Announcing the ENGLISH FOR EMIGRATION course

It felt weird typing that when I had to do it for the first time. Immigration - when people come INTO a country - has been such a hot topic in Spain for such a long time that it seems strange to think that people leaving the country is now an issue.

But so it is.

I started getting calls and e-mails last summer: "I want to practice for the TOEFL course; I can't find a job here and I can't see the point in staying here." "I'm not working in what I was trained to do and I don't want to wait forever." "I might as well do a master's degree in the States

Here's the story.

You can find basic information on the course at:

http://www.tusclasesparticulares.com/profesores-ingles/english-for-emigration-new-hopes-new-opportunities-152378. Unfortunately, this website doesn't allow you to put in a bunch of relevant information, so here's the other stuff that you should know:

* The course is on Tuesday nights from 8PM to 9.30 PM, so that's twelve hours over 8 weeks (from Tuesday, April 26th to Tuesday, June 14th.) If enough people agree to it, I may switch the course to Sunday nights.

* The cost of the course is €169, and if you're unemployed (you have one of the little carta things the Comunidad gives you), I'll take €30 off the price. Remember, as with all STOP SPANGLISH courses, all of your materials are included in the course. If you sign up with a friend, I'll also give each of you a €30 discount.

* Minimum number of participants is 3 and maximum is 6 - if I get three paid confirmations by April 25th, it's a go.

* If you'd like a week-by-week description of what the course offers, send me an e-mail and I'll send you a detailed course schedule.

I don't think that anyone should *have* to leave their jobs if they don't want to. But...if you're planning on leaving, you need to be prepared!!

Life (and immigration) isn't always fair

One thing that's surprised me a lot this month is that I'm getting calls from a lot of people who want to improve their English...because they want to leave Spain and go live in another country. If you're among them, be warned that Canada now has new rules about language proficiency. These rules do not necessarily help people who have already achieved a high level of English... like, you know... English literature professors from the United States!

http://tinyurl.com/2cbf45y

I have a friend who works for CIC, the Immigration authority. I'll see if I can find some more information about the exam.

Don't mention the war! (or George Bush, or smiles...)

There's a funny video on The Guardian's website that's worth a look. Apparently the London Tourist Board has decided that they don't want average Londoners committing possible mistakes when people from other countries travel to London for the 2012 Olympics, and the Board has created

http://tinyurl.com/38q9lj4

Take a look at the video and tell us what you think: Are these concerns justified? Or is the Board making cultural assumptions that simply aren't true?