Michael G Tutor Interview

Q. Hi Michael, please tell us a little bit about yourself.: A. Hello everybody, my name’s Michael and I come from England. I have been very lucky to have led a very interesting life so far! I grew up in a small town in SE England and graduated University with a BA in Literature & Creative Writing. After completing my studies I decided to embrace my passion for songwriting and formed a pretty successful indie rock band in which I was the lead singer and guitarist! We were all close friends and had a great time playing many famous venues all around London and Southern England! The band eventually came to an end, and since 2008 I have been traveling, living and working in various countries around the world as an English teacher! During my travels I have had many amazing adventures – the highlight of them all was meeting my wife Stephanie in a backpacker hostel in Melbourne! (she is also a teacher on Cafetalk!) We actually recently married on the beautiful island of Koh Samui in Thailand…it was an amazing experience – we were even lucky enough to have a very special guest at our wedding – an elephant! As much as I have adored my years of travel, as Stephanie and I are getting older we now prefer to spend longer living in one place, giving us a better opportunity to learn more about the local people and their cultures. At the moment we are living in Chiang Rai, a beautiful little town in the far North of Thailand, but we will be moving again soon – we haven’t decided where just yet! As well as living in Thailand, we have also lived in Australia, New Zealand, Philippines (do you know Boracay Island?), Vietnam and China! My other big passions in life are football (soccer) – I am a huge fan of West Ham United and you will often find me awake in the middle of the night cheering them on! I also love playing the guitar, writing music and relaxing on beaches!
Q. According to your profile, you have visited over 50 countries! Do you have any interesting experiences you can share with us in those countries?: A. I have had some incredible experiences on my travels, including thinking I was being kidnapped by terrorists whilst backpacking on the island of Sumatra in Indonesia! I have also had some amazing close encounters with wildlife, including seeing wild orangutangs on safari in Borneo, swimming with dolphins in New Zealand, being charged by wild elephants in Sri Lanka, spotting White Rhinos in the jungles of Nepal and coming face to face with wild Asiatic Lions in India! Probably my favourite experience of all was on the island of Flores in Indonesia… through a mutual friend I was introduced to a local tribesman who spoke some English, he invited Stephanie and I to visit his tribe deep in the jungles! It was a 4 hour trek through thick rainforest, during which we found out that his tribe had only seen their first foreigner 6 months earlier and were former headhunters! We spent the day drinking and eating with them whilst learning about their beliefs and everyday life, then at the end of the day were taken to a secret hot spring waterfall to relax after our long trek! As we were on our way back to our hotel we were all shocked to see a blood red coloured moon rising on the distant horizon that looked like it was slowly appearing straight out of the crater a volcano! An amazing ending to one of the most incredible days of my life!
Q. You’re not only a teacher but also you’re a singer songwriter. Could you tell us about your musical activity!: A. Sure, I was the singer songwriter of a band in London called Loverock Road! We had some success but unfortunately never made it very big! At the height of our popularity we headlined and sold out some very famous venues around London and Southern England. Probably our biggest concert was playing in front of 500 people in Camden Town (the most famous area in London for live music!), I was VERY nervous! Other places that you might have heard of that we played includes Leicester Square, Covent Garden and the University of Central London (UCL)! I still love to write songs in my spare time and I hope to be going back into the studio soon to record them as a solo artist!
Q. As we know, you have a lot of travel experiences! Please tell us about your lesson, “Travel tips & advice”.: A. This is a lesson that I have created for two reasons, firstly it can be of help to anybody who is uncertain of where to visit on their next trip abroad! I am always advising friends and family on secret places away from the tourist trail that they should visit and I would love to do the same for students on Cafetalk. Secondly I am aware that it is very common for the Japanese to travel alone, I love to help people out with my in depth knowledge of the cultures and sights of whatever country you are visiting.
Even if it is a country that I haven’t been too yet, I know of many great websites that I can help you to understand which will be of huge help in finding local attractions along with the best restaurants and bars to visit! This lesson is a great way to combine practicing your spoken English whilst gaining inside, expert information on your next holiday destination.
Q. What is the main feature of your lessons?: A. All of my lessons are customised to my students individual needs. Everyone is different and the main benefit of one on one teaching is being able to shape my lessons to the varying needs of my student. One of the greatest skills I have learnt from traveling and working around the world is how to quickly develop respectful and trusting relationships with people from all walks of life and cultures. I feel that it is extremely important to build a strong rapport with my student, as through doing this I can find the best possible way to ensure that my student makes fast and positive progress in my lessons whilst also having fun in the process.
Q. Could you please give a message to our students.: A. Don’t give up! Learning a new language, although very difficult, is also one of the most rewarding things you can do in life! Communication is a wonderful thing in any language, just be confident and don’t be afraid to make mistakes!