English-only please

English language skills have never been more important as more and more international companies adopt English-only policies. Even companies based in France and Japan are switching to English as their official language. They say it’s more efficient for employees in different countries to work in English. Is your English good enough to communicate with confidence with colleagues, suppliers

New English test for London drivers!

Do you think London taxi drivers should speak English? It may seem a strange question to ask when London could be regarded as the centre of the English speaking world. Yet many London drivers don’t speak English very well, especially Uber drivers. Some of them can hardly speak English at all. Not great when you

English language and the EU. What next?

Could the English language be dropped as the official language of the EU? “If we don’t have the UK, we don’t have English,” according to Danuta Hübner, chairwoman of the European Parliament’s constitutional affairs committee. (source: Daily Telegraph) Is this really likely? I can’t see everyone reaching for their French or German dictionaries just yet. The UK may be

Why I’m voting to stay in the EU.

On Thursday June 23, the people of the UK will vote to leave or remain in the EU. I will be voting to stay. I am a British European who believes that the EU and its member states are stronger if they work together. I teach English to non-native business people in Europe. I edit business

Small words, big impact

You don’t need big words to impress people. In fact, the opposite is true when it comes to business communication. “I love you,” for example. You can’t get much simpler than that. If used at the right time, in the right circumstances, these three little words can mean the world. Of course you’re not going to say

Is content king? Only if it grabs you.

Everyone says “content is king” but what does it really mean? Many people think it means writing as much as possible and targeting everyone. Do a quick google search, open a few web pages, check out your latest twitter feed. It won’t be long before you’re impatiently looking for something pertinent. The problem is a lot of content is written by

NEW! Homestay in London

Would you like to learn English fast? Come to London! I now offer bed and breakfast packages in my home in South London with the option to learn English too. Stay in a cosy double room with your own private bathroom. Visit interesting places in London. Have private individual lessons. Speak real English with local people. Live like a Londoner. It’s

Speaking English is more important than ever

Speaking English is not just helpful in the UK, it may soon be compulsory. The Government wants tougher English language requirements on people who live in the UK.  This includes husbands, wives and partners. Prime Minister David Cameron has already announced a policy for Muslim women in the UK to be encouraged to learn English. The Government says there are 38,000 Muslim

Find a better job by improving your English

  January is the time when many people think about changing job. If you are a non-native English speaker and you need English for work, you need to make sure your English is good enough to apply for, and do the job you want. Can you write your CV in English without mistakes? Are you confident

English for global companies

International companies need to be understood around the world. This means publishing clear, engaging content in English. The problem is how do you ensure the English is accurate and compelling, especially if English is not your native language? There are three key factors to consider: 1. The quality of the original text. 2. The quality of

Why use my writing services?

Here are five reasons… I’m trusted by global companies. I write in a clear and compelling way. I pay attention to tone of voice, brand and consistency. I have a very high client retention rate. I never miss a deadline. Still not convinced? Click here to see my portfolio.

Meet Mr Tea

Hello from Croydon, London. I’m Ian Lavis, the man behind english cup of tea. I am a native English speaker and a qualified English trainer and journalist.  I have more than 20 years’ experience of providing English language and writing services to clients based in the UK and overseas. I began my career as a journalist. I worked

London calling

London Calling is an easy, fast and effective way to improve your English skills by phone, Skype or Google Hangouts. This is how it works:   1. You phone me or connect to me on Skype. 2. We have a 30-minute or 1 hour conversation in English. 3. We talk about any subject of your choice, role

English is your golden ticket

Good English gives you access to more jobs, better opportunities and more international contacts. But what is ‘good’ English? Does it mean bilingual? Does it mean fluent or do you just need enough English to ‘get by’ (to be understood)? It depends on what you want to do. I believe good English means enough English to

Sleeping for learning

What’s the best way to learn English? Sleeping!  Tired learners are bad learners. If you sleep well, you will be more alert. This will increase your capacity to learn. Unfortunately, it’s not easy to get a good night’s sleep every night especially if you have a stressful job, young children, or both!  So what’s the

Une réunion en anglais? Ne paniquez pas!

Près des trois quarts des cadres utilisent régulièrement l’anglais au travail, selon le baromètre CFE-CGC. Quand on a un niveau moyen, on peut cacher ses lacunes en communiquant par email, mais en réunion, il n’y a pas d’échappatoire possible, dit Marion Senant dans un article publié sur cadre.fr le 7 Juillet 2014. Comment réussir à suivre

A new way to learn English

Learning English is like keeping fit. It is only effective if you stay motivated and enjoy doing it.  The english cup of tea method helps you stay motivated because you are fully involved. 1. You speak 100% in English 2. You have your own personal English coach. 3. You talk about the subjects you are interested

Mal à l’aise avec l’anglais?

L’anglais est un outil de travail incontournable pour de nombreux cadres, mais plus de la moitié sont préoccupés par leur niveau, y voyant un frein à l’embauche ou à l’évolution de carrière, selon une nouvelle étude. Près de la moitié des cadres (46,8%) estiment avoir un niveau débutant ou intermédiaire tandis qu’ils sont 36,4% à

A long weekend

  When I first heard the expression “faire le pont” I thought it was something to do with walking across a bridge. When lots of people started saying it I thought the French were obsessed with bridges. In fact “faire le pont” means a long weekend. In France, public holidays can be on any day

Oops! I didn’t mean to write that!

A ‘typo’ is the name given to a mistake while typing or writing. We all make typos. Some are hilarious. Some are catastrophic.  In Chile, coins were produced with the word Chile spelt ‘Chiie’. In New York City, a road was marked ‘shcool’ instead of ‘school’. An advert for a baby bath said it came with ‘poo’. Oops. 

Oops! Where’s my phone?

Have you ever lost your mobile phone? Was it up a cow? In a cake? Down the toilet? The Daily Telegraph has published a list of the strangest mobile phone insurance claims in the UK. A farmer said he damaged his phone while he inserted it into the rear of a cow while calving. Apparently

Better English, better prospects

Tags : EnglishFranceFrench

Young people in France have a problem. There’s no work but they can’t move to another country because their English isn’t good enough. That’s according to a new campaign called Barrez-vous (Beat It) which is encouraging young people to leave France. In a story published in The Daily Telegraph, one of the men behind the campaign,

English Cup of Tea wins three new contracts

English Cup of Tea is proud to announce three new clients: DirectIndustry, ArchiExpo and NauticExpo. The three companies are part of VirtualExpo, the world expert in online exhibitions. Ian Lavis, English trainer at English Cup of Tea, said: “We have developed a unique, highly personalised training programme to enable the employees of each company to speak with

Good English is clear English

Tags : businesscommunicationEnglishfluencyinternational

International business communication is not a question of fluency in English. It’s a question of using simple, clear English to communicate with people from different cultures. Find out more here: http://www.voanews.com/learningenglish/theclassroom/articles/education/Business-English-Speakers-Can-Still-Be-Divided-by-a-Common-Language-117185383.html#  

Don’t be stressed by business English

Tags : businesscareersEnglishFrench

French people are under more and more pressure to improve their English in the workplace according to a new article published in “Les Echos”. The article says the pressure can be stressful for employees and jobseekers. What can “English Cup of Tea” do to help? Well, we make learning English enjoyable. We talk with you

Do you need English for your job?

Tags : BritishEnglish

British Council podcasts are a good way to support your English lessons

Jamais trop vieux pour apprendre

Tags : English

Je viens d’appris un étudiant de 86 ans qui veut améliorer son anglais. Quel homme!

Would you like a cup of tea?

Tags : English

Did you know that the phrase ‘cup of tea’ has two meanings? 1. Would you like a cup of tea? A cup of tea is our favourite drink in Britain. We drink it from a mug or a cup. If we drink it from a cup, we place the cup on a saucer. We only