Celebrating 10
years
2004 to 2014
Celebrating 19 years as a leading TEFL centre in Barcelona: 2004 - 2023
The TEFL International Barcelona Family
Tefl International Barcelona gives you the opportunity to work with a wide variety of experienced teacher trainers so you can be exposed to as many styles as possible to help you identify your own natural approach to teaching. Just as no two people are the same, no two teachers teach in the same way. Great teachers come in all shapes and sizes and the goal of our staff is to help you utilize your existing strengths and build upon them so that they easily relate to the classroom.
We are very proud of the family atmosphere we have created, and that starts by hiring trainers who believe in the same humanistic philosophy. Our personalities differ greatly, but the passion and end goal of working with driven and passionate teachers is the same.
We all look forward to getting to know you.
The British Ones
Lisa Girling (Owner and Course Director)
Lisa has been teaching English since she graduated from Durham University at the end of the 80s. She is Cambridge Certificate and Diploma qualified. In Barcelona she has taught in several universities and was Head of Department at a private business university.
Lisa moved into teacher training many years ago and took over as Director of TEFL International Barcelona in 2005. She likes to think she runs the centre with a firm but gentle hand, is obsessed with Humanistic ideals and is famously easy to win over with tea or wine and dark chocolate!
When not in the school (and she virtually lives there..) Lisa enjoys being outside in the countryside or on the beach, spending time with her family and cats, reading and painting.
Michael Bell (Trainer)
Born and raised in Manchester Michael likes to think he doesn't have a Manchester accent (!)
He has taught pretty much every kind of class you can imagine and absolutely nothing phases him.
Michael is never happier than when he is up to his elbows in earth messing around with plants, he's the original green fingered gardener.
All of the teacher trainers at TEFL International Barcelona:
Have at least 10 years of English teaching experience.
Hold a masters or equivalent in teaching.
Love working with eager and brave future teachers.
Erwin Ebens (Trainer)
Erwin holds the Trinity LTCL Diploma in TESOL and a Joint Honours degree in Linguistics and Modern Languages from the University of Essex, United Kingdom.
He has over 21 years’ experience as an English teacher and Teacher Trainer working in language schools in various locations in Spain, Bulgaria, The Czech Republic and France, including positions as Head of Studies and Director of his own language school.
He has worked as a Teacher Trainer, Academic Consultant and Course Director for the last 6 years.
The Yanks
Suzanne Teesdale (Trainer)
Suzanne is from Pennsylvania but has been living abroad for more than 15 years in Argentina and Spain. She has been teaching, translating and teacher training for many years and is younger than she sounds.
Suzanne holds a masters in Teaching English and has taught a wide range of classes from business to young learners classes. She spends her free time with her 2 lovely daughters and her husband who boasts a fine moustache.
Michael Ryan Thompson (Job Guidance)
Michael moved to Barcelona from the United States in 2010 and is responsible for job assistance and the Business Extension course. For the last 5 years he has been giving business related seminars and teaching business classes to small business and entreprenuers.
He spent close to a decade in the banking and sales world and works with academies and businesses directly to help job placement for graduating TEFL students. Michael enjoys hiking, football (not American), travelling and he does not like learning Spanish.
Read more about Michael and his role at TEFL International Barcelona at the Job Guidance page.
