Get results! Professional and certified exam coach for IELTS, PET, FCE, CAE and CPE with 23 years' experience.

En savoir plus sur Antony

• 1) Do you speak this language fluently because of your origins or because a teacher made you want to learn it?

  I am British. I was born in London, so I have a standard British accent.

• 2) Name the living, historical or fictional character who, in your opinion, is the emblematic representative of the culture in question!

  The greatest ever speaker of English was William Shakespeare. He coined (invented) 1,700 words that are still used in modern English.

• 3) Is there a word, expression, tradition or typical behaviour in it that particularly amuses you?

  In the village of Brockworth, Gloucestershire lies Cooper's Hill. Every year, on the last Monday in May, people come from around the world to watch and compete in the annual cheese rolling event. The hill is very steep and nearly 200 metres long. First, a large local cheese is released down the hill. It will reach speeds of up to 110 kph as it hurtles down the hill. A few seconds later, a group of insane competitors start chasing the cheese, some on foot and others just rolling out of control towards the bottom of the hill. Many limbs are broken but heroes are made. The person first over the finish line wins the cheese. The 2023 winners came from England, the USA, Canada and Japan. Are you foolish enough to enter in 2024?
  
  (Yes, the English are strange) (Arrange a lesson if you want to understand all the words in my description)

• 4) Why is knowing how to speak this language important, whether academically, professionally or from a more personal point of view?

  Speaking English opens doors. Many of my students are company executives and need to speak English regularly. They want to speak in a sophisticated way which shows their confidence and personality. It is okay to just about manage in a meeting - nobody will hate you. But if you want to impress, you need excellent English.

• 5) What is the main difficulty of this language and what can facilitate its learning?

  Everybody says that beginner English is quite easy but that it gets impossibly difficult as you get towards an advanced level. They are right. This is because of all the phrasal verbs, collocations and idioms we use. On top of this, there's the crazy pronunciation to deal with. Try this sentence: "Through careful thought and thorough consideration, he decided to throw the rough bough into the fire, even though he knew it was tough to break, but he had enough strength to do it.". My lessons focus on these areas and make learning fun.

• 6) An anecdote related to your profession or your education to tell us?

  I will tell you about the start of my journey as an international English teacher. I left London for the city of Seville, Spain in 2002. I had never taught English before, though I had done a course in Cambridge before leaving. I arrived with my wife and two young daughters ready to make a new life in the sun. Something I hadn't realised was that Seville had some of the best teacher training colleges in Spain and that once teachers graduated, they usually stayed and found jobs in the beautiful city. This meant that finding a job was much tougher than I had expected. I walked the streets of Seville visiting schools one by one for a month with no luck - I was beginning to feel like I had made a terrible mistake. However, finally, I found a job and there began my career as an English teacher. I have never looked back. I have worked in many schools in Spain and the UK, taught thousands of students, spent many months on professional development and made lots of friends.

• 7) Help us get to know you a little better by talking about your different travels.

  I love travelling. I have been all around Europe with Spain and Switzerland being my absolute highlights - both such beautiful countries in their own very different ways. Apart from that, I have been to Cuba, Venezuela, and the USA (east coast and west coast). I plan to spend more time in South America in the near future and then start exploring Asia.

• 8) What makes you a Superprof, in addition to this ability to express yourself in several languages?

  It is best to ask my students that. I have lots of great testimonials. I can tell you what I am always trying to achieve: lessons where the student feels completely relaxed and motivated. I am a strong believer in the human part of language acquisition - I have learned this from my own experience as a language learner. In addition to this, I offer a structured approach and have a deep understanding of the English language. I am always looking for ways to make the process better and more efficient. I truly think that language learning is done quite badly most of the time - I'm trying to make it a bit better.