About Me
My full name is Coen van der Zande. I've been working for more than nine years as a mathematics and arithmetic teacher across all types of education available in the Netherlands.
On top of that, I enjoy reading and writing fantasy and sci-fi novels.
Work as a teacher:
After studying biomedical, mechanical and electrical engineering and successfully completing my degree in mathematics teaching, I started teaching in bilingual secondary education, and I've worked in education ever since. I currently teach arithmetic to social work students.
During my career as a teacher, I've gained extensive experience teaching at various levels (VMBO, HAVO, VWO, MBO and HBO within the Dutch education system), across different age groups (12–50), and in several subjects (mathematics, physics, economics, Dutch and English). On top of that, I've spent five years tutoring students in the aforementioned subjects.
I've also worked as a study and planning coach, and I regularly coach students with performance anxiety. I've also provided exam training for four years at several levels of education, mostly in mathematics and physics. Finally, alongside my studies to become a mathematics teacher, I also earned my CAE and CPE certificates, and I've been teaching in both Dutch and English for most of my career.
If you'd like to find out exactly which tutoring services I provide, you can click this link:
Work as an author:
Since I was a child, I've written columns, reviews and short stories. In 2024, I began taking my writing in a more serious direction and started writing my very first sci-fi/fantasy novel.
At first, I wasn't interested in publishing at all. But then, with the encouragement and help of friends and family, I published my first book in 2025, titled The Shatterwake, a philosophical mixture of fantasy and science fiction. I enjoy writing about themes such as multiple realities, reflection, recognition and loneliness, as well as the questions of what keeps people going in life and what makes us who we are as a species.
My main inspirations are classic authors such as Ursula K. Le Guin, J. R. R. Tolkien, Arthur C. Clarke and Stanisław Lem, and contemporary authors such as Brandon Sanderson, Cixin Liu and Andy Weir.
Currently, I'm working on both a science fiction novel for adults and a fantasy novel specifically for children, with plans to publish both. I still enjoy writing reviews of everything I enjoy: books, movies and video games.
If you're looking to order books or wish to contact me, you can do so through this link:
