Mick
French and me
I was born and grew up in the North West of England. At that time and place France and French seemed the most exotic country and language in the world. Never did I dream...
My first lessons in French were at primary school in Liverpool prior to a school trip to Belgium and my first visit to the country a one-month stay with a penfriend in the Pyrénées Atlantiques when I was 16. Luckily, she and her family didn't speak much English - by the end of the month, I was dreaming in French.
My formal training in French finished with a good grade in A-level. Since then I have never stopped learning informally - and practising a lot.
I have the Intermediate Diploma in French of the Institute of Linguists, and their Diploma in Translation from French to English.
I was teaching English at a comprehensive school in North London when the Head asked me to teach French instead. This was apparently a success, as I was soon promoted to be Head of Modern Languages.
The next step was to marry the school's French language assistant (Carole). We spent the next five years starting a family and teaching each other the finer points of our respective languages.
I took French citizenship in 1983 and we moved to France in 1986. We have been living and working in and around Perpignan ever since. I have been a French Civil Servant since 1998 as a secondary and university teacher of English.
English and me
I am a native speaker of English, educated in the British State system, and English was always my best subject at school. I studied English at the University of London (King's College) where I spent a lot of my time working in student drama and journalism. I then spent two years in India on VSO, teaching English (and some French) at a University. Later I spent two years studying and working in the United States.
Most of my professional career has been teaching English in one context or another:
- secondary schools in UK, France and Barbados
- universities in India and France
- Chamber of Commerce and private language schools in France and UK
- freelance teaching to all ages and all levels
I have the following qualifications in English:
- B.A. Hons, University of London
- M.A., University of Perpignan
- CAPES (French national competitive exam to become a secondary school teacher)
- Agrégation (Higher level competitive exam for secondary and university teachers)
Professional status
This year I will continue as a Lycée teacher, but I will also do a few hours for howfrench with the new "Auto-entrepreneur" status. Next year I will be 100% howfrench.