My Name is Jonathan, but my friends call me Jonny.

I'm originally from the south of England - Buckinghamshire - and have a neutral southern British accent. My friends would say I'm posh, but I'm not quite RP level!

I lived in London for many years working in the music industry until recently when I moved to Spain nearly two years ago. I have been teaching ever since, in academies here and also in one of the top language academies in Oxford during both previous summers.

My interests outside of teaching are music - I play drums in a band - also running and yoga. I like cooking, and generally going out with friends to bars in Valencia and going to concerts when I can - through the scene isn't quite what it is in London!

Cambridge CELTA (Pass B) March 2017. Campbell College Teacher Training Centre, Valencia, Spain

TEFL online grammar course (40 hrs) January 2017

September 2018 - Ongoing

Alos Centro Europeo de Idiomas, Valencia, Spain

• Preparing groups for Cambridge exams - Preliminary, First and Advanced

• General English groups and private lessons at A1 and A2 level

• Designing and teaching specialist one-week intensive courses for the Spanish Military

• Proofreading translations in-house for various businesses and private clients

Involvement in Erasmus+ EU funded projects creating online and mobile learning applications:

• COMPASS - aimed at and for the benefit of refugees landing in Europe

• LENT - aimed at the niche tourism sectors for tourists and service providers

• Co-lead on the vocabulary input and design in the early stages as well as audio recording for both

July 2018 – August 2018 & July 2017 – August 2017

The Regent School, Oxford UK

• multinational classes ages 15-30

• Teaching two groups daily, A1-C1. Using extensive library resources to design and present own classes autonomously while also giving individual student coaching sessions

• Additional teacher training and observations of teachers with 10+ years of experience

April 2017 – June 2017

English Tower Language Academy, Valencia, Spain.

• B1 Intensive course (Cambridge PET)

• Various in Company Classes, B1 and B2 Level (Cambridge PET/English File)

• One-to-one classes at A2-B1 level

100 + hours of private English teaching (ongoing) Valencia, March 2017 – Present, A2 – C1 level

20 + hours of private English teaching Medellin Colombia, September-December 2016, B1-C1 level

Currently, I am working in a school called ALOS, where last year I had a full-time contract teaching various classes of learners ranging from 15yrs to 30+. I had exam classes for the B1, B2 and C1 Cambridge exams, and also general English classes at lower levels. In addition, we have a contract with the Spanish Military for whom we plan intensive one-week courses every quarter, which is very hard work and completely unique in the city. (I work with one other English Teacher).

We are also part of two Erasmus + projects, working with companies and NGOs over Europe to design language learning platforms online and on mobile devices.

My teaching style is friendly and personable. I don't believe that being the strictest of teachers is either productive or part of who I am as an educator - although of course, I understand that it's important to be strict when necessary.

I have thus far had strong professional relationships with my students. The classroom environment should be comfortable and one in which no one is scared to speak and ask questions or feel inferior.

I am keen to make classes engaging and interesting - sometimes focusing more on speaking in the class than say, writing, which can generally be done at home. I like bringing out critical skills especially in higher level learners and really engaging them in ways they may not have experienced outside of their L1.

I personally love teaching vocabulary in my classes and generally feel that to use and understand English in the real world, recognising phrases and more informal, casual speech patterns is important.

That said, I enjoy all aspects of teaching English and am comfortable in any setting. I also recognise that I still have a lot to learn. I am still keen to garner more experience with younger learners and also learners of the lowest levels.