Tutor Talk!

This month in Tutor Talk we are asking our tutors for advice, inspiration and amusing facts!

Name: Chris

Something even the other tutors don’t know about you: Tricky one, since I’m married to one of them! Maybe the others don’t know I’m terrified of flying, and spiders. And flying spiders.

Favourite thing about Cádiz: The size and the winding streets. It´s a fun place to wander around and, even if you’re not that fit (like me), you can walk or cycle everywhere. And I love being by the sea.

Places you have taught English as a Foreign Language: Seville, Buenos Aires, Seoul and various parts of the UK.

Top teaching moment: I remember a group of enthusiastic young adults I taught in Korea breaking into spontaneous applause at the end of a lesson once. I wish I could remember what that lesson was!

Favourite thing about the Trinity Cert. In TESOL: Watching people go from “I don’t know if I can do this” to “I can do this!” in a relatively short space of time.

Parts of the course you are involved with: Tutoring, input sessions and the Unknown Language Journal.

Top advice you would give course participants preparing to do the Trinity Cert. In TESOL: Remember that you’re just starting out at this and we don’t expect your first lesson to be a blinder! Make mistakes, try things, reflect, make more mistakes. Try to take as much on board as you can and be open to all the feedback from us and from your peers. It’s all part of learning, and you will get there. And we’ll help you J Oh, and the ice cream shop downstairs is quality.

And finally why people should choose to do the course in Cádiz: It’s a beautiful place to spend the summer. It’s not too big so you won’t feel overwhelmed, and you’ll have some beautiful beaches nearby where you can wind down after some intensive TESOLing. The people from Cádiz are a nice bunch, which means you’ll have a good group of students to practise with, and the tutors are really easy going and supportive.