IATEFL BESIG World Blog

Welcome to the BESIG World Blog. Each month we’ve got a different guest author lined up who will be sharing thoughts and experiences on teaching business English from countries around the globe.

• Eric Halvorsen

  15 May 2012 BESIG
  Comments (0)

  Eric Halvorsen is Head of English Language Training at a French telecommunications firm. Eric has been in ELT for 8 years and has taught in Mexico City, Lille and Paris. He holds a B.A. from McGill University (Montreal) and an M.A. in TESL/TEFL from the University of Birmingham (UK). Eric is also a member of the TESOL France executive committee. Eric Halvorsen´s blog IheartELT can be found here.   http://iheartelt.wordpress.com

  In this interview, Claire Hart talks to Eric Halvorsen, an in-house business English trainer based in Paris, France. Eric gives us an overview of his teaching context and of the business English teaching landscape in France. He also shares his experiences of working as an in-house trainer and of completing an MA in TESL/TEFL by distance learning while continuing to teach on a full-time basis. Eric also uses Dogme, or teaching unplugged, in his courses and he gives us an ...

  Read more

  Category:

  Tags:

• Our man on Réunion: teaching business English on a remote volcanic island

  15 April 2012 BESIG
  Comments (7)

  Phil Wade has taught EFL and Business English for 14 years in the UK, Europe and Asia and now lives on the remote island of Réunion in the Indian Ocean. He has set up and managed foundation, undergraduate and MA courses and now teaches in companies and writes materials. His qualifications include a BA (hons) in Marketing, a PGCE, the CELTA, MA TESOL and DELTA module 3 in Business English Blended Learning.

  As well as being a teacher, Phil is also a prolific materials developer and blogger, and he has written a plan for a discussion-based business English lesson for the BESIG World Blog which you can download here. Discussion lesson plan

  Phil has several blogs:

  • Debate and discussion
  • EFL thoughts and reflections

  Réunion is a volcanic island with 800,000 inhabitants, which is one of France´s overseas departments. The euro is, therefore, the official currency on Réunion, as it is ...

  Read more

  Category:

  Tags:

• Learner autonomy

  31 March 2012 BESIG
  Comments (4)

  This month Claire Hart interviews Business English trainer Charles Rei for the BESIG World Blog. Charles is a highly-motivated and engaged trainer who has a lot of interesting ideas to share, which we'll bring you in two instalments.

  Charles Rei is a freelance Business English Trainer in Bavaria working primarily in large multi-national companies. He is currently focused on several embedded training projects which mix courses, coaching, and blended learning. He has been training English since leaving the US military and completing his CELTA in 2009. Fascinated by materials light teaching and focusing completely on the learner, he is constantly seeking to strike the right training balance to help clients improve their international communication.

  Part Two: Learner Autonomy
  

  Claire - Do you find fostering learner self-reliance challenging? If so, what are the mitigating factors which can hinder learners´ ability to be self-reliant?

  Charles - Yes, I think it is a ...

  Read more

  Category:

  Tags:

---