A unique afternoon British school in Budapest that teaches English through an innovative programme.

We are a unique institution in Budapest: a mini British school, running an innovative programme for students who attend non-English speaking schools. ESB allows children to gain all the benefits that the Hungarian education system offers, but combines this with a British education.

Why ESB?

Our school was founded with a basic principle in mind: the very best combination of British and Hungarian education.

Native speaking Teachers

Every single teacher in our school is a native English speaker. This helps children getting familiar with the perfect pronunciation but teachers also bring in their own unique cultural elements to the classroom.

Courses for all levels

We teach English Language and Literacy to children aged 4 to 18. There are classes for second language learners (all levels), native speaker children (all ages) and exam classes (B2 & C1) for teenagers.

Easy to reach locations

ESB has two school locations: in II district at 2-4 Tárogató út which is at the bottom of Hüvösvölgyi út, close to Pasaréti tér and the Budagyöngye shopping centre. The second location is at Apor Vilmos Ter in district XII, close to MOM shopping centre.

The ESB experience

English School of Budapest is not just an afternoon school. It’s so much more! Children will learn English in a fun way while also getting educated on a range of practical topics thanks to our unique approach and curriculum.

Teachers and our team

We are proud to have a teaching staff that is young, enthusiastic and very, very friendly!

Meet our Educational Director

Lisa Gillespie is Canadian born and after graduating in the USA, moved to London to teach the National Curriculum for England. Since 2017 Lisa is part of the ESB team!

I have a passion for teaching young learners and I truly believe that each child is a unique individual and deserves the chance to learn and explore all the different things our world has to offer!

Great resources are the foundation of success

Enroll in ESB and enjoy the benefits of our resources!

Our very own library

Students will find every material readily available to further deepen their knowledge.

Individualized reading program

We use a progressive reading programme that provides complete support for primary reading

Extra curricular activities

Several programmes are organised over the year to allow a broader range of experiences through events, typical of a UK school.

Meet the team

Hello! We are looking forward to meeting you in person – until then, here is our short introduction.

Lisa Gillespie

Director of Education

Eszter Gulyás

Marketing Manager

Daniel Russell

English teacher

Kelly Mackay

English teacher

Marcel Fanara

English teacher

You

We are hiring!

Let us show you how we can help besides teaching English!

ESB is exactly for you if...

you want your child to...

your child is...

We know it is not easy. Read our director's message for you

Through our years of experience, we learned what parents are struggling with… and we are here to help!

Dear Parents! I know how you feel!

As a father of 5 children my main parental role has been the family taxi driver. Barely appreciated by my 5 loyal clients and not even a hint of a tip!

Although they have now grown up, the weekly schedule of trying to plan everybody’s after school schedule was a challenge. Football, fencing, folk dancing and a continuing list of absolutely “Daddy, I have to go to…” activities, all impossibly available for the same afternoon. We taxi drivers are stressed!!

At ESB we recognise these dilemmas and have 20 different classes from Monday to Saturday at two different locations to give parents the greatest number of options.

Our classrooms at Tarogato u ( II) and Apor Vilmos ter ( XII) are planned to be no more than 10 minutes drive from your Buda home or school. Of course we will recommend which classes are best for your children but importantly, there is a choice.

Andy Thompson
Managing Director

ESB is all about options and opening doors...

Squeezing in yet another extra curricular activity for your children is not easy but we are happy to help!

Reachable in 10 minutes

Our locations at 2nd and 12nd district were carefully selected with the purpose of not being more then 10 minutes drive from your local Buda home or school.

Scheduling is a breeze

We offer 20 different classes from Monday to Saturday at 2 locations to give parents the greatest number of options.

ESB is great value

Our true competition are actual British private schools in the UK. Same level of care, same quality but at a fraction of the price (and of course those are not 10 minutes away!)

Our Location

ESB has two school locations:

Testimonials

We are grateful for the kind words from the parents of the hundreds of children who already attended ESB.

We have three children attending ESB. With each year they enjoy the classes more; the child-centred methodology builds their confidence, through the engaging, thematic and group activities, they gain a taste of the British educational system and enjoy its advantages. The small group sizes and the warm relationships between teachers and students create a calm, positive atmosphere for them. We all appreciate the school programmes and events as well as the teachers’ structured approach to learning.

Zoltán

parent of Marci, Cili and Csabi

Samu started attending ESB 6 months ago. He was a complete beginner at the time. Now he speaks in sentences and has a vocabulary of several hundred words. In six months he’s made incredible progress, while also having fun and making new friends.

Orsolya

mother of Samu

Our daughter was a little shy when joining ESB, having had very basic English – but she liked the classes from the first moment. After 5 months she is making steady progress and starts to be able to express herself. ESB seems to create good motivation for them and the various activities built around the themes covered keep the children’s interest.

Anita

mother of Kata

There are more than 1,2 billion* English speakers worldwide. We help children be part of the global community by teaching how to understand and be understood.

*estimation by ethnologue.com

Lisa Gillespie

Director of Education

Canadian born, Lisa grew up in Perth, a small town in Ontario. Growing up she followed her three older sisters and joined the local swim team. Her dream was to be able to swim through university and this came true when she received a full athletic scholarship to the University of Nevada, in the United States of America. In 2012, Lisa graduated with a BSc in Education concentrating in general sciences. Not long after she travelled to London, England to pursue a career in teaching.

She soon realised that her passion is working with young learners so most of her experience is at the primary level, teaching the National Curriculum for England. In 2017, Lisa moved from England to Hungary to gain experience teaching in the international schools and fell in love with teaching foreign students. For two years she taught English as second language to young learners at the English School of Budapest and has experienced first hand the benefits and confidence that children have gained from taking part in ESB’s English program. She is truly excited to start this new academic year and for her return to ESB as Director of Education. In addition to finding joy in teaching children from different backgrounds and learning about their cultures, Lisa also enjoys leading a balanced lifestyle which includes family, friends, fitness and of course swimming too!

Eszter Gulyás

Marketing Manager

Ms Eszter is responsible for marketing and communications at ESB.

Since graduating from university, Ms Eszter has worked in similar office roles at the British Council, City & Guilds and the Ministry of Education. She is always enthusiastic about creative projects, that is why she is happy to have joined ESB. When she has free time, she enjoys cooking, listening to funky, traveling and playing poker with her family and friends.

Daniel Russell

English teacher

Daniel is from San Diego, California. As a third generation teacher, he knows the rewards of a career in education inside and out.

After studying history and German at San Diego State University, Dan embarked on his first overseas teaching experience in Austria by participating in the Fulbright Teaching Assistantship Program in 2013. Here he discovered his passion for teaching and learning new languages.

Following his two year teaching experience in Austria, Dan looked to expand his pedagogical background by completing a master’s in teaching degree in Spain.

Looking to continue to refine his teaching skills and experience a new language and culture, Dan first came to the English School of Budapest in 2017. It was a rewarding experience to be a part of the team at ESB and make a positive contribution to improving Hungarian children’s language skills in an engaging, student-centered approach to teaching during his two years with ESB.

After a short, year long sabbatical back in Spain while also completing his social science teaching credential, Dan knew it was time to return to the great community at ESB. He is excited to reunite with past students, families and colleagues as well as meeting many new ones.

Kelly Mackay

English teacher

Kelly is from Cape Town, South Africa. She has always felt drawn to education and working with children. This led her to complete a TESOL diploma. From there she spent a year in China teaching English to children of all ages. It was in China where her real passion for teaching was discovered. Kelly returned to South Africa to complete her four-year Bachelor of Education Degree at the University of South Africa. 

 

During this time, she was a private English tutor for a number of children. She has spent time volunteering to help teach children to read in underprivileged communities in South Africa.
Over the last few years she has been a grade 2 teacher at a primary school, teaching a variety of subjects. She was the head of English language for her grade. She is passionate about children’s literature and teaching children the joy of stories and reading. As well as having a great interest in early childhood development. She enjoys immersing herself in new countries and cultures. Kelly is excited to start teaching at the English School of Budapest and to learn all there is to know about Hungarian culture.
In her spare time, she enjoys travel, running, all things about food and is an avid reader.

Marcel Fanara

English teacher

Miss Marcel is from Brookeville, Maryland. Growing up, she watched closely as her mother taught English to international students and learned in turn about many new places and cultures.

She studied History, Literature, and Writing at both Franklin University in Switzerland and Swansea University in Wales. Wishing to share her passion for the English language with others, she obtained a CELTA in Edinburgh and has since taught English as a second language to international students and immigrants in the USA, as well as to Chinese high school students and Hungarian primary school students. Throughout all the twists and turns, love of travel and engaging with people of all descriptions is what really drives her adventures.

Registration for our 2023/23 courses has started

Please contact us about registering for classes in September

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