Sarah Turnbull

I’ve been a teacher of English to Speakers of Other Languages ever since I went as a VSO volunteer to Thailand in the 1970’s.

I was pretty soon hooked: teaching adults abroad combined the very best of all worlds: a fulfilling job teaching a language to people who were motivated to learn, and travelling, learning and having fun at the same time.

After Thailand, I applied to join the forerunner of the JET scheme and was sent to Japan for three amazing years. I worked for Asahi Kasei Chemical Company, which provided a wonderful insight into how a Japanese business works, and made good friends who have remained so to this day. I also gained a taste for sashimi which are, unfortunately, hard to find in Yorkshire!

Returning home, after completing an MA in TESOL at the University of London’s Institute of Education, I worked for three years in the private sector in and around Harrogate, and was then asked to be one of a small team setting up and running Leeds’ first Cambridge CTEFLA (later renamed CELTA) course at Leeds Metropolitan University, for which I became Course Leader. My sixteen years at Leeds Met offered other fantastic opportunities including setting up and teaching on an MA in Language Teaching, and collaborating with Dewsbury College on a Level 4 qualification for teachers of ESOL in the FE and Adult Education context. I am also a trained Assessor for this course and for CELTA, and have good links with most local EFL and ESOL providers.

When Leeds Met closed their CELTA courses, Claire and I were convinced that Leeds still needed its own CELTA training centre. We set up Action English in October 2007, and we've been recruiting and training English Language teachers ever since. The school has really taken off. And more important: we've seen our enthusiastic and effective teacher 'graduates' find jobs in places as varied as Australia (obviously teaching non-native speakers!), and Siberia. We look forward to meeting you on one of our courses and we very much hope you'll enjoy it.

Claire Yarborough

I’ve been a teacher all my working life. I’ve worked in the public and private sectors, initially as a French teacher in secondary education and then later I retrained as an English language teacher by taking the CTEFLA (now the CELTA) course and the Dip TEFLA (now the DELTA).

Several amazing years of overseas teaching with International House and The British Council followed – in North Africa and the Middle East. On a professional level, I gained wide experience by teaching young learners, exam classes and Academic English. On a personal level, I learnt a smattering of Arabic, met some great people and experienced the Sahara desert at night.

I returned to the UK to take an MA in Linguistics and English Language Teaching and bumped into a former colleague in a photocopy room, an event which ultimately led me to move into teacher training. I also taught on a Masters course in English Language Teaching.  I’ve also enjoyed delivering CELTA courses in Belfast, Mallorca, and South Africa and I am a trained CELTA Assessor.

Sarah and I established Action English in 2007. We  bring a wealth of experience and expertise to our  Training Centre. I believe that the learners should be at the centre of everything we do, whether they are learning English or learning to teach English. I hope to show you what I mean.