About Me

Alistair Stewart - About Me

Hello, I’m Alistair

Thanks for visiting my blog. I have taught English as a foreign language for over 10 years and love studying and learning new languages.

In my blog, I will share my experiences and provide resources and advice for teaching and learning a language. Insights I’ve gained over the last 10 years and things I wish I’d had access to along the way.

About Me

What to say? I’m originally from the north of Scotland but have lived in Spain for the last 10 years. Most of my time here has been in Madrid, but I also lived in Malaga for a year or two. I love both cities, but prefer living in Madrid and what it has to offer (even if the climate is a little more extreme).

I moved to Spain in 2013 and started teaching English in-company. I worked with adults – one-to-one and small groups – who needed to learn or improve their English for their careers. So, it was a mix of both business and general English.

Over the years, I have given specialised workshops, taught English for specific purposes, exam preparation courses and conversation classes. I am also a Cambridge English speaking examiner.

The Road to Teaching

As I said, I’m originally from a small town outside Inverness in the north of Scotland. I moved to Glasgow when I was 18 for university and lived there for 14 years. I studied Communication and Mass Media at uni but ended up working in insurance and finance.

The finance thing was something I fell into by accident as I started to work for an insurance company part-time when I was at uni. I worked in that industry for 10 years, but my heart was never really in it, so I finally decided to make the move and do something I really enjoyed.

I got my teaching qualification and moved to Madrid in 2013. My background in the corporate world helped me find work teaching Business English in-company. And things went from there.

Nowadays, most of my work is online – whether teaching or creating content – so creating this blog seemed like a natural step. I wanted to provide insights and resources that I wish I’d been able to find over the last 10 years. Information that will help you progress in your career and allow you to expand in the field. So, hopefully, you will find value in what I’m building.

Life as a Language Learner

When I came to Spain, my Spanish was minimal. I tried to learn myself in Scotland using bits and pieces I found online and the Michel Thomas audio course. But I got a shock when I arrived in Madrid and couldn’t speak a word.

Trying to do basic things like finding a flat or opening a bank account was tough. So, trying to understand the system to register with the social security and tax office was a nightmare. But I signed up for an intensive Spanish course with a local academy and took it from there.

Again, I want to share my experiences of learning languages with you. Teaching a language has definitely helped me as a student, so I hope I can help you make sense of it all and streamline the process for faster and more efficient language learning.

My Hobbies

I love running, travelling and musical theatre.

I have run over 10 marathons and ultra-marathons around Europe and the US and have done countless other half marathons and 10km races in the UK and Spain. It is a great way to combine running with travel. I take the opportunity to visit and explore a new city, plus do the local marathon. I want to say it’s a great sightseeing tour, but after about 10 miles, I’m not too focussed on the architecture.

My favourite race has been the New York City marathon – partly because I had trained well for it and the conditions were good, but mainly because it’s such an exciting city and was a wonderful experience. I’ve done it twice and would definitely do it again.

I also love travelling on its own, so I have visited many beautiful places in Spain. I’ve also travelled in Southeast Asia and Australia, and my next trip will be South America.

Regarding musical theatre, it’s something I have loved since I was really young. I generally try to see what I can in London and have caught some fantastic shows in New York. The Madrid theatre scene is thriving at the moment, so it’s great to see these familiar shows in Spanish. Hearing the lyrics in another language adds a new layer of understanding.

Get in Touch

That’s about it from me. If you want to get in touch, please send me a message below.

I’m always open to new opportunities, so if you have a project in mind you think I could help with, please send me a message.