Blog

When I first started teaching English, a Polish English teacher told me that one of the hardest things about English was asking questions. At the time, I remember being puzzled. Surely English questions weren’t particularly difficult? It took me several years to understand exactly what she meant. In many languages, a statement can become a… Read more: What Air Traffic Controllers Taught Me About English Questions

Some years ago, when I worked with a language tuition agency, I hosted a series of French air traffic controllers on full immersion English courses. English is the official language of aviation, so the French Civil Aviation Authority regularly sent controllers to the UK to refresh and maintain their spoken English skills. It led to… Read more: When ‘Buffet’ Doesn’t Mean Food

Here’s a peek behind the scenes to see what happens before my student arrives for an intensive, full-immersion English coaching course with me. One thing that’s very important is the ‘first impression’. I always spend lots of time making sure my home looks sparkling clean and welcoming. That means quite a lot of physical work… Read more: Behind The Scenes – Preparing for my student’s intensive English coaching course

As part of my homestay package, I offer my students two or three afternoon or evening excursions a week. Over the years, I have discovered some great places to visit in this lively city. Often these destinations are free or very inexpensive. Here are some of my favourite places: Bristol Blue Glass Factory Blue glass… Read more: 5 of my favourite Bristol excursions

I want to share how I create really effective and meaningful classes for my student. In this blog, I sing the praises of using a diary to help my student in their English learning journey.

English is a wonderfully creative and flexible language. Over its history, it’s had influences from many different languages (German, French, Latin, Greek) and it’s still evolving, with new words being created all the time.