Telephone: +44 (0)1843 601536

The staff at Broadstairs English Centre

Alex McDermott – Principal

Over the past ten years I have worked with adults and teenagers at schools and Chambers of Commerce in England and abroad. I have particularly enjoyed writing and teaching exam preparation courses, such as TOEIC and First Certificate and I enjoy the focus of ESP (English for Specific Purposes) and academic English courses. I also have extensive experience of teaching one-to-one English, through which I have met many interesting people and formed some lasting friendships. I like to combine traditional classroom methodology with modern technology and resources, and I encourage all my teachers to include some Internet-based lessons into their courses. Above all, I believe that students learn best when they are motivated by enthusiastic and dynamic teachers – a fitting description of all of the teachers at Broadstairs English Centre. Recently, I have become involved in projects with local secondary schools which will hopefully benefit our local community. In my free time I enjoy playing tennis and the piano, socialising and reading about psychology. As the Principal of BEC I hope to welcome you to our school in the near future.

Chris McDermott – Director of Studies

I’m a diploma-qualified teacher trainer with extensive experience in teaching English in Spain, Italy, France and the UK. After I obtained the DELTA in English language teaching at King’s College London, I went on to work at one of the top language schools in the UK, where I featured in a teacher training DVD which accompanied the latest Longman edition of How to Teach English. I have taught young learners and teenagers in several European state schools, and adults in language schools and multi-national companies. I have also advised primary and secondary teachers on methodology and I enjoy meeting English teachers from all over the world. Over the past few years I have written and run courses for major internationally-recognised English examinations (Cambridge and IELTS). In my free time I like running, cycling, cooking, travel and languages.

Chris McDermott – Teacher trainer

Our head of teacher training has over 30 years’ experience working with teachers from all over Europe. Following his time spent in secondary education in the UK, Chris went on to become the Vice-Principal of a well-established and successful language school in the UK for many years. He is a published author of EFL course books for Penguin and has run teacher training seminars in ten European countries. He has also spoken at several major British Council conferences and has recently advised local councils in Italy on the implementation of the CLIL (Content and Language Integrated Learning) approach.