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.

Today Answer English welcomes the chance to speak to Stuart Rubenstein from Camden College of English. Stuart’s course English Language Cultural Experience won an innovation award at the ELTON’s the British Council’s answer to the Oscars, and is this month’s featured Special Offer.

So when did the idea come to you to start the English Language Cultural Experience course?

It was when I took a group of students to visit Freud’s house in London. They were watching a video of his life but not really concentrating. I started thinking that if this was “in class”, we would have prepared a lesson and used the opportunity as a chance to learn some vocabulary or practise some grammar.

Was it one of those lightbulb moments or had you been thinking about it for a while?

It was a combination of both. For a long time I had been looking for a way to design a course for adult students who come to the UK for a short stay… let’s say one to four weeks. I wanted to offer them something that they could not get at home and something that would really help their English.
I discussed the “Freud Experience” with my wife, whose area of expertise is museums and galleries, and we started to develop the new course that evening.

So what does the course actually entail?

“Cultural Experience” is a General English course… in other words, we teach English and not culture. We know that our students can take a course in their own country where they sit in a classroom and use one of the famous books like Headway, Cutting Edge or True to Life – so when they come to London we want to offer something different.
All the lessons take place in London’s museums and galleries (a different one every day!) where we use the different exhibitions to create a memorable learning experience. The course requires the students to really get involved and be as active as possible. It is not like sitting in a classroom and waiting for your turn to answer a question. As “Cultural Experience” is a short course (1 or 2 weeks) the focus is on two main areas: building vocabulary and developing the skills of speaking and listening.

And what happens on a typical day?

A typical day? The point of the course is that there are no typical days!
Students work in groups of around 10 or 12 – each one with a teacher, and have various activities to do to help develop their language skills. On one day the focus may be on preparing a presentation, another day the students may be researching vocabulary – every day is very different.

It must be fantastic for the students that the language they are learning comes to life. What has the feedback been from the course?

The feedback from students on “Cultural Experience” is amazing. I remember one woman from Romania wrote that every evening she went to sleep dreaming about the next day on the course!

Who is this course really aimed at?

That’s a good question. We believe it is aimed at students who want to do something different in London than they can do in their home town. In other words, why come here and take the same course with the same books that you do at home?
We use London’s wonderful cultural heritage to teach English and help our students become more confident with the language.

What has been the most fulfilling moment for you of starting this course?

In 2004 we had an idea – in 2006 every week of the course was sold out in the summer and the students were telling us that it was the best learning experience they had ever had.

How did it feel to win an ELTON?

Very exciting! The ELTONs are annual prizes for innovation in English language teaching and are usually awarded to the important publishers for their latest book or universities for research. In fact, Camden College of English is the first school in the world to win.

Do you speak any languages Stuart?

Don’t embarrass me. My wife is from Argentina and so I’m always trying to learn Spanish but I’m hopeless! I have to make some progress now because Benjamin, our young son, is now one and will be talking soon… and he’ll know more Spanish than me!

Have you any tips for our readers about learning languages?

The best advice is always “have no fear”! It is always important to remember that nothing bad will happen to you if you make a mistake.

Just to round up, the Cultural Experience is only one of many courses you run at Camden College of English. Tell us a little bit about the school quickly.

The school is small – run by me and my wife with a great team of teachers. It is accredited by the British Council and was established 17 years ago.
Our courses include: General English, Cambridge and IELTS preparation, English for Work and Work Experience.
We also have a great programme of social activities to keep our students busy when they are not studying.

What plans have you got this year?

2007 will be another very special year for Camden College of English as we are moving to a new “home”. In early Spring we will leave our present address and move to a wonderful building very close to the British Museum.

Thanks Stuart for taking the time to speak to us.

It’s a pleasure. Hope to see some of you soon.

If you are interested in studying on the English Language Cultural Experience Course, Stuart has extended an exclusive offer to Answer English students: £20 off the course at Easter. For more information go to: Special Offer

This week we interview Federico who has joined our IT team.

Name: Federico Marani                From: Italy

Job Title: DataBase Administrator        Age: 24

How long have you been in London?
I have been here for 1 month and a half.

What were you doing before this?
In April i finished my Computer Science degree and, after that, i worked in various projects regarding telephony, programming, and so on…

Why did you come to London?
Because i really want to improve my English, and i think the only way to do this is to come to the United Kingdom.  There are a plenty of reasons, basically the first one i mention is the most important, but i also think that a foreign experience is important for your own life. It gives you a chance to develop you further.

What did you hope to achieve?
Of course a great improvement in my English. My intention is to remain here for several months so i think i will have a chance to meet all the targets i thought at the start.

What does your job involve on a day-to-day basis?
My job is varied but my main job is developing support tools for helping the business activities of Answer English. Now I’m working on the student management system.

What responsibilities do you have?
Develop, test, maintain and teach how to use the system.

What are the best bits?
I’m free to suggest improvements so my work is not “shut up and work”… I’m just working on things i really like to do.

And the worst?
It’s the distance from home to work, really huge. I think it’s a problem for many people here in London.

What is the typical package (salary + benefits) for your job?
It really depends on your skills, you can be a simple technician as many people, or an administrator of a network of a big company. In some cases you can achieve a salary that is higher than most company directors, with many benefits. Here in London there are generally more chances than in Italy.

Do you have to have prior experience?  If so, what helped get you the job?
I worked in the IT sector from many years, especially in database and developing projects so this helped me a lot to find a job.  In my job the most important thing is the experience.

How did you go about getting it?
I found through an agent in Italy the English school here in London and i booked an English course for one month and an internship. Karen from professionals UK found me the internship here at Answer English. I came here for the interview and all went fine.

Any tips you could give our readers?
Come to London and learn English. It’s a very good experience and i recommend it to everyone. The only thing you need is to be adaptive. Especially if you work in the IT sector you shouldn’t have any problems to find a job.
A tip i can give you is start with an English course, it will give you a chance to know other people and make friends.

Anything you know now that you wish you’d known before coming here?
No, you can find all the information you need on internet. I also asked to a friend that was already here.

How much do you think your English has improved?
In only one month my English has become a lot better, especially my day to day English.

What, if any, lessons could the readers of AE Blog learn from your experience?
I hope you will be challenged to come in London. London is a great city and it has a lot of things to offer.

With this experience, what do you plan to do next?
I have no particular plans for my stay in London, the only thing i want to do is concentrate on my English. In my future i will have more opportunities to do whatever i want in Italy if my English level is high.

Name: Harry Watkinson
Job Title: Political Consultant
Age: 30
From: Forest of Dean, UK

How long have you been in London?
This is my second spell in the capital and I’ve been here a year now.  Previously I lived in Tooting Bec, working as a journalist for the Crawley News.

What were you doing before this?
I was a TEFL teacher and freelance journalist for InMadrid, a listings title in the Spanish Capital.  I was also an occasional contibutor to Hot English Magazine, an english language learning title, and the British Chamber of Commerce Annual.

Why did you come to London?
This is where a lot of my friends live and the place where I feel most comfortable living in England.  I enjoy the wide variety of opportunities here for entertainment.  I especially like being by the River Thames and Richmond Park and meeting up with friends for a good chat.

What did you hope to achieve?
I hoped to find the true direction in my life.

What does your job involve on a day-to-day basis?
Consulting with local communities and local politicians about developments that may be built in their local surroundings.

What responsibilities do you have?
Working as a manager I am responsible for agreeing programmes of community and political consultation and ensuring that these agreed courses of action are followed through effectively and efficiently.

What are the best bits?
The people I work with, and the opportunity to do lots of different things: writing reports, meeting politicians, speaking to journalists and going to events.

And the worst?
Dealing with John Prescott’s M4 bus lane on a daily basis.  This was the ingenious idea of ‘Two Shags’ to give over the fast lane of one of the busiest motorways in the UK to buses and taxis.  In turn leaving the remaining two lanes to a large parking lot!

What is the typical package (salary + benefits) for your job?
Around £25 – 30k to someone with a couple of years experience.

Do you have to have prior experience?  If so, what helped get you the job?
Experience of politics is essential.  Ideally some form of political campaigning where you have knocked on doors and dealt with the questions and queries of the general public.

How did you go about getting it?
I saw it advertised on the www.w4mp.org website and applied.

Any tips you could give our readers?
Join a political party and get involved because real political experience and contacts are what are important.  Also make sure that if you want to get to know British popular culture you watch at least a couple of episodes of ‘Bullseye’ with Jim Bowen.  And if you master that then try tackling ‘Play Your Cards Right’ with Bruce Forsyth.

Anything you know now that you wish you’d known before coming to London?
For some reason that despite the change in the licensing laws, most Central London bars are determined to close at 11pm!

What, if any, lessons could the readers of AE Blog learn from your experience in London?
Don’t get caught in the trap of trying to maintain a wide circle of friends.  Instead really pursue what you really enjoy either by yourself or with a select band of comrades.

What does the future hold for you Harry?
Hopefully health, love and happiness.

Thank you Harry for talking to Answer English

Name: Maria Rivas
Job Title: Teacher
From: Salamanca, Spain
In London Since: February 2004

Why did you come to London?
I actually went to Bath at first for a two week language course to learn English.  I loved it so much I ended up staying for 9 months there before I moved to London and have been here for a year and a half now.  I never thought I would stay for so long, I guess I just wanted to have a change of lifestyle and experience something else.

What did you hope to achieve?
Learn English properly!  Now with time I now know how much I enjoy teaching Spanish.

What were you doing before this?
I was working in the administration team of the University of Salamanca.

How do you find teaching as a job?
Very tiring at first!  London is a big place, and I was moving about a lot, with not a lot of experience of teaching, working hard.  Now I know more people, are more selective where I work, it is a lot easier!

What does your working day consist of?
12-15 hours a week typically, although now in summer it’s dropped down to just 3 hours!  I give classes in colleges as a part-time lecturer.

What are the best bits about teaching?
When you teach students who really want to learn.  Or when you finish the course and they show real interest, there are visible results and they then go and book a language course in Spain or South America.

And the worst?
Some people just choose to complain about everything!  The you’ve got a real challenge to maintain the interest of the other students.

How did you go about becoming a teacher?
I studied for a teaching degree at university.  Then I worked as an assistant teacher for kids with learning difficulties.  When I came here it was quite easy.  I just typed ‘learn Spanish’ or ‘Spanish classes’ into Google and all sorts of language schools and agencies come up that are looking for teachers.  Cactus Languages, Spanish Machine and Spanish Express are some of the biggest firms in the UK.

How have you found living in London?
London has a load of opportunities, it is a great place to come for an ‘experience’ like after university but to be honest after a couple of years I’m looking for a new adventure somewhere else in England.  I’ve had a lot of fun, but it’s time for something else.

How much do you think your English has improved?
At first I met a lot of English people and it really improved, but now with my work I end up speaking a lot of Spanish, so not as much as I would have liked. 

With this experience, what do you plan to do next?
I plan to set up some classes of my own.  I’d like to have my own little business and teach Spanish to people in my local area.  If anyone is interested in Spanish classes they can mail me on: rilopez04@yahoo.es

Thank you Maria for talking to Answer English.  We wish you the best of luck with your project.

Name: Shashi Ingale
Job Title: Doctor
Age: 28
From: Bombay, India

How long have you been in the UK?
I’ve been living in Stevenage just on the outskirts of London for 9 months now.

How are you finding life in England?
Stevenage is a cool place.  The facilities are good.  It took a while to adjust to the weather here, coming from India which was so hot.  It was amazing when I first arrived and it was snowing!

What were you doing before this?
I was a Doctor for two years in my home town.

Why did you come to London?
My wife, Smita, was given a job opportunity to work as a nurse.  She came out here first for one year and then when I had the chance to join her, I came over.

What did you hope to achieve?
Well there are some restrictions on what foreign doctors can do.  So I’m studying for my British Medical Council Exams at the moment so that I can work as a doctor here.

What does that involve?
First I have to get my English up to the necessary level.  The requirement is for doctors to have an IELTS score of 7.  I already have achieved a 6.5 so I’m hoping by December I will have got a 7.  Then in January I will sit the medical exams.

Is that tough?
Well the medical exams I think will be okay as I’ve been studying hard.  I do around two hours a day English study and another 6 hours on the medical side.  I’m confident I can pass them.  Then I need to try hard to find a medical posting.  I also plan to study a PHD so that perhaps one day I will become a consultant.

What are the best bits of being a doctor?
The public service.  I enjoyed being able to service my community in India.  One day when I am better qualified I would like to go back there.

And the worst?
Probably the working hours.  There is not much privacy, you can perhaps work 24 hours in one shift, which is pretty heavy and you are constantly on call if there is an emergency.

How is the English coming along?
I’ve been taking The Linguist study from home course.  This involves a once a week, tutorial that we do over the internet with Skype.  We are normally 4 people including the tutor and we discuss issues and get to practice our speaking skills which is where I was weakest.  It’s interesting, this week we were talking about the situation in the Middle East and it was good to hear the different perspectives of people from different countries, Germany, Russia, Japan.

And you’ve got a podcast as well haven’t you?
Yes I started my podcast so that I could practice my spoken English.  It’s a bit of fun, I’ve interviewed my friends from The Linguist and even my wife!  Who never normally speaks to me in English.  We normally communicate in Marathi, so that was fun!  You can check out my blog and podcast at this address: http://shashiingale.wordpress.com/

How much do you think your English has improved?
Quite a lot, my English was poor, I couldn’t speak properly or fully understand what people were saying.  Now I feel I can communicate a lot more fluently.

Thank you Shashi for the interview.  We wish you the best of luck for the future.

Name: Letizia Aiello
Job Title: Waitress
Age: 19
From: Milan, Italy
In London: Since 1 July
________________________________________

Why did you come to London?
I wanted to experience life abroad, improve my English, gain more confidence and be proud of myself for what I hoped I could achieve.

What did you hope to achieve?
The best English possible!  Meet lots of people, make friends, earn some money, gain satisfaction.

What were you doing before this?
I just finished a diploma in Accountacy at ITC. Maggidini in Italy.

What does your job involve on a day-to-day basis?
Customer service, working behind the bar, serving food, collecting glasses & plates, taking orders, giving the bill and working the till.

What responsibilities do you have?
Not giving the wrong food to the wrong cusomter!

What are the best bits?
When I understand the customers!

And the worst?
Nothing, I’m very happy where I work, the manager the colleagues they are all nice people.

Do you have to have prior experience?  If so, what helped get you the job?
No.  But you have to be friendly and smile!

How did you go about getting it?
Laura, who works for Answer English, knew the manager and helped arrange an interview for me.  I then had a couple of hours one afternoon work trial (which I was paid for too!)

Any tips you could give our readers?
I was very lucky.  You have to believe in yourself.  Every experience is different, so go for it!  Don’t lose hope if at first you don’t find what you are looking for.

What if any lessons could the AE Blog readers learn from your experience in London?
Carpe Diem!  Everything is possible in London, there are so many things to do, so many opportunities.  Everything is a lesson.

How much do you think your English has improved?
I think it has improved, for sure, especially my listening and speaking skills.  Still lots more to learn though!

With this experience, what do you plan to do next?
For the moment I have to begin university, studying accountancy at Catolica.  I think in the future I would like to work in a big accountancy firm and come back to live in London.  It’s great!

Name: Joanna Harvison
Job Title: Solicitor
Age: 27
From: Leicestershire