At AFNORTH you gain an incredible international experience where you have the opportunity to teach highly motivated students, in small classes, with excellent facilities and resources, allowing you to concentrate on what you do best.
Staff at AFNORTH have told us that the opportunities to expand their horizons by working with colleagues from across the world and who are passionate about professional development has been life changing. Working at AFNORTH means you will have plenty of opportunities to learn and to develop your own expertise as well as venture out and find new skills and ways of approaching your craft.
The Netherlands is a vibrant and friendly place to live. It Is international and welcoming with well-connected transportation and good infrastructure. Whether you are single, raising a family, or seeking a new adventure with your partner, you’ll find plenty of opportunities to meet new people and socialise – and most importantly – make lifelong friendships.
Staff join us – realise there is no other school in the world that works like we do – and as they step out of their comfort zone, refresh their aspirations and follow new dreams.
AFNORTH is nestled in a beautiful corner of the Netherlands and our children loved and were blessed to graduate from AFNORTH International school.
The Blankenship family has had our lives uniquely blessed beyond measure by the service member families from around the world that graciously shared their amazing culture and friendship at this blue-ribbon international school. Vickie and I have forever been graced with your love and support throughout the years and we take your love and lessons with us on this new journey in life.
Our entire family has delighted in the German, British, Canadian and Dutch traditions that enrich our school programs and after school activities. AFNORTH International school will open your eyes and heart to the amazing world we live in and the wonderful people dedicated to protecting and enriching the NATO alliance.
Blessings and prayers to all the international community, service members, colleagues, coach volunteers, team mothers, and families throughout Europe who have taken the time to touch our lives and gifted us with your time and friendship. We leave this beautiful school with smiling hearts and tearful eyes because of the wonderful colleagues and volunteers that touched our lives and will carry forward this special mission.
Grandchildren, parents, and the open road are calling us home but a large part of our heart will always reside in this special province of the Netherlands.
Vickie & Greg Blankenship
My time at AFNORTH International School really changed my life. Especially the friendly spirit among all members of the international AIS community made it a mere pleasure to work here and to be part of this truly special multi-national school.
Teaching Mathematics, Biology and English in German Middle School, I met so many thriving students and inspirational colleagues I really enjoyed working with. They showed me that the more experiences you are able to take in, the faster you can grow personally and the more open-minded you become.
The experiences I made during my time here made me grow as a teacher but also in a personal way. It was enriching to experience how different cultural and personal backgrounds lead to different ways of seeing things and dealing with the challenges of our daily (school) life.
Moreover, it became even more clear to me how essential it is to not only teach our students in various subjects but also to focus on educating them to become responsible citizens in a challenging future that holds so many chances for them personally and on a larger scale. At AIS, the focus on our six C’s is the perfect basis for doing so.
Finally, the friendly atmosphere of our Host Nation and the people of Limburg also was something my family and I will definitely keep in our hearts and will take back home.
Kathrin Arndt
After four years at AFNORTH International School, and on the eve of my retirement, I would like to say how grateful I am that the final years of my career were spent in a phenomenal, unique and vibrant school community.
As the Guidance Counsellor in the Canadian Section, I had the great fortune to work closely with students from across Canada and a multitude of NATO nations and with colleagues from all four national sections and the host nation. I learned so much from the students and their parents of the challenges and rewards that impact our military and civilian families. I will take that experience and education with me forever.
Over the years, AFNORTH experienced significant change. During my tenure I felt very honoured to have played a role in this as part of the ECIS Team 2017 to explore the theme of International Collaboration. One of our goals was to develop opportunities for the school community to work closer together. The development of the Canadian Student Council was inspired by this effort to branch out to include the various nations in fun-filled student-led activities. Additionally the International College and University Fair that started as an alumni event in my 1st year grew to include alumni from all nations and drew recruiters from across central Europe. I am very encouraged by the ongoing efforts of staff and students to continue to build those and other relationships throughout the school.
Covid 19, of course presented unprecedented challenges for all of us in my final year. I was very impressed by how well our school, including the Directorate, administration, staff, students and parents worked together to adjust to the enormity of the situation. What a challenging and difficult way to sign off and yet I couldn’t be prouder to have worked alongside everyone to support the AFNORTH school community.
Thank you again for the memories and this amazing opportunity at AFNORTH International School: A School Like No Other. In gratitude of life-long learning,
Maria Lunney
“My time at AFNORTH International School changed my life. Truly. It was the highlight of my teaching career.
When my two year Loan of Service Agreement was over, I was devastated. I knew that I simply could not return to my previous job, in my Canadian hometown. The time spent in the Netherlands had given me far too many personal and professional opportunities. It had opened my eyes to teaching globally and I knew that I wanted more international experiences in the field of education. I was ready for a leap of faith into a new career.
Working as a Mathematics Coach at AFNORTH allowed me to interact with other countries national curriculums and even participate in a variety of training sessions in Germany, Denmark and Cyprus. I had been given the chance to promote my favourite Dutch mathematical tool, called the Rekenrek.
A year and a half later, I am now close to being 100% self-employed in my own new company based in the UK. I am fortunate to travel and promote the Rekenrek through training sessions. To this day, staff at AFNORTH continue to stay in contact with me and give me ongoing encouragement and support. I know that I will forever look back at my time at AFNORTH with the fondest of memories and know that it was those two years that gave me the courage to follow my dreams.”
Amy How
www.rekenrek101.com
“I joined AFNORTH International School in 2016 and it felt warm and familiar the very first year. AIS is truly the heart of the NATO community. Especially the partnership with families is very strong here. The presence of parents, engaged in authentic school-wide and classroom experiences, is a powerful way to build home-school connections. These offer our students a safe and secure place to learn, to take risks and to express their creativity in the classroom. One of my most rewarding experiences is watching students learning a language they have never spoken before and speaking with confidence and poise to their peers and teachers. AIS is a place where we get to witness the transformation of children daily.”
Sophia Dixon
After almost 13 years of working at AFNORTH International School, science teachers David and Mayra Seitz are moving to their new retirement home in the country outside of Castleberry Alabama. Since the August of 2007, Mayra taught mostly at the Middle School and David at the High School of AIS.
Mayra: “I enjoyed the kindness and respect of the children and the diversity, especially in the first 10 years when we had all the Middle School science students of all nations. I also enjoyed the great outdoor education end of year trips which allowed us to see students blossom, doing things outside of their comfort zone.”
“The kids and faculty are really nice,” David adds. “And the school is well supplied. I had everything I could ever need to teach my science and tech classes. Now, we are looking forward to fishing in our lake, growing a large veggie and flower garden, and keeping bees.”
Mayra and David Seitz
“The notion that the world is a village was certainly true for me during my time at AFNORTH International School. I have worked in the German section from 2017 to 2020 with a small group of teachers, all highly skilled and very flexible – something you have to be when every day brings about new and oftentimes exciting challenges.
I immediately was given more and more responsibilities, ranging from head of departmentships to coordination of the Middle and High School in my section. An opportunity to learn and grow, which I would not have been offered at home. Something to build upon when returning to my home state.
The most rewarding aspect of teaching at AIS was – for me – the chance to form international bonds. I was able to work with students from all NATO nations, I formed deep friendships in the American and British section, and I was “adopted” by the Canadian delegation. Nowhere have I ever heard of this type of multi-national school with this unique internationalism. And seeing the students grow in this environment was wonderful to behold.
I feel blessed for having had the chance to work at AFNORTH, for having been offered all these responsibilities, for having been allowed to learn and grow myself, and for having had the opportunity to see my students thrive. I hope that everyone who follows me will make similar wonderful experiences.”
Ina Wester
