Melissa lived in Japan for over 10 years where she began teaching EFL at a young age. She completed a Bachelor of Arts with a split major in English and Anthropology at the University of Southern Queensland in Australia. Melissa also recently completed her M.A. TESOL at Trinity Western University. She has experience working with all ages and also spent many years teaching Business English to corporate clients. Melissa loves teaching because she likes working with people and learning about different cultures!

She was born and educated in the UK. She immigrated to B.C. with her family and their cat and dog in 2006. She teaches morning and afternoon LINC 1/2 classes. She really enjoys being a teacher at New Directions because she meets many, many interesting people. She loves helping students to learn English and she really likes hearing students laughing and singing in her class. She especially likes learning from the New Directions students a she likes to learn about their cultures, families, traditions and skills. During our time of teaching online Rose has been very creative in her teaching techniques for keeping her students interested and safe.

Harvinder completed her education in the UK and immigrated to BC in 1996. After completing her TESL and BC Career Development Certificates she joined the New Directions family in 2014. She has also taught LINC for the Peoples Law School and Parenting after Separation for the Boys and Girls Club of BC. Harvinder also completed the English for the Workplace and Job Club Leadership Training.

Gurpree Dua, whom everyone calls Ruby, has a PhD (English) from a prestigious university in India. She earned a PGCTE (Post Graduate Certificate in Teaching English) and is also TESOL Canada certified.Ruby has presented her research papers in universities in Dubai and Canada on Communication skills. She has a rich experience of around 20 years of teaching ESL in India. She is enjoying every bit of her experience teaching English to ESL learners at New Directions. Ruby believes: "A successful teacher should enjoy people, show enthusiasm and excitement in the classroom, and be positive...".

Kendra has a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Sociology and a Certificate in TESL, both from the University of British Columbia. She’s been teaching with New Directions since 2018, and is currently teaching the LINC 5 morning class and the LINC 5/6 evening class. She really enjoys getting to know her students and is enthusiastic about helping them meet their goals.

Zeigfried, or Zeig to his colleagues, is a University of Cambridge-qualified English language instructor to adults and a TESOL Certificate holder. With over 18 years of international ESL experience and close to a decade of teaching LINC in Canada, he has focused on helping newcomers develop settlement, work-related, and community-based language skills. He also holds a certification on ESL for Adult Literacy Learners and PBLA Bootcamp by the Centre for Canadian Language Benchmarks. He has the expertise in creating PBLA-aligned assessments.

Zeigfried's method goes well beyond language teaching. He empowers his clients, gives them confidence, and creates deep cross-cultural understanding, making each classroom a place of engagement, growth, respect and support.

Mike has been teaching for the Open Learning Centre at New Directions since August of 2019. He took his TESOL course in 2019 as well, and has wholeheartedly been enjoying teaching here. At the Open Learning Centre Mike teaches our stage two students at CLB levels 5-8. He hopes to continue helping newcomers in Canada with their English for many years to come.

Mana has a B.A in communications. She is an educational assistant in Burnaby and Langley schools districts and she has been an ESL instructor since 2008. Mana immigrated to Canada in 2018 and obtained her Canadian certified TESOL diploma in 2019 from Language Community College in Vancouver. Her experience in teaching English internationally from toddlers to adults, and through all different levels, gave her enough knowledge of different cultures and teaching adaptations. As an immigrant and ESL herself, Mana knows the struggles of learning a new language and fitting in a new yet different environment and culture. all these being said, she knows how to contribute to her community by making a FUN, EFFECTIVE and MOTIVATING learning journey for all the newcomers who are willing to learn English here in New Directions Language school in Langley. Mana always says: “I was born a teacher and am passionate about helping people to unveil their skills and reach their goals."

Judy is originally from Seoul, South Korea, where she studied English Literature and English Education. After moving to Langley, she took courses in sociology, religious studies, and psychology at Trinity Western University as well. She has been teaching English for three decades and has taught a range of different courses that prepare students for a variety of English exams, such as IELTS. She is a first generation immigrant and has experience working as a community support worker, therefore she is familiar with the process and also the barriers that newcomers face when they arrive in Canada. Judy is teaching in person and online at New Directions, with LINC 4 to 7 classes. In her free time, Judy enjoys painting, gardening, writing poems, and playing golf.

Shrawani graduated from the MA TESOL program at Trinity Western University (TWU) in Dec. 2022. Equipped with two other master's degrees (MBA from the University of Pune and M.Sc Ed from the University of Edinburgh), Shrawani aims to scaffold English language learning that can be useful in real-world tasks whether it is for academics, professional development, or settlement English programs. Her professional teaching experience over 12 years in India, teaching MBA graduate students, high school children, and training teachers, combined with her 18 months of experience in coaching and teaching academic skills to MBA students at TWU allows her to adapt to students of multicultural communities and varied age-groups with diverse work experiences. Shrawani loves to take her Saturday LINC class at New Directions to live events like Global Fest in July and on field trips like Fort Langley in August.

Her endeavour is to combine her teaching experience with learners' life experiences as she believes “An effective language learning process transpires when the learners can take what they learn within a learning space and expand it into their daily lives as colleagues, parents, friends, and individuals voicing their opinions and emotions, sharing cultural anecdotes, discussing challenges, and finding solutions.”

With over 25 years of teaching experience, Ange Quapp has taught English as a Second Language (ESL), English as a Foreign Language (EFL), English for Academic Purposes (EAP), and Language Instruction for Newcomers to Canada (LINC). She holds a Master of Arts in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (MATESOL) and is trained in Portfolio-Based Language Assessment (PBLA). Passionate about empowering learners of all ages, experiences, and backgrounds, Ange is dedicated to helping clients at New Directions succeed as they develop their English skills and navigate the opportunities and challenges of life in a new language and culture.

Minh teaches English at New Directions English Language School, where he enjoys helping students feel confident using the language in real-life situations. With a background in International Hospitality and Business, and plenty of multicultural experience, he brings a global perspective to his lessons. Minh likes to keep classes practical, creative, and connected to the world outside the classroom. He’s passionate about competitive sports, travel and storytelling, which often inspire how he teaches and the examples he shares. For Minh, learning English is not just about grammar and vocabulary, but about opening doors, building connections, and enjoying the journey along the way. He believes every class should have at least one “aha” moment and one good laugh — preferably in that order.