The Northern Association of Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages
About NATESOL
Learning from each other
NATESOL began with a small, enthusiastic group that wanted a place for academics to meet and conversations about education to thrive. Today, our events are full of diverse topics and engaging conversations covering all aspects of TESOL and education. Get involved today to learn, share, connect and collaborate with our community.
How We Began
A Community Since 1984
The Northern Association of Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages was founded in 1984 in Manchester to provide occasions for conversation among language teachers and between teachers and researchers, hoping to promote classroom-research; to keep teachers informed of new theory, knowledge and methodology and to encourage sharing of insight, good practice and productive experience.
Who We Are
A diverse community
Members are mostly teachers and academics working in the field of TESOL. However, we have a growing number of students joining our community, including English language learners themselves and TESOL students studying at university. With our core membership based in the North of England, our move online has meant we now have members spanning all parts of the globe. We are truly an international community and proud to be so. Everybody is welcome.
What We Do
Sharing, learning, discussing
Throughout the academic year, we offer a range of in-person seminars, online webinars, an annual conference, social media threads and blog posts. For members, we also offer recordings of past events and other resources.
Our Members
Members far and wide
We currently have both individual members and organisational members. Our members are located in the North of England, around the UK and in various countries across the globe.
Some of our institutional members include:
University of Sheffield ELTC
Oldham Lifelong Learning
University of Liverpool
Kaplan
INTO
University of Salford
Heart & Parcel
Cervantes Institute
Liverpool School of English
Manchester Adult Education Service
Trafford College Group
REACHE (Refugee and Asylum Seekers Centre for Health Service Education)
EF (English First)
University of Leeds
UKEC Academy
Our Partners
Organisations we work with
NATESOL works in partnership with a number of education providers, researcher communities, publishers and other organisations in order to strengthen ties between members of the TESOL and educational community and to share experiences, events news and more. To partner with us, please contact us.
British Association of Applied Linguists
British Association of Lecturers of English for Academic Purposes
The Scottish Association for the Teaching of English
Committee
The NATESOL Team
Dr Sian Etherington
Co-Chair
A member of NATESOL since 1996, Sian has taught English in Greece, Germany and the UK. She has a PhD in TESOL from the University of Manchester and after many years managing the MA TESOL programme at the University of Salford, she now leads the university's PGCAP. Sian is particularly interested in the affective aspects of education, such as motivation and emotion. If it weren't for Sian, we most certainly would never get through the items on our meeting agenda. Thanks for keeping us in check, Sian!
Alex Holloway
Co-chair
Alex is undoubtedly the most proactive member of the team, ticking off most of the tasks on our To do lists. After leading the General English programme at the University of Leeds, Alex has recently taken up a position working on the university's pre-sessional EAP course. She's passionate about teaching and bringing about attention to mental illness in the workplace.
Mike Beaumont
Founding member
Mike has experience of working with teachers in over twenty different countries, from Bogotá to Budapest to Beijing. He spent 28 years as a lecturer in TESOL at the University of Manchester and since retiring, he has continued to take visiting posts in Vienna, Lancaster, Salford and Liverpool. Mike was part of the steering committee that brought NATESOL into existence in 1984. We owe you, Mike!
Jane Cabot
Secretary
Born in Leeds, Jane is the creative member of the team and her various roles as a performer, stage-designer, and dressmaker reflect this. Jane has an Med from Manchester University and TEFLA certificate. She's held many different educational roles such as teacher-trainer, lecturer, school teacher, exam coordinator and more. Nowadays, she can be mostly be found drawing, gardening and writing up NATESOL committee meeting minutes. Thanks, Jane!
Jonathan Nicolson
Treasurer
Jonathan is a talented linguist and will often throw in a few French, Arabic, Greek or Spanish words into his emails. After completing an MBA and working for many years in economics and administration, Jonathan turned to his passion for languages and began teaching English. He's worked in Saudi Arabia, Libya and the UAE. He is our numbers man and we'd be lost without him.
Anthony Picot
Partnership & e-list Co-ordinator
Tony, as we call him, is always there to offer a helping hand. Studying for a PhD at the University of Manchester, he is a Senior Lecturer in TESOL. at Manchester Metropolitan University. He's worked in Thailand and Japan and in a wide range of English language sectors.
Fatma Hamaid
Blog Co-ordinator
Fatma holds a CELTA, BA in TESOL/Education Studies and an MA in Linguistics. With family from Libya, Fatma has dedicated her teaching time to both adults and children in schools, colleges and universities in Manchester. She is responsible for coordinating our brand new blog. Thank you, Fatma!
Heléna Stakounis
Website Co-ordinator
Heléna is Teaching Fellow and Online MA TESOL coordinator at the University of Durham. Studying for a PhD in Applied Linguistics, she became passionate about TESOL through being taught by our very own Sian Etherington and Mike Beaumont at the University of Salford. She also had her own private language school (Language Café) where Jonathan learnt Greek. It's a small world in TESOL!
Rachel Lasham
Committee Member
Rachel is the most caring member of our team, interested in wellbeing, creativity and holistic approaches to learning. She began her career as a foreign languages teacher and committed herself to helping others gain their qualifications in foreign language teaching. She's won awards for the innovative teaching and learning programmes she's created.
Haozhi Li
Social Media & Tech Coordinator
Haozhi is completing his MA in Applied Linguistics for TESOL at the University of Durham. He has also collected a number of certificates in his teaching career, including CELTA, DELTA, TEFL and TKT. He's dedicated to the field and has several years experience teaching adults and children in China and elsewhere. He's also travelled to many, many places! He's a dependable and considerate guy and a wonderful new member of the team.
Yuxi Wang
Social Media & Tech Co-ordinator
Yuxi is completing her MA TESOL at the University of Durham and the students (and staff i.e. me, Heléna) on the programme would be lost without her. She's like everyone's big sister, solving problems, organising everybody and everything, and generally coming to the rescue! She's taught English in China and now looking to build on her experience, possibly in the UK. She's as quick as lightning when it comes to technology and NATESOL can count on her to get things done.
Wei Feng
Social Media & Tech Co-ordinator
We have also managed to steal Wei from the University of Durham, where she too is completing her MA TESOL. Wei is a true professional, and she is the voice of the students at Durham, presenting their concerns and thoughts at staff-student committees. She has experience of teaching and translation in China and is considering going down the PhD route - watch this space! She's serious about academia and is a clever and considerate organiser, hitting deadlines and taking everything in her stride. Her calmness, technology and organisation skills are an asset to our team.
