OUR HISTORY

Tandem IMS was set up by passionate educational specialists in multilingualism wishing to create a difference in primary education.

Tandem IMS has grown into an international multilingual school offering classes from the nursery age of 6 months to primary school. Each year, a primary grade was added, reaching grade 6 in the school year 2014/2015.

Sonya Maechler-Dent founded the first Tandem IMS school in Uetikon am See. She trained in the French-speaking part of Switzerland and is certified as a Swiss primary school teacher. She further studied for a Masters in Education Management focusing on multilingualism and organisational culture at Oxford Brookes University. She also holds an MBA in leadership from IKF Lucerne, one of the diploma subjects being diversity managment. She has led training programmes for teachers and taught in different school systems at home and abroad. She lives in the Canton of Zürich with her husband and their three sons.

The name «Tandem» was inspired by the fulfilling experience a child can gain through interaction between different languages and cultures. Now, it also inspires modern ways of communication and the ability language has to open children's perspectives to the world. This led to the school’s new name in 2010: Tandem International Multilingual School (Tandem IMS) and its motto as focal point is «Discover the world through languages».

The challenge and fascination of integrating multilingualism into an international school curriculum became the driver of Sonya‘s commitment to quality education. She is backed by an enthusiastic and efficient team of educational specialists dedicated not only to developing Tandem IMS in general but also for it to grow into a large thriving school.

Having started with only six children at the Uetikon location, Tandem IMS now has over 300 children of approx. 30 nationalities and 57% of them communicate in three or more languages.

  • 2004

    Tandem Bilingual Pre-School opens in Uetikon am See

  • 2004

    Tandem Bilingual Kindergarten opens in Uetikon am See

  • 2006

    Creation of our ASC and Holiday Club

  • 2006

    Tandem Bilingual Pre-School and Kindergarten opens in Zollikon

  • 2006

    Tandem Bilingual Pre-School and Kindergarten opens in Zurich Freiestrasse

  • 2007

    Tandem Multilingual Kindergarten opens in Zollikon

  • 2010

    Tandem Bilingual Primary School opens in Zurich Freiestrasse with French programme

  • 2010

    Name change to Tandem International Multilingual School (Tandem IMS)

  • 2010

    Bus transfer along the Goldküste for Kindergarten and Primary School children to Zurich

  • 2011

    Uetikon am See and Zollikon Kindergartens move to Zurich.

  • 2011

    Building works start for larger new location in the Seefeld, Zurich

  • 2012

    Opening of Tandem IMS Kindergarten and Primary School in our new location in Seefeld, Zurich

  • 2017

    Early Years & Pre-School groups added to Tandem IMS at the Seefeld, Zurich location

  • 2022

    Uetikon am See Early Years and Pre-School move to Erlenbach.

  • 2024 Celebrating 20 years of multilingual education
Sonya Maechler-Dent
As an educator, I have always had the passion and the drive for innovation and for quality. As a mother, I wish for children to be happy, safe and for their natural curiosities to be challenged. I therefore really enjoy to inspire and encourage our students to always strive to learn, to be confident, resourceful, and enterprising.
Sonya Maechler-Dent
Founder