It is our pleasure to introduce you to Ash, who is one of our favourite teachers here at BBELS. Ash is our longest serving teacher and is extremely experienced in teaching Cambridge classes and General English. The students love him for his clear and focussed lessons as well as for his dry sense of humour.

Ash, tell us about yourself. Are you originally from Byron Bay?

I originally came to Byron about 16 years ago to study primary school teaching at Southern Cross University in Lismore, and I never left. Before that I grew up in Sydney but when I go there these days, I definitely feel like I’m from a small town. In Byron I love to surf, play golf and squash and to read grammar books in my free time. The last one is my favourite activity 🙂

How long have you been working at BBELS?

Let’s just say that when I started I had lovely blonde hair!

What do you especially enjoy about working with the students at BBELS?

I really enjoy teaching English, especially to higher levels, and It’s always nice to see smiling faces in the morning. I also like working with people from all over the world … it lets me feel like travelling without actually travelling.

What other fields did you work in before you started teaching English at BBELS? Has it helped you as a teacher?

I used to be a primary school teacher, which has definitely helped with teaching English…especially discipline! 🙂

Why would you recommend a student take a Cambridge course?

Cambridge is great as it is a fully structured 12 week course which teaches grammar, interesting vocabulary topics, and improves student’s writing, reading and listening. And of course you get an internationally recognised certificate at the end of it. It’s also great for general English students who want something a little more academic to finish their studies with.

As a Cambridge teacher, what advice would you give a student who wants to do a Cambridge course at BBELS?

Some general English study is very useful prior to studying Cambridge, but aside from this, trying to expose yourself to as much English as possible is always a good thing.

What are some of the things you’d recommend students do while they are here in the Byron Bay Area?

The usual things like surfing and spending time at the beach is common, but many students don’t realise how amazing the area around Byron is. Travel up into the area west of Byron, check out towns like Bangalow and Brunswick.