About Pear Tree Education
Who we are
Pear Tree Education is an independent school and camps provider based in Kitsilano, Vancouver. We run year-round programs for local BC families. Every summer, we open our ESL camps to international students from around the world.
When your child joins our ESL program, they’re not in a separate “international” bubble. They’re in the same kind of small-group, teacher-led, theme-based camp that local Vancouver families have trusted since 2012. The same quality. The same people. The same approach.
We run a school. We understand how children learn. That makes our ESL camps different from most.
Why it works
Paul Romani — Pear Tree’s co-founder and director — spent years teaching English as a second language across Japan, Spain, and Germany. To every kind of student: children, teenagers, business professionals, university students, even the Spanish military.
He watched how traditional language instruction failed. Verb drills. Grammar worksheets. Disconnected vocabulary lists. Students who could pass a test but couldn’t order a coffee.
The ESL camps at Pear Tree are built on what actually works: learning English through real activities, real places, and real conversations. Your child doesn’t study English — they use it. The fluency follows.
“We really like that the day is structured and he’s learning things — not just playing all day like other camps.”— Wendy · Vancouver · Camp parent
The people behind it
Pear Tree was founded by Paul Romani and Alexis Birner. They designed, built, and still run everything you see — the camps, the school, the curriculum, the ESL programs.
Co-founder & Director
Paul designed The Pear Tree Method and every camp theme. Before founding Pear Tree, he spent years teaching ESL across Japan, Spain, and Germany. He holds a Masters of Education and has been thinking about how children learn for his entire career.
Masters of Education · ESL instructor (Japan, Spain, Germany) · Architect of all Pear Tree curriculum
Co-founder & Principal
Alexis holds four degrees from UBC and is completing her Doctorate of Education. As principal of Pear Tree School, she oversees every teacher, every program, and every child who walks through our doors.
Ed.D. candidate, UBC · Four UBC degrees incl. B.Ed. · Apple Distinguished Educator, Class of 2026
What makes us different
Not 20. Not 30. Ten. Your child’s teacher knows their name, their level, and what they need.
We started in 2012. This is not our first summer.
Not a university student. Not a gap-year traveller. A qualified professional.
One adult for every five children when we leave the building.
July 6 to August 21. Book one week or several — each week is a completely different theme.
Pear Tree School has operated since 2016. Real pedagogy, not holiday entertainment.
Our story
In the summer of 2012, Pear Tree ran its first camps out of a small space in Kitsilano. 48 children registered. Paul and Alexis did everything themselves — teaching, managing, cleaning, cooking, supervising field trips.
Families kept coming back. Then they started asking: “Have you ever thought about starting a school?” In 2016, Pear Tree School opened. Today, we serve nearly 100 students year-round and run camps across multiple Vancouver locations every summer.
Everything has been self-funded through the camps. No investors. No donations. No shortcuts.
First summer camps, Kitsilano. 48 registrations.
271 registrations. ESL program launches. International families begin joining.
Pear Tree School opens. K–7 independent school — self-funded through camps revenue.
Facility renovated, middle school grades added. Camps across 4+ locations.
Nearly 100 school students. 1,000+ camp registrations per summer. Still the same founders.
What families say
“She made very good progress, gained confidence in English, and had a lot of fun. When school started in Istanbul, she said: ‘Mom, I really miss Alexis, Paul, and Pear Tree.’”— Bihter · Istanbul, Turkey
“We are from Italy. Our kids didn’t speak much English. They were enthusiastic — great staff and great organisation at Pear Tree.”— Davide · Italy
“We really like that the day is structured and he’s learning things — not just playing all day like other camps.”— Wendy · Vancouver
Browse our ESL programs for ages 7–15, or send us a question — we reply within 24 hours.