This series aims to introduce you to members of our team and to get their insights into life in the school and in general.

What better place to start than with the Principal, Andy, who has been in the position now for 15 years.

‘It has been the most incredible experience being Principal of Exeter and a genuine privilege.’

Andy talks about his start in English language teaching.

‘I have been in this industry since 1992, where I started out as a teacher in Italy. Being able to travel to different countries and work and be immersed in different and interesting cultures was the main reason I began in this career.’, says Andy. ‘My school, British Institutes, was located in Seregno, a small town about 20 minutes by train from Milan. ‘I remember going to watch AC Milan at the famous San Siro stadium and thinking it was amazing.’ 

‘Italian culture is wonderful – I would start the day with a cappuccino and a brioche and teach my different groups. One of them, with just 2 students, Carmen and Giuseppe, I remember so well as they were both beginners and totally different ages, but we had a lovely time in our lessons.’

‘I taught in 2 schools in Devon after that and also loved the multi-national classes and the fact that we were with groups every day, 5 days a week – you could really get to know the students and see their development. This is the great thing about full immersion.’

We will bring more stories from our team in future posts ….