About Suitcase talen – learn Dutch fast for highly educated people
Learn Dutch fast at Suitcase talen. Meet Margreet Kwakernaak.
Suitcase talen has been an evening school since its start in 1995. That’s because most students work or care for children. As a result, Suitcase talen students have a strong motivation. However, from the start, it has been difficult to find teachers with the same strong motivation. Consequently, in 2011 Margreet Kwakernaak decided to teach all the lessons herself.
Highly educated people who want to learn Dutch fast
After fifteen interesting years of cooperation with colleagues, Margreet missed their input and the sharing of ideas.
But, the decision to work alone also gave Margreet a great chance. Now, she could specialize in highly educated people who want to learn Dutch fast. Nowadays, Margreet enjoys her work more than ever.
Margreet’s dedication gives Suitcase talen a good reputation. Because Margreet has a lot of experience, the program is effective and well-organized. Moreover, Margreet is always working on new subjects and techniques.
Margreet Kwakernaak
Before she founded Suitcase talen in 1995, Margreet Kwakernaak was a teacher in secondary schools. Additionally, she worked with students aged 18-65 in adult education.
Margreet Kwakernaak studied Spanish language and literature at the University of Amsterdam.
Teaching adults became Margreet’s, great love. After 22 years of teaching high school students, she said goodbye to the teenagers. After that, she started her evening school: Suitcase talen. Until Suitcase talen was well established, she combined it with lessons in regular adult education.
Shortly after leaving the school where she had learned to teach Dutch, Margreet wrote her first book: Dutch for Dummies This successful book was followed by seven other Dutch textbooks, including the Werkwoorden op Rij series. Writing became Margaret’s second love.
How Suitcase talen became a school to learn Dutch quickly
- 1995. Suitcase talen, Divertimentostraat in Muziekwijk Almere, is founded as an evening school. Business English, French, German, and Spanish for Dutch residents of Almere who work in international companies in and around Almere.
- 1999. Move to Operetteweg, Muziekwijk Almere.
- 2000. First website. Huibert Kwakernaak supports Suitcase talen’s IT.
- 2001-2007. More than 15 language trainers teach business English, business French, business German, Italian, Russian, and Spanish. Margreet is the manager.
- 2002. Margreet starts NT2, Dutch as a second language for international people.
- 2006. Margreet writes ‘Dutch for Dummies’, her first and most successful book. In the next 10 years, 7 Dutch textbooks follow.
- 2007. Move to de Paal, Almere-Haven, Dutch and English. Margreet returns to her first love: teaching. She continues developing the Dutch program, assisted by two expert teachers.
- 2010. Owing to the economic crisis there is no demand for English. From now on, Suitcase will specialize in Dutch.
- 2011. The last colleague stops teaching Dutch. Margreet specializes in teaching highly educated people.
- 2018. Move to Marnix Gijsenstraat in Literatuurwijk, Almere-Stad. Owing to internationalization and Civic Integration Suitcase talen is popular among highly skilled migrants and expats.
- 2020. Due to Covid19, switch to online classes. The effectiveness of online learning inspires Margreet to start with the Delft method. This is e-learning with online conversation classes
- 2021. Further development of the Delft method, e-learning project with Hogeschool Windesheim Almere
- 2022. Second project with students of higher professional education: digitization of the administrative process
- 2023. Automation of the payment process, Dutch for Dummies 3rd edition Dutch for Dummies 3rd Edition
- 2024. LinkedIn Company page LinkedIn Suitcase talen Almere
