Home
   
 
Profile
 
  How can Mike help you?
 
FAQs
   
  Language Tests
   
Useful Links
   
Materials to download
   
  Tips & Tricks
   
  Visitors Book
   
  Contact
   
 
  Backstage Pass
   
   
   
 
 


Useful Links

English Language Newspapers
True Blues might prefer the Daily Telegraph.

And just to give you a balanced view of the day's news reach for The Independent .

Ever heard of The Thunderer? (Paywall)

If you want to go a little bit down-market try the Daily Mirror

What's my personal favourite newspaper? The Guardian

The famous pink 'un: the Financial Times. As they say 'No FT, No Comment!'

For those who like their news in weekly slices, there's always The Economist (registration required)

ESOL / ESP / Business
Business English from Macmillan

IMHO the best Business English magazine available

Believe it or not -- English courses for native speakers

Learn how to write English gobbledygook free!

If in doubt consult The Economist

Economist Online Dictionary of Economics

Excellent resource for authentic business listening material (free registration required)

A slang dictionary -- approach with caution

Pep Up Your Presentations (Please consider any copyright issues)

Excellent business education resource

Loadsa business-related resources

Excellent German-English dictionary

Business English course in conjunction with the FT

See the rules Guardian journalists work by

Lots of English learning material

Anglo-German cross-cultural advice from my friend Patrick Schmidt

One stop shop for EFL & ESP

As in so many things Auntie Beeb (BBC) knows best

Does what it says on the tin

Design your own vocab tests, puzzles etc using this site

These guys are the real professionals when it comes to EFL

Vocabulary help from Martin's Little Helper (only in German)

Good source of business interviews (mainly for advanced learners)

Guidance on writing CVs

Enhance your wordpower with this "mind-mapping" dictionary

English grammar on the web

Excellent software for learning & testing vocabulary

Let the British Council help you improve your English

Lots of typical tests that employers use

All about resigning

Useful website that will check the spelling and grammar of your pasted text

Lots of inter-cultural information

Lots of grammar exercises and explanations (low level and mainly aimed at Germans)

How to build your vocabulary and feed the world at the same time

Enlarge your vocabulary with One Word a Day (free registration required)

A language-related 'blog'

Nice site all about language

A magazine devoted to presentations and Powerpoint

A bit like a Debretts for the Facebook generation

Economist blog on the use and abuse of English

Useful resource for language-related queries

Inspirational presentations, speeches and talks (great for listening practice!)

Just For Fun
Ireland's best-kept secret -- with my mate and ex-boss Ciaran on bass

One of my favourite eating places in Vienna

One for the steam train enthusiasts

Wallow in TV nostalgia

Leeds' Finest!

"It's not like that on the TV when it's Cool For Cats" -- Squeeze: Purveyors of three-minute urban melodramas!

Let's hear it for the Bard of Barking!

Never misunderstood a song lyric? I bet you have!

My favourite European capital

Marchin' on Together! The Mighty Whites

Bet it's a good place to live

West Yorkshire 1980s heavy rock from the Seymour clan

Design and send your own (funny) greetings cards with Moonpig

The so-called virtual scrapbook of Englishness

Terrace Chants: sez it all really

When Saturday Comes: half decent footie magazine so they say

What do you mean you recognise the tune but can't understand the lyrics? (German only)

Just couldn't resist this but no I've never been

The Heurigen Express: kitsch but fun...

Cool bar in Lower Austria

One of the first bars I ever went to in Vienna (Thanks Fitzi!)

'ver Quo: Heads-Down, No Nonsense, Mindless Boogie

Where I started my EFL career

Mike's Mate Marmite

What was number one on the day you were born?

Bits of the London Underground you never see

When a dog takes over control (only in German)

Recommended UK (and Irish) training centres
Excellent English training centre in the South West of England

As a Northerner I don't advise going to London for training but if you must then these people will look after you very well.

If you want to improve your Business English in the north of England look no further than York Associates.

Looking for training in Ireland ? Aisling Ireland will look after you very well

Verve Training offers bespoke business writing and media training courses for companies in the UK and abroad

Looking for top-class Business English training in the UK in a rural idyll? Try my good friends at Lydbury English Centre.

Translation aids
Real Estate Glossary

Excellent resource for any employment or labour market terminology problems

Technology Glossary

For all those tricky little acronyms we come across

Excellent Banking and Financial Glossary from LloydsTSB

Multilingual HR Lexicon

Your banking terminology questions answered

Travel Tips
Travelling by train? Then NetworkRail can help you with train times

Travel back in time in Amsterdam

My favourite hotel whenever I'm in Berlin

Mike's hometown

Don't get lost in London

One of the prettiest fishing villages on the East Coast of England

Highly recommended hotel in Paris

The Mal: Mike's favourite hotel chain

Brum -- England's second city

The best fish n chips in the country so they say

Bibi's in Leeds: a Seymour family tradition

Looking for a really authentic British pub?

Stretch your legs and learn about London while you're doing so

Budget hotel chain with hotels throughout the UK

Travel in the UK without taking the train

This restaurant has to be seen to be believed

Yorkshire: God's Own Country

How do I get there from here?

Low-cost accommodation in London during university vacations

Officially the best restaurant in the UK and second best on the planet

Excellent B&B in Swansea in Wales

Spent many a happy childhood afternoon here...

If you're coming to Leeds bring your credit cards

London pub guide


 

 
Legal stuff
Change to German Version