Our team

Serving you and your child since 1999

Management

Janka Zöller

Curriculum vitae

1995-2004 School Schloss Salem / Abitur

2004-2008 AmericanUniversity of Paris / Art History (B.A.)

2008-2009 CourtauldInstitute, London / Art History (M.A.)

2009-2011 Christie'sOld Masters, London / Trainee

2011-2012 Blain/SoutherGallery, Berlin / Assistant

Since 2012 TOECHTER und SOEHNE, Wiesbaden/Darmstadt

Janka Zöller

Managing Director

is the Managing Director and a committed and enthusiastic consultant on boarding schools worldwide. She herself was a pupil at Salem for nine years and therefore knows boarding school life from the inside. After studying art history in Paris and London, she gained her first professional experience in international auction houses. However, she then gladly accepted the call to join her father's company, which she took over from her father in mid-2022. Since then, she has steered the fortunes of Toechter und Soehne as managing director. As a consultant, she is an all-rounder, whether she is looking for a boarding school in England, North America or Switzerland. It should not go unmentioned that Janka herself is the proud mother of three children and is therefore able to empathize with the questions and concerns of parents.

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Johanna Lingenthal

Curriculum vitae

2005 Abitur Ratsgymnasium Bielefeld

2005-2008 University of Münster / Primary school teaching degree (B.A.)

2008 Toechter und Soehne, Wiesbaden/ Internship

2009-2012 Ludwig-Maximilians-University Munich / Business Administration (B.Sc.)

2013 Lidl Great Britain Limited, London / Internship

since 2014 TOECHTER und SOEHNE, Wiesbaden/ Darmstadt

Johanna Lingenthal

Managing Director

resides in Berlin, is a member of the management team and her consulting focus is on Germany and Switzerland. Nevertheless, her diverse experience of boarding schools in the Anglo-Saxon world should not be overlooked. Hardly anyone can compare the very different boarding school worlds better than Ms. Lingenthal. As a trainee, she gained her first experience at Toechter und Soehne - at that time still as Johanna von Boeselager. After successfully completing her business studies at the LMU in Munich, she returned to Toechter und Soehne and has been complementing the management team with her business expertise since 2024. She also enriches the team as an enthusiastic boarding school advocate, mother of two and knowledgeable consultant. She has been flying the flag for Toechter und Soehne in Berlin since 2018.

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Beraterinnen

Ann-Kathrin Schiefer

Curriculum vitae

2002 Abitur Elisabethschule Marburg

2002-2003 Gap year in the USA

2003-2007 Studies with semester abroad in Leeds, England

2008-2017 Educational consultant for an international language tour operator

Since 2018 Senior Educational Consultant at TOECHTER und SOEHNE

Ann-Kathrin Schiefer

Senior Consultant

is not only a proven expert, she also provides advice on boarding schools in the UK and North America with a great deal of empathy and commitment. As a Senior Consultant in the International Department, mother of two children and with her own experience abroad, Ms. Schiefer is the ideal contact person for planning boarding school stays in the UK and North America. She earned her spurs at an international language academy. This gave her a deep insight into the Anglo-Saxon education system, and she knows exactly what is needed to make your child's stay abroad a complete success. Once you get to know her friendly and empathetic manner, you will feel very comfortable throughout the entire consultation process.

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Mirjam Auweiler

Curriculum vitae

2006, 2007,2008 Summer school supervisor in England

2008-2022 Boarding school consultant at an international education company

2017-2018 Training as an intercultural trainer

2022-2023 Training as a systemic coach

Since 2022 at TOECHTER und SOEHNE

Mirjam Auweiler

Senior Consultant

represents concentrated consulting power on boarding schools in Great Britain, the USA and Canada. In 16 years of consulting work, she has not only gained an unbeatable amount of experience but has also built up unparalleled expertise on boarding schools in the Anglo-Saxon world. But because consulting is a “people's business” and specialist knowledge is only one part of good consulting, Mirjam can also shine with her love of communication. With her Rhenish happy nature, she was practically born with this quality. A heritage that she is only too happy to cultivate daily. Can one top that? She can! She has trained to become a systemic coach at the University of Cologne. This will enable her to hone her wide range of tools so that she can put herself in the position of her young clients and their parents and provide solution-oriented advice.

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Gesine Meyer

Curriculum vitae

1997 Abiturin Weimar

Degree in Visua lArts Education (minor subjects: Literature, Art History and Philosophy)

Stays in Finland and the USA

Professional experience: Museum educational service, school social work, educational projectmanagement

Continuous advanced training in child and adolescent psychology

Honorary position as patient advocate at Zentralklinik Bad Berka

Since 2009 Educational consultant at TOECHTER und SOEHNE

Gesine Meyer

Senior Consultant

is the perfect all-rounder, but her specialty is German boarding schools. She spent seven years advising on Anglo-Saxon boarding schools and became very familiar with the boarding school landscape in Great Britain, the USA, Canada, Australia and New Zealand. Parents not only appreciated her high level of expertise, but above all her empathy and her ability to respond very individually to the needs of the family and the students. After a three-year sabbatical in her native town Weimar, where she worked intensively with children from underprivileged backgrounds, she - much to our delight - returned to Toechter und Soehne and now supports Janka Zöller and the team as a Senior Consultant in advising on German boarding schools.

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Katrin Zimmermann

Curriculum vitae

2004 Abiturat Hollenberg-Gymnasium Waldbroel

2004-2007 Studied Literature, Cultural and Media Sciences (emphasis on languages)

2006 Internshipin Bexhill-on-Sea, England

2008-2019 Workedfor various international education companies:

Consultantin the field of language courses for companies

Supervisorat a summer school in England

Program coordinator for language trips for young people worldwide

Program director for high school stays worldwide

Since 2019 Educational consultant at TOECHTERund SOEHNE

Seit 2019 Bildungsberaterin bei TÖCHTER und SÖHNE            

Katrin Zimmermann

On parental Leave

she knows her way around both summer camps and English boarding schools. And thus she could easily be described as multi-talented. Due to her extensive professional experience - she has advised on language courses in the corporate sector, accompanied students on their stays abroad at high schools and supervised language trips for a major competitor for five years - we are all the more pleased that we have been able to win Ms. Zimmermann over for Toechter und Soehne She is therefore ideally placed to advise and support you and your child in your search for a suitable boarding school, summer school or language study trip. Her experience makes her extremely flexible, so it is quite likely that her wealth of knowledge and enthusiasm will lead you into the world of Anglo-Saxon education. Ms. Zimmermann has been on parental leave since February 2025.

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Mattia van Dienst

Curriculum vitae

2002 Abitur at Oosterlicht College, Netherlands

2003-2006 Universiteit Utrecht / Psychology (B.A.)

2006-2008 Radboud Universiteit Nijmegen / Cognitive Neuroscience (M.Sc.)

2008-2010 Research Assistant at the Max Planck Institute for Psycholinguistics / Trans-Siberian Railway / Immigration to Germany

2011-2014 English Language Assistant - then Service Manager at Wall Street English, Frankfurt

Since 2014 Educational Consultant at TOECHTER und SOEHNE

Mattia van Dienst

On parental Leave

is happy to support you in choosing the right boarding school abroad. When you enjoy your job and have all the qualifications for it, full advocacy can be expected from you. Not only does she know what it means to live abroad, as she comes from the Netherlands, she also earned her spurs in adult education after studying cognitive neuroscience. She soon became a service manager there. Her focus: “ensuring customer satisfaction”; this is exactly what she does on a daily basis when advising on boarding schools in the English-speaking world. And we think she does an excellent job. Ms. van Dienst has been on parental leave since March 2025.

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IT Und Buchhaltung

Petra Krämer

Curiculum vitae

Since 1984 Assistanttax consultant with many years of experience as a financial and payroll accountant both in an accountancy firm and in companies

Since 2022 TOECHTER und SOEHNE

Petra Krämer

Accounting and HR

holds the financial reins and manages HR. As a trained tax clerk, her love of numbers is practically anchored in her professional genetics. So, it's only logical that Ms. Krämer will give you what you probably least like to get from Toechter und Soehne: the bill. As this, however, is necessary so that we can continue to work well for you, she is absolutely indispensable for us.

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Patrick Apel

Curiculum vitae

2007 Abiturat Arnold-Janssen-Gymnasium Neuenkirchen

Studied at TU Darmstadt (industrial engineering, economics, politics)

Since 2017 at TOECHTER und SOEHNE (initially as a working student, then full-time)

Patrick Apel

Website andIT Coordination

does the preliminary work for management, often working in the background; quietly but extremely efficiently. Patrick started at Toechter und Soehne as a working student and quickly gained the trust of all employees in Darmstadt with his prudent and humorous manner. He now knows the processes inside out and, as her Personal Assistant, works directly for Managing Director Janka Zoeller. When everyone is already despairing, Patrick always has good advice and covers an enormously broad spectrum of tasks, thanks to his commitment. As a young man, he naturally also has an affinity for the IT sector and solves almost all the problems there in no time at all. Toechter und Soehne is lucky to have such an employee in its ranks

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Office management

Sonja Heinisch

Curiculum Vitae

1997-2002 Comprehensive school/secondary school branch, Friedrich-Ebert-Schule Pfungstadt

2002-2004 Trainingas a commercial assistant for foreign language secretarial services (English and Spanish)

2004-2005 Various internships and further training as a Chamber of Industry and Commerce-accredited (IHK) accounting specialist

2006-2013 Work in a secretarial office and accounting

2014 Receptionist at an ophthalmologist's practice

2015 Parental leave

Since 2016 at TOECHTER und SOEHNE

Sonja Heinisch

Management Assistant

is your first point of contact when it comes to a boarding school in Germany or Switzerland. She runs the office together with Kirsten Leckeband.in As a trained foreign language secretary, she is predestined for this task. Even though her focus is on boarding schools in Germany, Switzerland and Austria, she can hardly hide her love of foreign languages (she doesn't need to, as there is hardly a country with more pronounced multilingualism than Switzerland) and this certainly has something to do with her Italian roots. It's admirable how she can balance her job with motherhood. Her organizational talent always shines when she sets up school visits for parents. You will be surprised.

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Kirsten Leckeband

Curiculum Vitae

1982 High School Graduation in British Columbia, Canada

Training in Heidelberg as a foreign language business correspondent for French and German/English

Since 1985 Office positions in a total of three companies with a 7-year interruption (parental time) as a freelance teacher of English

Several years of professional association memberships

Since 2017 at TOECHTER und SOEHNE

Kirsten Leckeband

Head of the International Department Office

flies the international flag in the office, or rather the Canadian flag. She was born in one of the most beautiful parts of the world: Vancouver Island. She moved to Germany at the age of 18, where she worked in the service department in a medium-sized company for six years and then as an executive secretary in another company for 17 years. Together with Sonja Heinisch, she forms the perfect secretarial team. As she is completely bilingual without an accent and extremely active, she worked as a freelance English teacher while being at home for her children. Now, as the mother of two grown-ups, she is back full force and inspires us every day with her organizational talent and optimism.

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Nele Jacobsen

Curiculum Vitae

2015 Abitur Gymnasium Lohbruegge, Hamburg

2016-2019 Apprenticeship as a commercial clerk specialising in sports and fitness

2019-2023 Reisswolf Digital Services GmbH

Since 2023 TOECHTER und SOEHNE Darmstadt

Nele Jacobsen

Sekretariat internationale Abteilung

supports the secretariat of the international department. Especially when it comes to the USA, Nele can hardly be stopped, as she is passionate about cheerleading, at a thoroughly semi-professional level. Many people leave their hometown - which in Nele's case is Hamburg - for love. Nele is no exception. Her great love was and is cheerleading. And because she was able to join a new team here in Hesse, nothing could keep her in her hometown. Too bad for Hamburg. Good for us. Because otherwise we would probably never have come together. Her training as a commercial clerk in the sports and fitness industry gave her the tools to manage the secretariat together with Kirsten Leckeband and Sonja Heinisch. She burns off extra energy in her sport. We value her as an open, cheerful and balanced young colleague.

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Nero

Curiculum Vitae

Nero

A Lagotto Romagnolo, also known as a Lombard water dog, has been keeping Janka on her toes. Nero lives by the proverb “what’s in a name?” as he doesn't know what to do with water - indeed, he is said to have a downright fear of water - nor does he have anything in common with the pyromaniac aggressiveness of his namesake. Instead, he - or rather his bladder - is a constant reminder that time spent on the screen or phone makes regular breaks necessary. He demands these punctually from his mistress. And while it used to be less than 10 minutes by car from home to the office, thanks to Nero, it has become a good half-hour walk in the morning and a half-hour walk in the evening, which is good for both. Instead of sniffing for truffles, as would have been expected of him in his native Lombardy and which would remain a rather pointless endeavour in the parks of Darmstadt, he is the guarantor of a balanced and good-humoured boss at Toechter und Soehne; surely not a bad responsibility.

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unsere Geschichte

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Unsere Zertifizierungen

Das British Boarding Schools' Network (BBSN) umfasst über 400 anerkannte Agenturen, die für ihre Qualität und Vertrauenswürdigkeit bekannt sind. Die Mitgliedschaft bietet Zugang zu einem Netzwerk von über 260 führenden Internaten und unterstützt Agenturen dabei, starke Partnerschaften aufzubauen. Für Schüler und ihre Familien bedeutet dies, dass sie sich auf höchste Standards und sorgfältig geprüfte Beratung verlassen können. Viele Schulen bevorzugen die Zusammenarbeit mit BBSN-anerkannten Agenturen aufgrund ihrer strengen Auswahlkriterien und Zuverlässigkeit. 

Im Zentrum der internationalen Bildungsbranche erleichtert ICEF seit über 30 Jahren den Zugang zu den richtigen Kontakten und Schulungen, um das Wachstum von Bildungseinrichtungen, Schülervermittlungsagenturen und verbundenen Dienstleistern zu fördern. ICEF überprüft und akkreditiert Agenturen durch das umfassende ICEF Agency Status (IAS) Programm, das weltweit als Synonym für außergewöhnliche Qualität gilt. 

Die Boarding Schools’ Association (BSA) ist die weltweit größte Vereinigung von Internaten, mit über 640 Mitgliedsschulen, von denen mehr als 500 im Vereinigten Königreich ansässig sind. Das BSA-Zertifikat steht für professionelle Qualität und gewährleistet, dass Berater und Agenten höchste Standards in Rekrutierung, Sicherheit und Schülerplatzierung erfüllen. Dieses Zertifizierungsprogramm bietet BSA-Internaten die Sicherheit, mit qualifizierten und vertrauenswürdigen Beratern zusammenzuarbeiten, was die Qualität im Internatswesen fördert und unterstützt. 

Das NABSW (North American Boarding Schools Workshop) ist ein Netzwerk amerikanischer und kanadischer Internate und bringt professionelle Bildungsberater aus aller Welt zusammen, die Schüler und Familien bei Sommer- und Jahresprogrammen unterstützen. NABSW-Berater helfen bei der Schulwahl, Bewerbungen und Visa, und bieten kontinuierliche Unterstützung. Dies gewährleistet höchste Standards und einen reibungslosen Übergang in nordamerikanische Internate.

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