News

Meet the director of Cambridge School Llinars

Al setembre vam inaugurar la nostra desena escola: Cambridge School Llinars, i Lauren Wickman n’és la seva flamant directora.

Per conèixer-la millor i seguir practicant l’anglès fora de classe, us convidem a llegir l’entrevista que li hem fet en aquest idioma:

- Tell us about yourself and your professional background. 
I was born and grew up in North London until my parents decided to move to a coastal town in Alicante, where a large (1) expat community was flourishing. I studied communication in Spain and the UK and worked as a journalist in Valencia. However, after ten years in the profession, it was time for a career (2) shift. Language teaching felt like the natural next step, so I started working for the Exams Department at the British Council and qualified as an English and Spanish language teacher. I haven’t looked back since. I taught at a couple of mainstream schools and a university before (3) relocating to Barcelona and landing a job with Cambridge School in 2017.

- What do you enjoy the most about being a Director at Cambridge School?
These months have been a learning curve for me as I’ve understood more about how Cambridge School is organised, and it’s also given me the opportunity to develop new (4) skills. I mainly enjoy being able to combine teaching with planning and client care. This way, I’m able to follow the whole process: from placement tests to sales and enrolments, lessons, and (5) liaison between families and teachers.

- What aspect of languages do you like the most? And what aspect of language do you most like teaching?
I wouldn’t say that I have a favourite aspect, but I do find the differences between English, Spanish and Catalan fascinating, especially the grammar and pronunciation. Vocabulary is what I most enjoy teaching because there are so many activities and games you can use in class, and as the coursebooks we use are so well structured, they (6) tie in grammar points and vocabulary with skills practice, i.e. reading, listening, speaking and writing. At the end of each unit, the student has learned a whole list of new words, and both seen and used them in different contexts.

- You are trilingual. Does that help you in any way when it comes to teaching English?
In my experience, it does help me to understand the reasons behind a certain error, why students fail to grasp a grammar point or what a (7) struggling student is trying to convey. It certainly helps when it comes to presentations and customer service.

- How do you feel after your first weeks in Llinars del Vallès?
Well, I actually started my new post at the end of June. It’s been an amazing experience to see the (8) premises change from an old nursery into a modern language school. Having (9) overcome some minor (10) teething problems, I’m happy to say that everything is falling nicely into place.

Cambridge School Llinars has been welcomed with open arms: dozens of people came to the inauguration, over 150 students attend classes every week and the first Story Time at the library was a success. Getting off to such a good start would’ve been impossible without such a competent team and permanent support on behalf of the management.

- What do you do in your free time?
After a (11) hectic week, I just can’t wait to get my (12) hiking gear out and head to the mountains. My partner and I tend to get off the beaten track and forage for whatever is in season. We’ve been learning the basics of wild mushroom picking lately to avoid ending up in hospital.

I’m also a concertgoer and love meeting friends for a meal or going on a guided tour of some description. These past two years I’ve had fun discovering Catalonia’s rich cultural heritage. However, there's always time to chill, read a good book or watch a series.

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Glossary:

1. expat – living abroad
2. shift – change
3. relocate – move
4. skill – ability
5. liaison – communication, mediation
6. tie in – link
7. struggling – having problems to succeed
8. premises – the land and buildings that a business owns or uses
9. overcome – deal with successfully
10. teething problems – small problems that a company, product or process has at the beginning
11. hectic – very busy
12. hiking gear – all the equipment needed for long walks in the countryside