British English with Lewis: Podcast Introduction

Introduction to the Podcast

• The podcast, "British English with Lewis," releases new episodes every Friday.
• Topics range from sports and technology to family and current events.
• The podcast focuses on happy news, British slang, phrasal verbs, idioms, and language learning tips.
• The host speaks slowly and clearly to aid understanding.

The Host's Love for Podcasts

• The host is an avid podcast listener, enjoying them while working, at the gym, walking, traveling, and even in the bathroom.
• He wishes he had started a podcast a decade ago.
• The expression "no use crying over spilt milk" means not to worry about things that cannot be changed.

The Host's Background and Intentions

• The podcast episode will focus on the host's journey to becoming an English teacher.
• Listeners can expect to learn about his background, where he's from, his history with languages, and tips for improving English.
• Episodes will be approximately 30 minutes long.

Personal Introduction

• The host's name is Lewis, he is 32 years old and from Bingley, Yorkshire, a town of about 20,000 people.
• Bingley is near Leeds, Bradford, and Manchester.
• Lewis enjoys football and is a Leeds United fan.
• He has always been fascinated by languages and interacting with people from around the world.

Interest in Languages and Travel

• Travel documentaries sparked his interest in seeing the world and speaking to local people.
• Native English speakers are often lazy when it comes to learning other languages because English is considered the lingua franca.
• The host understands this viewpoint but doesn't support it.
• Despite English being the international language, it is only the third most spoken language by native speakers, after Chinese Mandarin and Spanish.

Early Language Learning

• In primary school, children in the UK receive a brief introduction to French through songs like "Aujourd'hui c'est mon anniversaire".
• At secondary school, students can choose to study French, Spanish, or German.
• The host found Spanish more appealing, associating it with sunny Spain, beaches, tapas, and siestas.

Language Learning Experiences

• The presenter enjoyed pretending and "acting" Spanish, exaggerating sounds.
• Exaggerating pronunciation can be a tactic to improve British English pronunciation.
• From ages 11 to 16, one hour per week was devoted to Spanish and one hour to French, which isn't enough time to become fluent.
• The teachers were not native speakers.

University Choices

• At 18, students in the UK must decide what to study at university.
• The host was interested in both the human body/sport and languages.
• He studied biology, sport, business, and Spanish between 16 and 18.
• He applied to university for physiotherapy and to become a teacher/interpreter/translator/multilingual businessman.
• He chose languages to postpone making a career decision.

University Life

• At university, the host made friends, had a part-time job promoting bars and clubs, and practiced Spanish and Italian.
• He acknowledges that he may have wasted his university experience by not taking full advantage of the facilities to improve his language skills.
• University is expensive in the UK, and graduates often have significant student loan debt.
• Student loan repayments only begin when earning above a certain salary, which is not common in the English language teaching industry.

Year Abroad

• The host spent his third year abroad in Argentina and Italy.
• In Argentina, he lived with a family in Bahia Blanca, immersed himself in the language, and travelled extensively.
• He then moved to Palermo, Sicily, where he lived with people from the south of Spain.
• Living with native speakers helped continue to immerse himself in the language learning experience.

Advice for Language Learners

• Avoid making too many friends from your home country to prevent relying on your native language.
• The host became fluent in Spanish, but his Italian skills were limited due to less practice.

Meeting His Girlfriend

• After his year abroad, he met his Spanish girlfriend in Liverpool.
• She was in Liverpool to improve her English and experience a new culture.
• This provided him with another opportunity to practice Spanish and connect with Spanish culture.

Post-University Plans

• After university, he coached at soccer camps in the United States.
• He decided he wanted to move to Spain.
• He moved to Seville to be with his girlfriend and pursue a CELTA course (Certificate of English Language Teaching to Adults).

CELTA Course and First Teaching Job

• The CELTA course cost 1,500 EUR and lasted four weeks.
• Completing the course enabled him to get a job teaching English to adults in Seville because native English speakers with CELTA certificates were in high demand.
• His students knew grammar but lacked confidence in speaking and pronunciation.
• They wanted to integrate English into their lives and improve speaking skills.

Teaching Philosophy

• The emphasis on speaking is the priority, and not grammar.
• People are more likely to ask if you speak English rather than if you know, write, or understand it.
• Making mistakes is part of the learning process and helps you remember and improve.
• Making mistakes can lead to enjoyable and funny moments.

Career Progression

• He moved to another academy with similar classes, still finding the work enjoyable.
• He taught summer camps in Spain for university students.
• He then decided to move to Australia with his girlfriend, joining friends who were also going there.

Teaching in Australia

• Unlike his friends, he didn't do manual labor in Australia.
• Instead, he found work teaching English to international students on student visas studying English.
• Australia offered a high quality of life and diverse cuisine.

Return to Europe

• After Australia, he and his girlfriend returned to Seville.
• He partnered with a former colleague at a company called TGI (later Teify), focusing on B2B English classes.
• Classes were fun-focused with a goal to increase innovation and high-tech methods.

Starting a Podcast

• Realizing the benefits of podcasts for improving English listening skills, he started one with his colleagues at Teify.
• He left Teify to start his own company focused on online classes, a newsletter, and a YouTube channel.
• He wanted to be his own boss and have direct control over his projects.

Content Creation

• After moving to Brussels, he began focusing on building his personal brand.
• He then started posting videos on his own profile.
• He overcame initial embarrassment and nervousness about what others would think.

Overcoming Fear

• Overcoming the fear of posting content led to feeling liberated.
• Seeing people benefit from the content pushed him to stay consistent.
• He developed a "thick skin" and cared less about criticism, focusing on the positive impact of teaching English for free.

English with Lewis

• Created nearly three years ago, the English with Lewis channel aimed to secure his future and build his reputation.
• He continues to create videos regularly on both English with Lewis and his Spanish-speaking channel, Engconleis.

Conclusion

• The podcast episode shared his life story and professional journey to help listeners understand his background.
• He hopes the episode was useful and insightful, providing new English expressions and vocabulary.
• Listeners are encouraged to like, comment, and leave a five-star review on Spotify.
• Future episodes will cover different topics.
• He thanked listeners for listening to his rambling.
• Rambling means to speak speakspeak without really getting to the point.