Meet ACE Tuol Kork Teacher Michelle McGrath

I am from the US and my family lives all over Texas; however, I am originally from Iowa near University of Northern Iowa (UNI).  Iowa has very cold winters; I prefer the warmer climate of Cambodia. I received my B.A. in English Literature and my MA in TESOL, both in California.

I have taught university students in Korea, Foundation Year learners and refugees in Oman and other kinds of adult students in Istanbul, Turkey. Now I teach at the new Toul Kork Campus.  I had heard great comments about the students at ACE and wanted the opportunity to teach them.

When I am not teaching I enjoy meeting friends as well as new people.  I also love reading poetry, short stories and novels.  In addition, I enjoy traveling and learning about new cultures such as the lovely one that exists in Cambodia.

Meet ACE Tuol Kork Teacher Hokseng Hour

I am from Phnom Penh, Cambodia and I graduated from IFL in 2017. Regarding my professional background, so far I have only experienced informal teaching. The reason I have chosen ACE is because it is known for its great quality of education for both students and teachers. TK Campus is the place where you can find me! My hobby is sleeping and eating. Fun fact about me? I am fat with thanks to my hobby.

Meet ACE Tuol Kork Teacher Solida Chhim

I was born in the capital of Cambodia, Phnom Penh also known as the city of pearl. I graduated from a very well-known university; I managed to finish from IFL through sheer dedication and determination.

Regarding my professional background, it is quite intriguing as my only work experience in a professional environment stems from auditing. Why ACE? ACE is one of the most prestigious institutions in Cambodia, known for its quality language learning. MY HOBBY? WHAT IS A HOBBY? Technically, I sleep more than 12 hours a day; thus, I do not have time for any hobbies.

Meet ACE Tuol Kork Teacher Lynin Thy

I am from Phnom Penh, Cambodia, the Kingdom of Wonder. In 2017, I graduated from IFL where I learned a lot—knowledge, team work, friendship, commitment and love. I am a current teacher at ACE, TK Campus. The reason that I have chosen ACE is because ACE is a place where everyone can find a high quality education. Besides teaching and learning, I love playing sports and especially, eating. Interestingly, most of all my salary goes to my stomach.

Meet ACE Tuol Kork Teacher Lida Chea

I used to live in a town near the Thai border called Paoy Paet; I moved to Phnom Penh in 2006. I graduated from the Institute of Foreign Languages (IFL) in 2016. I choose ACE Toul Kork since I love the culture here. I believe it is where I can grow professionally. When I am free, I really enjoy playing games, reading books and rollerblading.

Meet ACE Tuol Kork Teacher Sythary Sun

In 2016 I graduated from IFL with a Bachelor of Education and a one-year Translation and Interpretation certificate in 2017. My career path has been a zigzag ride, with me having been both a teacher and a translator consecutively upon graduation. In late January 2018, I re-started my teaching journey with ACE, specifically at the newest campus in Tuol Kork. Tuol Kork Campus provides their staff members a chance to develop and rooms to grow and improve, with team supports and guidance, which is rare in this society. My ideal hobbies include reading, creative writing, binge watching shows and doing personal research. My real hobbies, however, consist of napping, snacking, and K-popping (don’t ask).

Self-reminder: keep going.

Meet ACE Tuol Tom Poung Teacher Bunhour Khy

I was born and raised in Phnom Penh, the vibrant capital city of Cambodia. I earned my Bachelor of Education majoring in Teaching English as a Foreign Language (TEFL) from the Institute of Foreign Languages (IFL) in 2017. In addition to this, I am earning another degree from Pannasastra University of Cambodia (PUC) to be finished mid-2018. Back in 2015, I was proud to be selected as one of the ACE Student Ambassadors (ASAs) representing the school as well as working with energetic and brainy teams to organize and lead a variety of school projects. By the time you read this, I will have been teaching at ACE for about two terms. Though I haven’t worked here that long, I am honored to be a part of ACE family. Each day, I am blessed to be surrounded by friendly and inspiring colleagues in a cross-cultural working environment.

Meet ACE Santhor Mok Teacher Jess Singh

I am from Malaysia and after my graduation in 1993 I started working in the corporate world from which I then took a break. I started teaching to fill my time and eleven years ago and I am still with it. I guess teaching is not done with me yet.

Why ACE? I came to ACE Siem Reap in 2012, and have returned twice since then. ACE feels like family and I love the energy in Phnom Penh. I also like being close to Kuala Lumpur, Singapore and Melbourne – less than 10 hours and I am back with my parents, siblings, cousins and my two lovely dogs.

Meet ACE Santhor Mok Teacher Jaki Armstrong

I am from Tobago, in the West Indies, part of the country of Trinidad and Tobago. I have been to school in Tobago, Ireland, England and Canada. I received my B.A, B.Ed. and M.Ed. in Canada and taught Special Education in London, Canada for 14 years.

I moved back home in 2005 and created an NGO to provide an alternative setting for education. The Joy of Living Resource Centre is now run by the parents and continues to provide a safe space for learning. I received my TEFL qualification in 2017 and left Tobago last July. I am a mother and a grandmother; my son Kieran and grandson Teral both live in Canada.

I love reading and travelling and hope to start back to tennis and yoga sometime soon. Since I had never been to Asia, when the job for ACE was posted, I thought “why not?” and applied. I am enjoying my experience here in Phnom Penh.

Meet ACE Santhor Mok Teacher Nalin Sreng

I was born and raised in Phnom Penh. Back in 2016, I received my Bachelor degree in Education from Institute of Foreign Languages. Upon my graduation, I started my teaching career at a private school until I was selected as a Youth Goodwill Ambassador for the 44^th Ship for Southeast-Asian and Japanese Youth Program in mid-2017.

Becoming a teacher at such a high profile school is one of my greatest achievements. Here at ACE, I am able to make the best use of my knowledge and skills for its creativity, in a positive working environment. Not long after I started working here, I felt a sense of belonging as I am surrounded by supportive and outgoing colleagues. On top of that, it is not only a workplace, but a great place to learn and grow as a teacher.

Meet ACE Santhor Mok Teacher Bophawatey Suon

My experience with ACE began more than eight years ago when I was a student of the Diploma program. To me, ACE isn’t just the number one choice for individuals who wish to improve their proficiency in the English language, but it is also a place to develop skills necessary for future academic and professional endeavors. The skills that I had learned from the Diploma courses were important to my academic pursuit, specifically when I went to university. I graduated with a degree in Finance and Banking from Pannasastra University of Cambodia and moved to Yangon, Myanmar to live the life of a diplomat. Living in Yangon opened up my eyes to a whole new world. I liked my life there but I had always felt that there was something missing.

During my stay, I got in touch with a friend of mine who was in the field of teaching. He told me that based on my English proficiency and character I would make a great English teacher. English, of course, had always been my favorite subject but I felt I did not possess the skills necessary to become a teacher. To solve that problem, I decided to return to Cambodia and enroll in the CELTA course at ACE Siem Reap campus. The course was intense, but it was worth it. I passed and here I am teaching English at ACE. I loved the experience of being a student at ACE and now I have switched roles to become an educator. It’s an odd feeling but one that is very rewarding. I love working at ACE and I look forward to continue teaching here in the long-run.

Meet ACE Santhor Mok Teacher Soung Meyling

I was born and raised in Phnom Penh. I am a graduate from the Institute of Foreign Languages, majoring in Bachelor of Education. I started working as a teacher at a private school when I was a junior at IFL. Since then, my passion in teaching has grown stronger.

Ever since I was young, being a teacher had always been my dream career. After my graduation, I have decided to come to ACE to further achieve my occupational goals. I believe I am in the right place to develop myself to be a more professional teacher as ACE provides the practical learning environment where I can practice many different kinds of interactive teaching techniques.

I have been working at ACE Santhor Mok campus since January 2018 and I already feel a sense of belonging as I am surrounded by many helpful and supportive colleagues. One of my hobbies is listening to music as it acts as a very useful tool to recharge after a long and tiring day. To me, music is a form of enjoyment and motivation throughout life; it would be hard for me to live without it.

Meet ACE Santhor Mok Teacher Stephen Westwood

I've lived and taught in, I think, eight countries, including of course Cambodia and places as diverse as Germany, South Korea and Tunisia. But I’m not so well-travelled: I’ve never crossed the Atlantic, never been near Australia and there are many places I still want to visit. I love the English language in all its weirdness and I love helping students to improve their grasp of it. I also love reading and spend a lot of my spare time with my nose in a book, more often an eBook nowadays than the real thing, as I move around too much to collect physical books! If I had one recommendation to make to students, it would be to join our book club and get reading. There is a huge amount of amazing fiction in English and learning a language through stories is the most natural thing in the world.

Meet ACE Samdech Pan Teacher Sophany Thay

I was born and raised in Kampong Cham Province. In 2011, after finishing high school, I came to Phnom Penh to pursue higher education. That same year, I was awarded a scholarship for TEFL Program at the Institute of Foreign Languages, Royal University of Phnom Penh.

Honestly speaking, I first regretted choosing this career path; however, after working as a part-time teacher of English at several institutions right after my graduation, I discovered that this profession suits me best. What I like most about this job is “the more I teach, the more I learn”, especially because I am not stuck with the same task every day. Furthermore, it helps me grow both professionally and personally.

Currently I am working at ACE and I am really comfortable with its environment. I am thrilled to work with understanding and encouraging leaders and supportive colleagues, up-to-date teaching and learning materials, as well as hardworking students.

Meet ACE Samdech Pan Teacher Kevin Bahler

I’m very excited to share my enthusiasm for English with everyone at ACE Samdech Pan campus. I have always loved language and writing, which is why I chose Professional Writing for my major in university. Before I began my teaching career, I worked for several NGO’s in America to raise more than a million dollars per year for a symphony orchestra and music education programs.

I moved to Cambodia in November 2016, and I taught English for a year before I started to work at ACE. I love living here because I can do all of my favorite activities. I exercise every morning, and I like to DJ music at night. I always keep my life full of adventures, and I love every minute.

Meet ACE Samdech Pan Teacher Angela Geeves

I’m from New Zealand and I moved to Cambodia in September 2016. Before I came here, I’d been working in an office job for 6 years and previous to that, I’d done a couple of years of teaching English to Korean housewives at churches and some international students in a small school near where I used to live.

Teaching English is a great job because it allows you to travel and to learn about other cultures (and try to learn the languages!). Cambodia is amazing because everyone is so friendly and happy to practice their English with you and teach you some Khmer.

Working at ACE Samdech Pan is a dream teaching job – the students are fun and motivated, the other teachers are fantastic and have lots of advice and there are plenty of resources to make learning more interactive for the students. I look forward to staying here for the foreseeable future. I hope that eventually, my Khmer will be as good as the ACE students’ English!

Meet ACE Samdech Pan Teacher Bophapich Sambath

I was born and raised in Phnom Penh. I am a fresh graduate from the Institute of Foreign Languages (IFL), with a Bachelor of Education. I also graduated from YL, GEP, and EAP programs at ACE which was the beginning of my English language learning journey starting in 2007.

From my perspective, teaching is an exciting and captivating adventure that enables me to follow my passion. In addition, teaching provides me the opportunities to learn through numerous experiences from both students and fellow teachers, inside and outside the classroom.

I am so happy to have an opportunity to work at ACE because I was also one of ACE students in the last 10 years. What is even better is the working environment, where people are friendly and positive. With a supportive boss and colleagues, I’m really glad to stay here and be a part of ACE family.

Meet ACE Samdech Pan Teacher Marina Khann

I am originally from Battambang Province. I moved to Phnom Penh in 2011 right after I graduated from high school in order to pursue my bachelor degrees at the Royal University of Phnom Penh, majoring in Mathematics and Education in Teaching English as a Foreign Language.

Moving on to another chapter of life, after I graduated from the university in 2016, I started working as a full time English teacher for a non-profit organization where I could contribute back to society. During my time there, I was fortunate enough to be provided with a scholarship sponsored by the US Embassy to take an online course called “Teaching English to Teens” by the University of Maryland, Baltimore County (USA). I gained unrivalled experience and knowledge from teaching and learning from the online course.

I decided to take on another challenge by applying to ACE in late 2017. This is my first term here and I am really into this working and learning environment. I feel the sense of belonging and everyone here is charming and very supportive. There are so many things to learn and explore. Come to ACE, have fun and explore more with me.

Meet ACE Samdech Pan Teacher Nika Sun

I studied and graduated from Institute of Foreign Languages (IFL), majoring in a Bachelor of Education, Teaching English as a Foreign Language. Before working as a teacher at ACE, I used to be a volunteer teacher for an organization for three months. Basically, the reason that I choose to be a teacher is that I love sharing, exchanging, and socializing with new people. Personally, I think ACE is the best place I can contribute my knowledge and skills back to society, through teaching students. In addition, the school environment and staff are very supportive and resourceful.

In addition to the school’s support, I definitely enjoy teaching here because students are hardworking, engaged, obedient and funny. Indeed, we have created a friendly and warm classroom environment as we learn with cooperation and fun. Before teaching here, I didn’t think teaching was fun but actually it is. Lastly, many thanks to ACE for providing me with great opportunity to teach and allowing me a space to discover my strengths and weaknesses in the field of real teaching.

Meet ACE Samdech Pan Teacher Poeng Pov

I graduated with a Bachelor Degree of Education in TEFL from University of Southeast Asia (USEA), Siem Reap. I successfully completed my teaching practicum at Ubon Ratchathani Rajabhat University, Kingdom of Thailand, which is the university partner of USEA.

Before I came to ACE, I worked as the Head of American Corner Library, located in USEA. Prior to that I was teaching English at an NGO and worked in the hotel industry and for a tour company.

Being an ACE English teacher is something I have dreamed of for ages. I believe that ACE is the best place to study and teach English and a place where I can broaden my current profession and my future career. I like cycling and going gym, but in fact I’m a skinny man :)