Jackie McAvoy

I've been working in the field of education since the 1980s, but not always as a teacher. Having graduated as a graphic designer, I worked for the National Union of Teachers in the UK and for the Malawi Institute of Education in Africa. However, with the advancement of new technology I was reluctant to swap the drawing board for a computer. So instead of learning how to use desktop publishing, I decided to become a teacher of English as a foreign language and never looked back. I got the DELTA (Diploma in English Language Teaching to Adults) in 1999.

I've been teaching for over 14 years in a variety of countries (UK, France, Spain, Vietnam and Tunisia) mostly with the British Council. For the last six years I have focused on teacher training and materials writing. I train local teachers and trainers and often work with the local Ministry of Education providing support during workshops. It can often involve traveling to the provinces where it's back to using the blackboard and chalk.

However, I am no longer a technophobe and a lot of my materials writing is for teaching websites, including Macmillan's ELT online resource site onestopenglish and their online learning environment Macmillan English Campus. I produce lesson plans and worksheets for the reading and writing parts of the skills section for onestopenglish and interactive language activities for Campus. I'm now in Thailand where, along with the materials writing, I'm a teacher trainer for the British Council in Bangkok.