JULIE AYLIES (Private, Adult classes, Children classes) Born and raised in beautiful Provence, Julie earned a degree in History in Aix-en-Provence and a degree in Anthropology in Toulouse. Then, she prepared for the competitive French exam to teach in elementary schools. At that time, unexpectedly, she had the opportunity to come and live in Los Angeles! She then started teaching French and gained more credentials to teach French as a foreign language. After two years in the US, she moved to Australia for one year where she taught at the Alliance Française in Melbourne, as well as for corporate clients. And finally, she came back to LA. She loves teaching and always do her best to help students improve their communication skills, feel more comfortable in class, and enjoy themselves! She is passionate about traveling and meeting new people. She likes literature, music, yoga and hiking.
SAMY AYARI (Adult Classes and Private Classes) Samy Ayari has been on the Alliance Française teaching staff since 1995. Born in Tunisia and raised in Paris, he graduated from the prestigious High School Lycée Henri IV in Paris. He also graduated from the École des Hautes Études Commerciales de Paris (HEC) and holds an MBA Assistant Professor at the Université Paris-Sceaux where he taught bilingual programs (French and English). He is currently a lecturer of French at UCLA and Mount St Mary College. In addition to teaching, he was a professional drummer in various Rock bands in France and in New York. He has a keen interest in literature and cinema.
PATRICIA DELAERE (Child Classes)
Patricia was born in France near Lille. Happy mother of two beautiful children, she holds a degree in Psychology and had her own practice as a Life Coach. After the 2004 Tsunami, she spent 3 months in India helping the MEG Foundation care for the orphan children. This experience was a turning point in her life. She discovered she loves to be with small children and decided that she wanted to work with them. She then worked for 2 years at Ecole Clairefontaine, a bilingual preschool in Venice, as a school coordinator. In addition to her great experience with kids, she is also a fantastic cook and a nutritionist. She holds 2 certifications as a health specialist and a nutritionist and is a chef in a rehab center for teenagers, in Malibu. She loves to watch independent and foreign movies. She likes to travel the world, walk on the beach, and get together with friends to share food. ‘Don’t worry, be happy’ is her motto!
ANN HERSTADT (English Classes and Private Lessons) Growing up just outside of Seattle, Ann wanted more from life than rain and Starbucks. Hence, at the ripe old age of 18, she embarked on what would be a delightful journey. After studying French and Film at Chapman University in Orange County, California, and a blissful year living in Grenoble, France, Ann decided to make her home in sunny Los Angeles. Here she pursues her acting/singing career, teaches English and French, and loves to bake.
NADINE JANOT (Private Classes & Adult Classes) Nadine Janot was born in France, near the Swiss-German border. She studied at the University of Strasbourg, France where she graduated with a Master’s Degree in French Literature with a Minor in teaching French as a Second Language. She has been teaching French at various high schools and colleges in Los Angeles. She prepared students for the French Advanced Placement Test in both Grammar and Literature. An avid reader, she is well versed in literature and current events. She also enjoys skiing, swimming, yoga and traveling.
MELISSA LAVABRE (Child Classes) Melissa Lavabre was born and grew up in idyllic Provence. She moved to Los Angeles to attend university and started tutoring French as a Foreign Language. She has worked as a tutor at SMC and LMU; with the French immersion pre-school ECF for over a year and participated at Walgrove Elementary school where she taught the Kindergarten class French songs which they performed at the end of the school year. She loves and pursues all the arts, has studied film, theatre, fine arts and music. She also loves language arts and grammar.
RENE JOSE LLAVE(Adults Classes and Private Classes)
René was born in Lyon. His parents are from Spain. He holds a French Masters Degree in French as a Foreign Language. He taught in several high schools around Paris before he moved to Los Angeles about 11 years ago. René has been teaching Spanish and French for many years in language institutes, high schools and private classes. Passionate about grammar, he started to teach our Grammar Refresher class a year ago at the Alliance Française and since then it has been a huge success. When not teaching, our grammar specialist enjoys watching movies and collecting stamps. He is also fond of politics, history and news.
MARYLENE LIZER (Adult Classes and Private Lessons) Marylène was born and grew up in Paris. She has a BA in English and, besides English and French she also speaks German and Italian, and is currently learning Spanish. She loves languages and wants to learn more. She has been teaching and translating for years. As a language teacher she has eight years of experience teaching and tutoring in the States where she has lived for many years, in France, and in Germany where she lived for three years. Her knowledge of languages and teaching experience are important assets in her teaching work.
Marylène loves languages, philosophy, music, singing, traveling, reading and writing. She is also a keen bicycle rider.
CORINNE MONTORCIER (Adult Classes and Private Classes) Corinne has been living in the United States since 1996. She grew up in the South of France, in Cagnes, a small town next to Nice. After high school, she specialized in languages (French, English and Spanish) and obtained a Master’s degree in "Langues Etrangères Appliquées" at the University of Nice. In addition to French, she also teaches Spanish and works occasionally as a translator. She likes outdoor activities, reading and movies. If you ever plan a trip to the Côte d’Azur, she will advise you on great places and fantastic restaurants, as she knows this part of France like the back of her hand.
SORAYA OUARI (Adult Classes and Private Classes)
Soraya grew up in the South of France. She holds a Masters degree with special honours from PaulValéryUniversity, in Montpellier. She then started teaching French as a foreign language at Manchester University, England. She stayed there for five years, teaching French privately. She later lived in Paris where she was mainly teaching privately, and occasionally working as a Tour Guide for the National Educational Travel Council. She also travelled with American high school students all over Europe. Soraya has now been living in Los Angeles for three years, teaching French and English as a foreign language, while pursuing a career in acting.Whenever possible, she loves to combine her passion for cinema and acting with teaching!
YVONNE OLIVER (Adult Classes, Child Classes, Private Classes) Yvonne Oliver is from Nice, in the French Riviera but graduated from high school in Paris. Her undergraduate studies in literature and linguistics took her to Minnesota State University where she started teaching French. Her love for teaching led her to obtain a Master of Science in Education and California teaching credentials. As a French high school teacher and private tutor, Yvonne enjoys seeing her students become fluent speakers and enthusiasts of French culture. As a hobby, she loves learning foreign languages and travelling the world.
CELINE PETAUTON (Preschool) Celine grew up in Normandie, France. After obtaining a Master's degree in French literature and French as a foreign language, she decided to travel and chose her little nest in Los Angeles where she was hired as a French teacher by the Lycee Francais de los Angeles. There She taught French for many years, met her husband, and became a happy mother of two wonderful boys. Teaching French as a second language to young children to young children as well as adults has always been a passion for her. She is always trying to find new ways to enrich her teaching experience and was lucky to experience fun taching projects such as learning French while cooking.
JOCELYN SIEGEL (Adult Classes and Private Classes) Jocelyn did her debut as a French teacher at Berlitz in order to support herself as a college student. She holds a Baccalaureat in Philosophy, a BA in French literature and a certification from the United Nations in interpretation and translation. She has worked at the Alliance for the past 10 years, in addition to teaching, substituting and tutoring in various private and public schools. As a French teacher her approach is to teach the French language in a lively, positive and interactive environment. She loves sports, outdoors, Jazz, wine and cooking and the French Impressionists such as Vlamick and Gauguin.
MURIEL SZKOCKI (Adult Classes, Child Classes and Private Classes) Muriel was born in Paris. She graduated from Ecole du Louvre in Paris with a degree in History of Art and Literature. She also has extensive training in Business and Finance while she was working as a Realtor in Paris. When she arrived in Los Angeles, she obtained a position as French language teacher.She thrived in sharing her love of French language with children and adults as well as the love for poetry, history and French culture. Her hobbies includedancing, painting, history, arts, decoration and cooking. She also practices a lot of sports, such as riding, hiking, running and swimming.
MARIA-LETIZIA TERRANA(Private, Adult classes, Children classes) Letizia was born in Belgium. She earned a BA in Pedagogy in Brussels. She started to teach French as a Foreign Language in Barcelona many years ago. In 2007, she lived in Japan for 2 years where she taught French private classes. There she earned a degree in teaching French as a foreign Language with the Alliance Française of Paris. After a little break in Hungary, where she taught French as a Foreign Language in a Lycee close to Budapest, she finally arrived in Los Angeles one year ago. In addition to teach Letizia loves to draw, hike and cook for her friends. She also loves to visit museums and new exhibitions in Los Angeles and spend time with her son.