with a high level of both written and verbal communication skills in German. During my teenage years I relocated to Europe and continued to be immersed in the German language, culture and lifestyle through my career as a lawyer in countries where German was one of the official languages. One of my sons now lives in Germany and I enjoy visiting him and my friends there, enjoying the food, festivals, and the countryside. My hobbies include cooking, spending time with my family, playing the piano and writing poetry.

Thomas

I grew up in Braunschweig (Brunswik) near Hannover, where – people say – the most accent-free German is spoken. Here, I went to school and university. Working as an Environmental Scientist brought me to Brisbane in 2006, where groundwater specialists were in demand to support the then booming mining industry.

I have been studying French at school and understand very well how challenging it can be to learn a foreign language. It is always easier to learn something when the topic is interesting and fun. Therefore, I believe that a stimulating and enjoyable learning environment is the important basis to nourish a student’s success. I started teaching at the Brisbane German Language School in 2024 and enjoy sharing my language and culture with the students.

In my spare time, I enjoy bush and beach walking, riding my bicycle, visiting the local markets as well as gardening.

Sylvia

I am a native German speaker from Landshut which is a very pretty medieval town near Munich in Bavaria.

I first came to Australia in 1988 on work experience at the Supreme Court and met my German born husband. The EXPO 88 happening in Brisbane made it an exceptionally, unforgetful visit at the time! So, I came back to Brisbane in 1989 to stay and started teaching German in state schools in 1992. I taught German for over 30 years in all school systems, state, private and religious affiliation, mainly in high schools but also for 13 years as primary LOTE (Languages other than English) teacher when my two children were younger. We lived in the Brisbane area for almost 30 years, but moved to the Gold Coast at the end of 2020. We absolutely love living so close to the beach. I am also qualified to teach ESL (English as a second language) which I taught at Can Tho University in Vietnam. Travelling and meeting new people is definitely my favourite pastime.

I retired from permanent teaching at the end of 2023 but felt that I would miss teaching my native language as well as culture and therefore was very happy to join the team at BGLS.
I love being active by going swimming, walking at the Broadwater, riding bikes and hiking in the Hinterland.