About - Principals
Julia (Giese) has lived in the UK since 2000 with her British husband and bilingual children. They moved to Oxford in 2020 and are missing the DSS Hampstead, which Julia founded with her friends. Julia believes in the value of German Saturday Schools and is looking forward to joining all our events such as our summer fair, lantern walk and Day of St. Nikolaus.
Katja (Behrens) was born in Delmenhorst in the north of Germany. She moved to Oxford in 2009 and later in 2018 to Woodstock. Katja did both her Bachelor and her PhD in the U.K. and met her Jersey-born husband shortly before submitting her thesis. They share two children who they attempt to raise bilingually. Attending German school on Saturdays quickly turned into a family habit. Katja is looking forward to supporting the team and pupils with admin help and the organisation of school events with a German touch.
Günther (v. Billerbeck) has lived in Oxford for more than 10 years with his American wife. His three children were all born in Oxford. Although Günther only speaks German to his children, he realises the limits of teaching children the German language in an exclusively English school environment. Günther’s children are looking forward to interacting with other bilingual children and being part of the team. Günther is COO of a Management Consulting Firm in London.