About me

HelloTeacher

Let me tell you a little about myself. My name is Ian and I have been an English language teacher and trainer for over 25 years. I was born about 40 km from Oxford and speak standard British English with a very clear accent.

Over the years my courses have covered general English, business/professional English, exam preparation (FCE, CAE, CPE, IELTS etc), academic English, aviation English and training foreign English teachers. My qualifications include: BA Hons, Cambridge CELTA and Cambridge DELTA (a higher-level English teaching qualification). I also spent 3 years working in an HR department for the local government so I can help you prepare for job interviews.

I have taught beginners to very advanced students (C2 level) from all around the world at some of the best language schools in Oxford. I have also worked in Moscow for the European Union and lived in Japan and Austria. As well as my usual teaching work, I have been the Head of English and the materials writer on short programmes for Chinese university students held at various Oxford University colleges. 

My students come from all backgrounds – this is something I really like about being an English teacher. They have been students, academics, senior business professionals, those looking after children, refugees, and government ministers. Some live abroad but many are in the UK. 

I love being an English teacher and meeting people from all over the world. I aim to provide top-quality teaching and stimulating conversation. My students have come from:

Germany, France, Italy, Greece, China, Japan, Thailand, Somalia, Finland, Turkey, Hungary, Austria, Switzerland, Argentina, Brazil, Korea, Portugal, Spain, India, Bhutan, Israel, Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Croatia, Montenegro, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Egypt, Argentina, Chile, Poland, Slovakia, Czech Republic, Belgium, The Netherlands, Lithuania, Russia, Kazakhstan, Sudan, Ukraine, Nepal and others.

Recent Posts

Vocabulary: Oxford Word of the Year

Vocabulary: Popular words in 2024
Intermediate to advanced level (B2-A2)

Oxford University Press (who publish a lot of English language learning books) are inviting people to vote for their word of the year. Their shortlist is:

Brain rot – not a new expression but used more and more on social media to say that looking at too much social media can negatively affect your mental health or intellectual powers.

Demure – again not a new word. In fact it has been used for hundreds of years. It is being used on TikTok to mean not showing off or being reserved.

Dynamic pricing – once more, it is not a new expression but is being used because of ticket priced changing as a result of demand.

Lore – a very old word connected with teaching and facts. In social media it is now being used to describe the background information on and history of a celebrity.

Romantasy – used a lot on TikTok. It is a combination of romantic and fantasy to describe a book.

Slop – used for over a hundred years to describe low quality literature. It is now being used for low quality or inaccurate text generated by AI.

Vote for your favourite at Oxford University Press

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  2. Grammar: The subjunctive Leave a Reply
  3. Advanced vocabulary: 23 words and phrases Leave a Reply
  4. Vocabulary: Eight verbs from today’s politics Leave a Reply
  5. Vocabulary: Adding ‘wise’ to form adverbs Leave a Reply
  6. Listen to the origin of English (and many other languages) Leave a Reply
  7. Don’t let grammar be a big problem Leave a Reply
  8. Vocabulary: ‘Post-truth’ – word of the year Leave a Reply
  9. Reading: Who goes to Oxford University? Leave a Reply
  10. Reading: After the EU referendum. Brexit? Leave a Reply
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  12. Reading: Getting close to the EU referendum Leave a Reply
  13. Adverbs for Cambridge English Advanced and IELTS interviews Leave a Reply
  14. IELTS interview Leave a Reply
  15. IELTS Life Skills by Skype Leave a Reply
  16. Grammar: I’m loving it?? Leave a Reply
  17. Grammar: Perfect ‘tense’ – advanced points Leave a Reply
  18. Listening: A wide range of science podcasts Leave a Reply
  19. Grammar: When to use ‘whether’ Leave a Reply
  20. Vocabulary: ‘Among’ or ‘between’ Leave a Reply
  21. Listening: Good website for podcasts Leave a Reply
  22. Speaking: The magic of three Leave a Reply
  23. New English requirements for working in the UK Leave a Reply
  24. Learning tip: Learning by listening Leave a Reply
  25. FCE writing tips Leave a Reply
  26. Reading: The General Election Leave a Reply
  27. Vocabulary: Using ‘far’ Leave a Reply
  28. Vocabulary: Mention – a great verb to know Leave a Reply
  29. Grammar: Using the past perfect Leave a Reply
  30. Speaking: Checking you have understood correctly Leave a Reply
  31. Reading: The British pub Leave a Reply
  32. Updated Cambridge English First and Advanced exams Leave a Reply
  33. Vocabulary: Approximate numbers Leave a Reply
  34. Vocabulary: Tell (but not what you think) Leave a Reply
  35. The FCE and CAE interview Leave a Reply
  36. FCE Use of English tip: Part 1 Leave a Reply
  37. Pronunciation: The ə sound in British English Leave a Reply
  38. Writing: Keeping essays simple and clear Leave a Reply
  39. Scottish independence vote Leave a Reply
  40. Pronunciation: Long or short vowels? Leave a Reply
  41. Matthew’s 10 language learning tips Leave a Reply
  42. Grammar: Verbs + ing Leave a Reply
  43. New Cambridge English First (FCE) in 2015 Leave a Reply
  44. Vocabulary: ‘Still’ and ‘yet’ Leave a Reply
  45. Vocabulary: Adjective, verb and noun combinations Leave a Reply
  46. Speaking: Job interview questions Leave a Reply
  47. How to choose a language school Leave a Reply
  48. Grammar: Plans for the future Leave a Reply
  49. Vocabulary: Word families (FCE/CAE/CPE tips) Leave a Reply