Meet TtMadrid Team

Letter from our Director of Studies

Rory Shine, Director of Studies My name is Rory, and I’m the Director of Studies at TtMadrid. Together with the rest of the team, I’ll guide you through all the necessary steps to ensure that you’re a well-rounded, confident TEFL teacher by the end of our intensive four-week course!

Our course is pretty full on, so it’s normal that you’ll find some days more challenging than others, but we’ll always compensate the stressful days with lots of fun, high energy and laughter!

As a TEFL trainee, you’ll get full support during the course and afterwards for as long as you need it. Your six teaching practices will be invaluable in allowing you to practice, reflect and grow as a teacher, ensuring that when you finish the course you feel confident and prepared. You will also receive unlimited support as we tackle the grammar sessions head-on and get a good grasp on the present and perfect tenses, as well as other grammatical terminology.

Apart from the academic challenge; the change of career, culture, and country all add to the experience that you’ll get during and after the course. This is, for many of us, a life-changing experience, one that can test you, challenge you, but above all enlighten you, whether you’re an experienced teacher or entirely new to the world of ESL teaching in Madrid.

The whole TtMadrid team looks forward to meeting you on the course and watching you develop into a great teacher.

Rory Shine
Director of Studies

Natasha Mason Kennedy - Owner of TtMadrid

Natasha Mason Kennedy (British)

Owner and Director

Natasha moved to Madrid over 15 years ago and as she spoke no Spanish, didn’t know how to progress with her career. She decided to get her TEFL certificate and teach English and went on to teach business English extensively throughout Madrid and acquired an in-depth knowledge of writing materials, teaching groups, conducting telephone classes, seminars and intensive courses targeted at the business community. After being unsatisfied with the variety of training for English teachers in Madrid and the quality of the courses on the market, she decided to start her own! Since then she has launched LAE Madrid, a Spanish academy for adults, and LAE Kids, a Spanish academy for kids.

Natasha is now married and has a son, Jack, and lives in the foothills of the mountains outside Madrid. She has a background in Law (LLB), Human Resources (Dip HRM) and has a Master’s in TEFL. Natasha is also very active within the teaching community and has taught on various Master’s programs in Bilingual Education.

Rory Shine (British)

Director of Studies

Rory is from the land of the Beatles and football – Liverpool! He studied Psychology and Sociology at university and then went on to complete a Master’s in mental health nursing at the University of Sheffield. He spent 5 years working as a nurse until he fell in love with Madrid, Spain and Spanish on a visit to the capital. Looking for a way to move to Madrid, he discovered TtMadrid, and the rest is history! After teaching English at some of the most well-known businesses and academies in Madrid, and working as a headteacher at one of the most prominent, he ventured back to our TtMadrid family as a trainer, TEFL Course Manager and now Director of Studies.

Rory loves practicing Spanish, eating tapas and visiting different parts of Spain!

Meet TtMadrid Team - Rory, Director of Studies

Helen Finnegan (British)

TEFL Program Manager

Helen was working as an optician in England and, looking for a challenge and some sun, she decided to move to Madrid. She completed the TEFL course with TtMadrid in January 2009 and began teaching business English in and around Madrid. In 2011, she was selected to be an in-house language consultant for Coca-Cola where she taught English and designed courses.
Helen joined the Tt family in January 2013. She is here to answer your questions from your first email up until your arrival – her experience and knowledge of Madrid are extensive and she is always available to help and advise you.

Alina Radulescu (Romanian)

Assistant Director of Studies

Alina studied English, Spanish and Arabic at Uni, with a Master’s Degree in Intercultural Studies. She initially came to Madrid to study TEFL with TtMadrid but soon fell in love with Madrid (and a Spaniard) and decided to call it home for the long run. She has worked as an English teacher for years and has managed academies here in Spain.

Alina is a real foodie, she loves history and is passionate about interior design.

Alina Radulescu (Romanian) – Trainer and Observer

Molly Ronan (American)

Trainer and Student Support Coordinator

While working as an Au Pair, Molly completed her TEFL December 2012 and worked for a few years as a BEDA language assistant in various high schools across Madrid, while teaching private classes in the evenings. Molly later joined TtMadrid and hasn’t looked back – her ‘one year in Madrid’ has turned into a life-long plan. She has recently taken up jogging to counterbalance her addiction to tortilla, vino and patatas bravas, and now also considers herself an expert in Madrid’s lovely public parks.

Nicole Keepers (American)

Trainer

Originally from the US and with a university degree in Theatre, Nicole worked in the field of theatre education for several years before making the decision to venture abroad and teach English as a foreign language. She completed her TEFL course with TtMadrid, after which she spent time teaching both children and adults in schools and academies around the city. She later came back to TtMadrid as a trainer and observer. Her particular passion in the world of TEFL is phonology, and she’ll gladly geek out about all things related to pronunciation and linguistics over a cup of tea.

Nicole loves to travel, the outdoors and, most importantly, yoga!

Start your TEFL adventure today!