Almost eleven years ago, she met her husband who was just planning to relocate to Shanghai for work opportunities in the logistic sector. They decided to go together and after arriving she immediately started working as a teacher at the biggest Dutch school of Shanghai at that time, the Orange Dragon, which was situated at different locations in Shanghai. After a few years they relocated, first to London, then back to Rotterdam, Holland, where Irene started working as a primary teacher again. Not long after her return, she was trained as an internal coach and developed a special programme to improve and train her colleagues in becoming excellent teachers. She then went on to became Vice-Principal at the same school. Irene enjoys working in Shanghai, this time not only accompanied by her husband but also by their three children.
When she’s not working, Irene loves reading, eating, cooking, cycling and socialising with her family and friends. With her family, she enjoys exploring new cities and countries, and feels most relaxed reading a good novel at the beach.