I am English, have been teaching for five years in China and recently completed an MA in Teaching English as a Second language. I have a deep interest in language in all its forms and aim to provide my students with a stimulating learning environment which caters to their individual needs, fostering their enthusiasm and minimising their disaffection.

Born in London to English parents, I was educated in French schools in England, London and Spain, until my grandfather died and we moved in with my grandmother in the Northamptonshire countryside. So l have always felt British but have always had exposure to, and understanding of, other cultures and languages. I feel I have greatly benefited from this on a personal level.

The idea of teaching as a career came to me after I had already started its practice. My undergraduate degree in Artificial Intelligence which I took at Sussex University, where I specialised in Natural Language Processing, and where I learnt about the intricacies and nuances of both linguistic and computational syntax. This resulted in my beginning to gain an understanding of the differences in communicative power, different languages possess.

After graduating and after having worked in computing, banking and real estate, I decided I needed a change. This change came in the form of a teaching sabbatical at North East Normal University where I was to prepare students of computer science to communicate their work orally and in writing. I loved it and have taught ever since.

I have taught a range of courses, from beginner English right up to thesis writing for Ph.D. students, and helping non native speakers of English attending schools which employ English as the Medium of instruction. Every class, has presented its own challenges. Each student presents their own set of problems and abilities. Every day as a teacher is different, and I feel very fortunate to have found a profession that I enjoy, that presents me with so much interest and allows me to contribute, in an admittedly very minor way, to society.

My interests are varied, they include everything from food, to scuba diving, to keeping up to date with some of the more interesting technological developments which are happening so fast, we no longer wonder at the latest flavour of magic to touch our lives, but instead look eagerly ahead to the next upgraded incarnation. I have also just taken up cycling and intend to take advantage of the excellent Guangdong Greenway cycle paths.