Today we talk to Neil Harris from Excel English. Neil is the Business Development Manager and LLP Course Coordinator there and was fundamental in organising the event at the British Council in January.

So Neil, thanks for agreeing to talk to our students about your School and Teacher Training courses. How long have you been working as a teacher trainer?

I first started back in 1994 when I helped set up a two-week course for the Belgian Ministry of Education in the north of England. Since then I’ve been involved in teacher refresher courses in the UK, I’ve run INSET sessions for teachers linked to English in the North and I have also run Cert TESOL courses.

And you’ve been involved with Grundtvig and Comenius funding on a national level, haven’t you?

That’s right. I was involved in writing, delivering and marketing a range of courses for project leaders and participants of Comenius and Grundtvig networks and projects. As a result I was asked to represent the UK as a course provider at the Grundtvig 3 biennial conference in Paphos in 2005. The trip was great fun although hard work and to be chosen to represent UK course providers was obviously a great honour.

How do you find it compares to say working as a student teacher?

In many ways the basic skills are the same – being able to gauge the needs and wants of a group and delivering them. Clearly you gain in confidence and you become much more versatile as you gain in experience but the rush of delivering a good session never decreases.

What does the Excel English Teacher Training course consist of?

We’ve taken the classic teacher refresher course, combining language development and methodology input and tried to give it added value. So besides lots of work on increasing teachers’ confidence and versatility in the classroom, we also look at what the funding bodies (the National Agencies) want in return. Teachers are expected to share what they have covered on our course with their colleagues when they get back home (the so-called dissemination and valorisation activities) and this can be quite stressful. We basically look at ways we can help teachers to do this in a meaningful and practical way. And of course, because we are the only London-based provider of teacher refresher courses in the LLP (Lifelong Learning Programme) database, we make sure our teachers really make the most of their time in London itself.

I imagine you’ve learnt lots from the teachers that attend the course as well?

Absolutely. Where to begin? Well, besides the many classroom activities which have been shared in the training room (and this is essential in my view for a successful course – after all we are all teachers together), I have learnt so much about being with people. A poignant memory from the very first course I ever worked on is talking to a Hungarian lady whose grandfather had been executed in prison as a political dissident when she was a child. His last wish was to see his granddaughter, the teacher I was working with. His last words to her were “You are my country’s future, guard it carefully”. I learnt more from her about dignity and self-esteem than I could every have taught her about language teaching.

What is the best bit about being a teacher trainer?

Seeing teachers grow in confidence and be willing to take risks. Leaving a training session knowing that whatever has been learnt came as a result of collaboration between a group of teachers and being able to facilitate that process.

And dare we say the worst?

Allowing myself to slip into the role of so-called expert, a role which some (fortunately not many) teachers want their trainer to assume. When this happens, sharing stops and it all becomes rather one-way. Not good!

What happens on a typical day on the Excel English Teacher Experience course?

I’m not sure that there is a typical day, as such, but if there were, it would include some language development work and an input session chosen by the group of teachers we are working with. Hopefully, and most importantly, there will be lots of laughter as well.

Tell us a little bit about the school?

Excel English is a little bit of countryside in London, hence why we call it the city school with country style. We are based in Muswell Hill in North London and we are able to offer teachers a range of accommodation types (homestays and self-catering residence) closer to the school than is the norm for London schools. We are accredited by the British Council, a member of Quality English and the only London-based provider of teacher refresher courses in the LLP database.

And can you tell us a bit about the local area?

I used to live in Scarborough on the beautiful north-east coast and people told me I was mad to move back to London. I show them photos of Muswell Hill and they can’t believe it’s London, it seems much too green and open to be in the capital. Tell them that it’s just 25 minutes into the heart of the West End of London and they turn green with envy!

It’s not all study study study, do you organise social events?

We most certainly do organise social and cultural activities and that’s why we have called the course the English Teacher Experience. We want our teachers to experience not only the best possible training but to make the most of being in London. We organise London walks and museum visits for the culture vultures, trips to the local pub (teacher love the idea of a drink in a former church!) and a choice of optional excursions every weekend. It really is a complete experience.

There are so many English schools out there, Why do you believe Excel English a great place to study?

Our British Council accreditation and our membership of Quality English serve as proof of our high standards as does our expertise in offering teacher training for many years. More than that, the location is a real plus and for many our size is ideal – no more than 140 students (of whom 15-30 will be teachers on refresher courses) at the school in the summer means a very friendly, family-like atmosphere. And don’t forget, we offer great value for money too.

Any advice for applying for courses at your school?

My three top tips would be:
1. Read the course description in the LLP database carefully http://ec.europa.eu/education/trainingdatabase/index.cfm?fuseaction=DisplayCourse&cid=3905 so you know exactly what to expect so and can relate this to your needs as a teacher when applying for funding.
2. Give yourself at least a month before the application deadline to make sure all your paperwork is in order.
3. Think about how attending the course will relate to the European dimension of your teaching and be able to demonstrate this in your funding application.

And any tips you could give our readers about language learning in general?

Now that’s the subject of an entire teacher training course in itself! If you mean language learning in the host country (in this case, England), I guess it would be to think about how it differs from studying at home. Think of everything you do as a language learning experience. This means, for example, reading and listening to anything and everything, but critically. Ask yourself if the language used by a native speaker is the kind of language you would have used in the same situation – if not, what’s the difference? I love the concept of learners as language archaeologists, excavating structures and lexis and trying to work out what they mean and how they work.

Thank you Neil for you fascinating insight into Teacher Training. If you are interested in studying at Excel English, for more information check out the School and their Teacher Training courses.

Bullfighting, Sevillana dancing, El Dorado TV series, Paella, Julio Iglesias, Package Holidays the Spanish have made an indelible print on British Culture. But there is so much more to discover than just red rags and Torremolinos. And now you have the chance without catching that easyJet cheap flight to Magaluf, as the best of Spain is coming to Olympia with the Viva Espana exhibition.

Highlights include the very best of flamenco dancing, live music, and Spanish gastronomic treats from celebrity chefs Simon Shaw of El Gato Negro and Luis Vallina from L-Restaurant. If that wasn’t enough Brendan Cole will be joining the judges panel at the first Strictly Spanish Dancing exhibition, brush up on your Spanish at a language session, and check out properties to be bought across the Iberian Peninsular.

Answer English has been kindly given 10 tickets to Give Away by Blendon Communications. These tickets are each worth £12. So if you are interested in entering our Prize Draw send you name, telephone and address to James: james@answerenglish.com for a chance to win!

Viva Espana is at Olympia and runs between the 16th and 18th March. We will almost certainly be going down on the 18th, so if you are interested in joining us, make sure to give us a call: Contact Us

Hablas espanyol? Thanks to all those that came down to our 5th Spanish night. It was great to see that both we have a hardcore that seem to come every time – you know who you are – plus a load of new faces. Special Thanks must go to Soledad from Languages at Lunch who encouraged a number of her students to come down despite many of them only beginning Spanish a few weeks ago!

Congratulations go to the prize winners Laura from Spain who took the Collins dictionary and Dee who won the Language CD set from Gazelle. Thank you to all of those that continue to support Answer English and contribute to our goody bags: Don Quijote, Malvern House, Spanish Express, the Instituto Cervantes, Gazelle Publications and Hot English Magazine.

The photos are now up on the site: Past Events. The next Spanish night will be on Tuesday 20 March, if you are interested in going, send an e-mail to James: info@answerenglish.com or call us on 020 7402 8651 to reserve your place. We are trying to grow these nights so Londoners especially if you are interested in practising Spanish in a fun and relaxed environment - please get in touch!