AEJ firmly believes in the importance of quality education. Therefore, all of our teachers go through a rigorous screening process. When recruiting teachers, we look for teachers with experience, professionalism and most importantly those with a passion for teaching.
Teacher Profiles:
Patricia Dagg
Senior Educational Administrator (French and English)
M.A, McGill University
B.E, McGill University
Diploma in Special Education(McGill University)
Diploma in Educational Technology (McGill university)
Patricia Dagg has been teaching at Advantage English school since moving to Whistler in 2008. She has over 35 years of professional teaching experience including eight years as the first and only female school principal in her school district in Quebec province. She has won several awards for excellence in teaching and being an outstanding citizen.
Outside of teaching, Patricia enjoys the great outdoors and leading an active lifestyle, even volunteering for the local ski patrol.
Angeles Margain
Spanish Language Coordinator
Spanish and English Instructor
BA, Diploma Bilingual Interpreter-Translator, The Berlitz School of Languages, Mexico City 1977
English Teaching Diploma, Benjamin Franklin Institute, Mexico City 1979
Teacher Education Program, Mexico City 1980
Angeles Margain has been a full-time instructor at Advantage E/J School Whistler Campus since 2008. Originally from Mexico, she can speak both Spanish and English and works as a freelance translator. She several years of language teaching experience and has taught in both Mexico and Canada.
Apart from teaching, she loves the outdoor lifestyle and has many interests including canoeing, volleyball, swimming, horse-back riding, hiking and skiing. Angeles also has travelled extensively around the world and is fascinated by people and their different backgrounds, cultures and languages.
Kyoko Hamazaki
Japanese and English Teacher
Adventure Camp Director
BA, University of British Columbia
TESL Teaching Certification, 2004
NCCP Certification (National Canadian Coaching Certification)
Canadian Freestyle Ski Association Club Coach 1
Kyoko Hamazaki has been teaching English and Japanese at Advantage E/J in Whistler since 2004. She spent 3 years working at a private international school for children in Tokyo. She also works as a freelance translator and has translated for various publications such as Tarzan Magazine, Freestyle Ski Magazine, Yamakei Publishing Company (the largest outdoor sports media company in Japan) as well as various Olympic and World Cup athletes and private companies.
Kyoko is also a sponsored skier that has competed in New Zealand, Canada and Japan, skiis for TMC Freeriderz and Bellatrix Clothing (2011/12) and hopes to inspire the next generation of skier girls.
Ben Wannamaker
Worked in Japan at Berlitz English School for 1 year.
Graduated from College with a Diploma in Journalism
Ben is an expert in the field of communications. He has written for numerous publications such as Concrete Wave (International), SBC Skier (Canadian), Freewriter (Whistler), Reactzine (Japan) and has even released Fodder Magazine in Whistler last year. (www.foddermag.ca)
On top of his work in editing, writing and publishing, he also Manages a Whistler based ski shop’s team of progressive park and backcountry skiers, has been a sponsored skier since he was 17 and continues to ski over 100 days per year for Liberty Skis, TMC Freeriderz Whistler, DogBowl Ski/board Ontario and Choco Wax.
Ian MacDonald
English Teacher
B.A. Saint Mary’s University
Ian MacDonald grew up in a small town in the atlantic province of Nova Scotia. Since moving west to British Columbia he has taught at the Advantage English School Whistler campus in 2007. He has also taught ESL in Korea. When he’s not employed as a teacher he’s usually building and managing a small fishing lodge outside of Tofino, B.C. His first language is English but he can speak French a little Spanish and is currently studying Japanese. He enjoys playing music, fishing, snowboarding, and bowling, but his main passion is surfing. It has led him to explore coastlines all over the world, experiencing a number of different languages and cultures.
Morning Class (Summer Only)
