About us

Who are we?

CBE Languages (formerly the Centre for British English) is an independent language school located in the heart of Rotterdam. Founded by Roger Liddle in 1997, CBE has been providing high-quality language training for adults and teenagers for over 25 years.

CBE is recognised not only for its friendly and welcoming atmosphere, but also for its dedicated team of qualified teachers. We offer a full range of general, specialist and examination courses to students from across the world and, since 2016, CBE has been a certified Cambridge Assessment English examination centre.

Director of Studies

The director and owner of CBE is native Londoner, Emma Gill. Since obtaining her teaching certificate in Prague in 2006, Emma has been teaching English to the general public, university lecturers, high court judges and self-appointed shamens. Though she spends most of her time running CBE and organising Cambridge English exams, she still finds time to teach every so often, as that's still her favourite part of the job.

Office Manager

Helping Emma run the show is Lisa Machin-Boer, CBE's indispensable office manager. Lisa hails from Reading originally, but has been living and working in the Netherlands since 2003 - first encountering CBE when she came in to join a Dutch course!

Lisa is referred to as CBE's 'desk angel' as she goes above and beyond when it comes to providing students - and teachers - with anything and everything they need - including a cheeky wink and naughty joke (when appropriate).

Our teachers

Our brilliant team of English and Dutch teachers are the lifeblood of CBE - with a native and/or exceptional knowledge of the language they teach, many are bilingual, some trilingual, and all masters of communication. They come from all over the world; from Iowa to Ijsselmeer; from Sydney to 's-Gravenzande.

All of them are committed, passionate about their teaching, and very, very good looking.

Your local language school

A little on our history

Roger Liddle set up the CBE in 1997 after having worked as an English teacher, across the globe, for more than 35 years, There was a growing need for quality English teaching in Rotterdam and so the Centre for British English was born.

Starting with only 11 students per semester, Roger had a vision for the Centre. He wanted to create a school of which he could say “I would love to work there”. He hired likeminded teachers to create a warm and lively hub of learning. The number of students in-house rose and the CBE, located on the Meent, established itself as the leading language school in Rotterdam.

Emma Gill started teaching at the CBE in 2007 and, sharing Roger’s vision, Emma was handed the reins in 2010 and is now the head of CBE.

In response to the growing popularity of our CBE Dutch courses, Emma changed the name to CBE Languages, and continues to run a successful school with the same ideals as its founder.

Emma oversaw the relocation of CBE Languages to the Haagseveer. A move which has allowed CBE to become more accessible and provide students with a tranquil learning environment next to a quiet waterway, right in the centre of the city.