Welcome to Meet the Teachers! The new way to get to know everyone at Castle School of English in Brighton, or just catch up with your favourite teachers. Our first teacher is Andy Smith who has been with us for several years now. He is a very popular teacher who is well known for his fun and educational General English and IELTS class in Brighton.
Hello Andy. Please tell us some more about yourself. How long have you been a teacher?
âSince 2015, although I also taught in France for a year a long time ago. Before doing my teaching qualification I had a corporate job and decided to do something different with my life.
Where did you do your training?
Greenwich, South London. A really nice place to do it – right by the River Thames, Cutty Sark and Royal Artillery Barracks. I used to cycle through Greenwich Park past the Royal Observatory every day on my way to school.
What part of teaching/working in a school do you enjoy the most?
âLearning about different cultures, experiences and opinions of the students. I like large, lively classes and interesting discussions.
How long have you lived in Brighton?
âI live in Hove Actually (it’s a local joke about Hove being posher than Brighton). I’ve been here for about 10 years including a few months in London and 3 months in Australia.
What do you like most about living here?
The summer, the culture (Brighton is very laid-back) and the variety and amount of things to do here. What do I like least? The wind and the seagulls!
What do you do in your spare time?
âI’m a musician, I renovate property and I’m into sports – I go running and play squash plus I like to watch football (Liverpool) and motor racing.
What is your favourite English idiom?
â”It’s raining cats and dogs” – I usually ask students what they think it means, for example are cats and dogs actually falling out of the sky?!
