Pamela Zak

I was born and raised in Quito, Ecuador. After finishing high school, I moved to Los Angeles to study Strategic Communications. Whilst in the U.S., I was lucky enough to live in L.A., Chicago and Michigan. The windy city, Chicago, really is one of my favorite cities in the world… After all, nothing beats a proper deep-dish pizza! After a short spell in Quito, I moved to the Netherlands permanently in 2014. I love living and working in Utrecht and sometimes I even feel like a Dutchie myself.

I have been working at Babel for 12 years now, so you could say I am part of the furniture! I started out as a student in one of the Dutch language courses and found the atmosphere so pleasant that I decided to apply for a position as an English trainer.

I actually discovered my passion for teaching English quite by chance. After finishing my degree, I was looking for a job in advertising, but did not find anything that really suited me. Then my cousin suggested I look into teaching English. As I had already done some tutoring at university, I decided to give it a go. The first few lessons were quite nerve-wracking, but interacting with the students and seeing their confidence grow really made it all worth my while. In 2013, I got my Cambridge CELTA certification and have been teaching adults ever since. My strength lies in building a good rapport with my students, creating a relaxed atmosphere and – as they say – explaining concepts in different ways. I love to see a penny drop!

Over the past 12 years, I have greatly enjoyed training and coaching professionals from a wide range of organizations, including: Rabobank, Toyota-Louwman, Alliander, KPMG, Deloitte, Heineken, Nyenrode, a.s.r., Albert Heijn, NOS, Douwe Egberts, Surf, and the Dutch Police among others.

As a language trainer and coach, I believe it is important to keep learning languages and details about (new) cultures myself. That way, I can relate better to my students. In the past I took a few Italian courses and I am contemplating following a French course this fall.

This past year I founded our Babel Community Events, a place for everyone who makes up Babel to come together and make new connections and friendships. I hope this space can give our students a place to feel more at home and welcome in this wonderful country.

If you wish, you can join our community events app group by scanning the QR code below.

— Pamela

Education and training

As a senior trainer I am qualified to teach all our range of courses, from open registration ones to bespoke courses, covering levels A0 to C2.

Private English lessons
Business English Course for Professionals
Speaking courses
Other English courses

Students’ experiences

• Pamela is a an amazing teacher! I recently followed her online English course and I learned a lot. The lessons are very well structured and tailored to the needs of the participants. As a teacher, Pamela is very punctual, funny and compassionate. I had a great time and looked forward to every lesson!
  – Petra Konijn, Illustrator at Squarepig Illustrations
• I had a very enjoyable experience with Pamela at Babel. The course was a private program, and she helped me reach a higher level in a very effective and pleasant way.Pamela does not follow a fixed structure but adapts each lesson to my specific needs. She also provides targeted homework assignments that are directly linked to my personal learning goals. I highly recommend her as an English teacher.
  – Robbert Otto, Head of Transformation at Toyota Louwman Financial Services B.V.
• I had the pleasure of being taught by Pamela over the past two years. She is an enthusiastic, driven, and professional teacher who clearly loves her work. Her experience is reflected in the way she shapes her lessons; accessible, inspiring, and tailored to the needs of her students. With her positive energy and genuine involvement, she creates a learning environment that encourages everyone to grow and develop.
  I am grateful for the motivation and support she provides and can wholeheartedly recommend her.
  – Willem B., Business IT Consultant at a.s.r. real assets