Ron

Ron has been involved in linguistics for most of his adult life, firstly as a student and latterly as a teacher. He specialises in one-to-one teaching and in Technical English. Ron has taught in England and in various schools in Spain and at the British Council in Madrid. Ron’s philosophy is total adaptation to the student’s needs and emphasis on fluency and confidence. He says that he is not teaching students to be English teachers, but is there to help them to communicate effectively in English in whatever situation they find themselves, be it in a social or a professional capacity.

Madeleine

For many years I was a para- legal/PA to a partner/owner of a law firm. Most recently I worked in a very large law practice as PA to the Partner in Charge in the litigation department. In 2003 I attended the international Teaching and Training Centre in Bournemouth where I completed a one month CELTA (Cambridge Certificate in English Language teaching to Adults) course. This is the Cambridge equivalent of a TEFL language course.

Iain

As a teacher of adults, I learned very quickly that adults need to be handled differently than children. They may lack confidence, need more support and encouragement.
Active learning is the key. Ensuring that the learner and the teacher are engaged in what they are doing.
Students need to be doing something. For example: talking, writing, working with others in a group, or in pairs perhaps?

The average time most of us can concentrate on one thing is around twenty minutes...
The teaching environment itself is vital for effective learning - it should be a welcoming, interesting, place, where students can feel relaxed and comfortable.
In Spain, 80% of students say they have studied English, but can´t speak it. Learning languages needs practice. It shouldn´t feel like a memory test. This can take many different forms, and the role of the tutor is to find the form that suits the students they have at that particular time.
The key thing is to build confidence, and ensure that the student feels confident enough to make mistakes. Easier said than done of course.

Amanda

Amanda was educated in England, Africa, and Australia.She studied Visual Communication at Medway College of Art in Kent before beginning a nonstop fifteen year stretch working in the TV and feature film industry as an art director and prop buyer in London, The Czech Republic and Europe. She was also an active member of the Tower Theatre Islington.

In 1994, somehow she found the time for a Spanish course and a year later, married and moved to her husband’s home town, Granada. Here she was offered a job teaching English to Spanish military officers and she has been teaching English ever since.

As the Czech saying goes; you live a new life for every language you speak; if you only know one language, you only live once.�

Now, with two daughters and still just as busy as ever,  she is a teacher’s trainer and coach for a large international voluntary organization and specializes in preparing adults and younger students for the English Cambridge exams.

Recently, she was delighted to be asked to collaborate with course programming, teaching and coaching at El Valle Ingles.

“It all seemed to happen in a very synchronistic way. I could sense just how much effort and care was being put into the centre. There was a very clear, shared understanding of excellence. I had dreamt of such a place but actually having the experience of being here, is something really special.� She says.

Anne

Born and brought up in England, I was Head of Humanities at a large comprehensive school in Birmingham, England, for 12 years. Following this I worked for the Home Office and local government as a teacher/trainer with problem adults. I moved to Spain in 1996 and I am a TEFL trained English language teacher working with individuals and groups of adults and children.

"Communicating clearly in English is very important in the modern world and provides so many new opportunities for people. I am proud to be able to make my contribution to this and always try to make my sessions lively, interesting and enjoyable".

Norma

Norma was born and bred in Scotland. She left home at the age of 18 to join the Womens Royal Air Force. Later she qualified as an Accountant and worked for several large companies in the UK. In 2004, she moved with her husband to the Alicante region of Spain to renovate an old Spanish farmhouse. Norma took a TEFL qualification a few years ago and has been teaching English to ESL students ever since. In 2013, she moved to Granada Province.

"Having learnt Latin, French and German at school and now trying to improve her Spanish, she understands that confidence is a big issue for language students and believes that the culture and teaching style at El Valle Ingles helps students to greatly increase their speaking confidence and abilities".

Jessica

Jessica is a bilingual English and Spanish teacher. She was born in England and grew up in Weybridge,Surrey until she was 9 years old, then she moved to Spain with her parents. She went to a local Spanish school and learnt Spanish fluently. Jessica returned to London to go to University and has a BA in Psychology. After University she trained to become a TEFL teacher while she worked at the Nartural History Museum in London.

After a few years she returned to live in the South of Spain where she has been teaching English to children and adults for over 12 years on the coast and nearby areas. Due to her own experience Jessica believes that total inmersion is the best way to learn a new language as we use all our senses to learn.

John

He was born in England to Scottish parents. He did his degree in London and his Teaching Certificate in South Wales. He taught Environmental Science in the Midlands before going to teach in Zambia and Papua New Guinea. He did a Masters course in Special Education and has since taught in a Special School in Britain and Special Units in International Schools in Thailand and Malawi. He completed a TEFL course whilst working in Bournemouth Language School and followed this with "Teaching English for Business", which proved particularly useful when working with Deutsche Bank.

He moved into the Lecrin Valley in 2012 and was especially pleased to discover this school.

“I really love teaching and learning - they should both be lifelong experiences. I believe that education is the gateway to the future and its many new opportunities�