Meet Our Staff

Rui Da Silva

"I have been teaching since 1998 when I went to Japan after studying literature at Sheffield University.  I spent two years there and realised that teaching was something I wanted to pursue further, so I came back to London and got my CELTA and DELTA qualifications while teaching in a variety of language schools here.

In 2005 I went to South Korea to work at Yonsei University and that's where I also started getting involved in teacher training and IELTS examining.  Finally, I worked as a senior teacher at another college just prior to coming here, but was keen to get more into the academic side and concentrate on teaching, rather than the management.

This first term I'm teaching a Pre-Masters class in the morning and an ELPP class in the afternoon.  Both classes involve a lot of IELTS preparation, which I enjoy as it's very clearly laid out and goal-oriented.  We get a lot of opportunities to talk about all kinds of topics and I get a buzz from seeing the students progress towards the marks they need.

Why did I decide to teach my subject?  Just the usual reasons I guess: an interest in language (teaching and learning), a love of travel and cultural stuff.  Seeing language as a connector between people too of course. I like being involved in things which see people move forward and develop themselves, especially when this contributes to learning about and respecting other cultures and lifestyles.

What I like about teaching here is that we have the conditions set up to do a good job: the college is very organised compared to most schools, we have all the facilities we need (including a really good library for the students), and the programmes are set up with clear objectives.  There is a real feeling of this being a community and having more or less the same students for at least a term means we can really get to know them and see them develop from week to week.

I think this really is the ideal place for students to take a course.  The facilities are excellent, the college provides a really nice, feel-good space, the canteen is impressive, and the teachers have masses of experience and commitment.  The support services are strong so that students can concentrate on their studies in a relaxed and upbeat fashion and again the feeling of consistency and goal-orientation means students can stay on track.  Apart from all that, the great mix of students from different places and the Greenwich location make this an ideal place to study."