I was born in Newcastle, UK, to a family of teachers. My first teaching experience came before I went to university, when I spent 6 months teaching English in Slovakia. I graduated from Cambridge with a degree in English Literature in 1996, and became an editor in a computer book publishing company. I decided to return to teaching in the early 2000s and completed my CELTA in 2002. I taught in England for a year and a half, before fulfilling my ambition of coming to Asia. I chose Taiwan, and came in 2004; I have stayed here ever since, and started at the British Council in 2009. I have published several EFL books, including a children’s grammar book, and written many magazine articles. I have also just embarked on my DELTA qualification.

Interesting Fact
My first published work, at age 11, was a poem for a children’s poetry competition.

I graduated from Sheffield Hallam University in 1994 with a degree in English. Part of my course was a module in linguistics which inspired an interest in the English language. I obtained my CELTA teaching qualification in 1996 and then spent six months teaching English in the Czech Republic. On return to the UK, I attended the University of Nottingham where I was awarded a Post Graduate Certificate in Education (PGCE) qualifying me to teach English in UK secondary schools. Between 1999 and 2000 I spent my first year teaching in Banciao, Taipei County. During this time I met my wife and we returned to the UK for two years. From 2000 to 2002 I was a teacher in a secondary school in my home town of Nottingham. My wife and I returned to Taiwan in the winter of 2002 and I’ve been working as a teacher here ever since.

I’ve been at the British Council since March 2007. During my time here I have written articles for the Taipei Times and have been writing teacher training courses, focusing on the use of ICT in the classroom. In my spare time I am studying an MA in Education with Oxford Brookes University.

Interesting fact
My home town, Nottingham, is the smallest city ever to have produced a winning team in the football European cup (Nottingham Forest 1979 and 1980).

My name is Jack Falconer. I was born in Oxford, England, in the U.K. My parents moved to London when I was five years old, and I was raised in the big city.

I attended a school called Haverstock in North London getting an A grade in English Literature at advanced level. I studied Social Psychology at the University of Sussex, from 2000 – 2003, close to a seaside city called Brighton. After university I moved back to London and got into the field of education. I got a job with an examination board called Edexcel. My job was to recruit examiners, mark exams, and make sure that the exams were being properly marked. During the time in London I also completed a Trinity cert. TESOL qualification, this made me fully qualified to teach English to learners of English.

I came to Taiwan to teach, and also to experience life in a different culture. I have been living and teaching in Taiwan since November 2005. I met my wife in Taiwan in 2006 and we were married in 2008.

Interesting fact
I was the bass player in a rock band for five years, from 1996 to 2001.

Hi, I’m Joe.  I was raised in sunny Devon in the South-West of England.  I moved to the capital to study Social Anthropology at Goldsmiths College, University of London.  I have always had an interest in Asia so upon completion of my degree I went to rural Japan to teach English.  I enjoyed my time in the land of the rising sun immensely and knew I would return to Asia in the future.  Once I got back to the UK I completed my Trinity Cert TESOL and spent some time teaching English in a private language centre in Exeter, my home town.

In 2008 I headed to the Basque Country in northern Spain.  I spent a year in San Sebastian preparing young learners for their Cambridge Exams, teaching adults and business clients.  Last year I moved to Taiwan and have thoroughly enjoyed my time here thus far, especially exploring the beautiful scenic areas that this country has to offer.

Interesting Fact
I come from Devon, the only county in the UK that has two coastlines.

Hi, my name’s Ken Burton. I was born in The United Kingdom but have not lived there since I got my BA in French and English literature. That was in 1979, after which I moved to Hong Kong and became a full time English teacher at the British Council. It was there that I got my Cambridge Certificate in Teaching English Language to Adults (CELTA) and later my Cambridge Diploma in Teaching English to Adults (DELTA).

After living in Hong Kong for nearly 7 years, I moved briefly to the United States and then – with my future wife – travelled to Tokyo, Japan. There I spent 3 years teaching adults, business men and high school students with the British Council.

In 1991 my wife and I cycled around the South Island of New Zealand and liked it so much that we stayed, got New Zealand passports and bought a house. We taught international students at various language schools, including Christchurch Polytechnic Institute of Technology   and I started co-training teachers for the Cambridge CELTA.

From 2005 to the present I have been living in Taiwan working for the British Council and teaching a wide range of students and training a variety of teachers including high school teachers.  

Born and raised in Manchester, I decided to spread my wings when I studied for a Philosophy degree in London. After graduation, I gained my CELTA teaching qualification and chose to teach in a country that had always fascinated me, China. After living in China and teaching English for over four years, I decided that I needed a change of scenery and moved to Taiwan. Since then, I have become an IELTS examiner for the University of Cambridge and completed my DELTA certification, which mainly focused on English for Young Learners and knowledge and practice of the English language and teaching methodology. Over the last two years, I have led various teacher training courses which involve training Elementary school teachers from all over Taiwan. In the summer of 2010 travelled to Italy to become a CELTYL certified teacher.

Interesting fact
I was a zookeeper for a day in the UK, where I helped to feed meerkats, porcupines and spider monkeys.

Hi, I’m Steven. I have a CELTA, a postgraduate certificate as an IT trainer awarded by IBM and a Masters degree in TESOL. I have over twelve years experience as a teacher and teacher trainer, having worked at universities and language schools in England, Sweden, Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, Pakistan, India, Japan, Oman and Taiwan. I have worked as assistant to the DOS in Oman at Sur University, and have successfully managed an IT training company in the UK, tendering, receiving and fulfilling contracts from prestigious companies such as IBM and the Royal Bank of Scotland.

I’ve written and implemented courses focusing on technical English used by railway engineers in Sweden, taught on the pre-MBA course to Masters / PHD students at Leeds University and even taught general business vocabulary to the CEO and other executives of EMI, Japan. I’ve also taught basic presentation and meeting skills in Taiwan. In 2010 I had my first book, Listen In 3, published internationally.

Interesting fact
As I’m a very health conscious individual I like to practice and teach yoga and Reiki in my free time.

I have been working at the British Council since 2008. At university I gained a BA in English Literature and Cultural History. I have a CELTA teaching qualification, and in 2010 I passed the DELTA. Prior to coming to Taiwan I taught in Poland and Spain. I have been in Taiwan since 2004 and love it here. In my free time I do a variety of sports, read and study.

Interesting fact
As a teenager I raised barn owls from chicks to adulthood and returned them to the wild.

I am an Academic Services Manager and have been working at the British Council in Taipei since 2003. I have a joint Masters degree in English and History, a CELTA teaching qualification and a Masters degree in TESOL (Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages). I have previously taught English in Ukraine, Japan and Scotland and have over ten years experience in teaching Young Learners, Adults, Business English and Cambridge ESOL exam preparation – in particular IELTS and the Young Learner exams.

Interesting fact

When I’m not working I like sitting in hot springs and eating out lots!

My name is Matt, and I am originally from Brighton in the UK. Having completed a Trinity Certificate in Teaching English in Spain in 2004, I moved to Taiwan in 2005. I like it so much here that I have stayed!

Over the years I have held positions as a General English Teacher, IELTS Instructor and Examiner, and as a Director of Studies. I currently work as the Deputy Head of Corporate Training for the British Council in Taiwan. I also completed my Trinity Diploma in English Teaching in 2011.

Taiwan is like my second home, and I am very happy to share my knowledge of teaching and of the UK with English learners in Taiwan.

Interesting fact
Having a strong background in Martial Arts, I first came to Taiwan to study Kung-Fu!