It’s Time to Consider English for Educators
Blue Noun is starting to appear more often in international searches for English language holidays — and we’re now receiving enquiries from all over the world.
Some of those messages come from people looking for something we don’t offer: traditional, classroom-based English courses. In those cases, I’m always happy to recommend other independent schools that excel in that approach, because what we do here is different. We don’t teach English; we create language experiences filled with real conversations, lived encounters, and authentic cultural immersion.
But recently, we received an enquiry that, while still outside our usual offer, was one I couldn’t refuse.
It came from a teacher in Brazil, working on a school project designed to bring Scotland into his classroom.
Rather than simply wanting to practise and improve his English, he was looking for an immersive experience that would not only deepen his connection with Scotland but also help him transport language and experience back to his students.
When your experience is memorable,
Your English is memorable.
An Invitation to Build a Workshop
This enquiry awoke the educator in me.
These days, I mostly work with adults (with the exception of our family holidays), but I’ve taught learners of all ages in the past. And there’s still nothing quite as humbling as being an important part of a childhood.
Our usual holidays always adapt to the needs and goals of the person in front of me: the language we practise, the kinds of conversations we have, and the activities we choose. My role is to use my creativity to shape the experience around the person and purpose.
But this time, something different was happening. I wasn’t just being asked to design a language experience — I was being asked to put my educational expertise to work in a new way.
The week would still deliver everything Blue Noun is known for: real conversations, rich cultural exploration, and using English in meaningful, memorable ways. But layered into that was a new challenge: to build a week that would translate directly into this Brazilian classroom.
It means the language my client practises will be the language he needs to use confidently with his students (I’ll be teaching him to teach English).
And over the weeklong holiday, we’ll co-create a full class plan, complete with stories, craft and role play activities that he can take home and teach.
Working Out How to Help
At this stage, the ideas are still forming — but they’re already taking shape in some exciting ways.
I imagine drawing on Scottish mythology for storytelling and for games (the language to describe monsters is perfect for engaging kids).
Our tales of kelpies, selkies, witches, and the Loch Ness Monster are rich with descriptive language and suspense. Perfect for classroom activities that invite students to retell, reinterpret, and draw.
I’m also picturing a food and flavour strand, exploring how Scotland’s history and identity are told through its recipes.
During our usual holidays, this is already a practical language encounter, where vocabulary, cultural understanding, and sensory experience meet. I’m asking myself how to convert this to a school classroom in Brazil?
And I want to look at landscape and history, too, perhaps through walking around abandoned crofts in Glen Quaich, or discovering the story of the Highland Clearances through folk song lyrics that describe the loss.
I’d share a day in Dundee, a city that has reinvented itself through art, education, and culture. A city proud of its transformation into a modern city of science and art, sparking conversations about what Scotland is today.
Each of these ideas is still evolving, but together they hint at something I find deeply exciting: an English for Educators workshop where language skills, culture knowledge, and classroom practices are built side by side.
Price per person
per week, 2026
Feel good in English, so you can show up confidently, in your own voice and share your message with the world.
The Best Feedback
We’ve now sent the proposal to the school and are waiting to hear whether it’s approved. Whatever the outcome, this experience has already opened a new possibility for Blue Noun. It’s made me realise how much I would love to support more educators in this way — not only building their confidence and communication skills, but also helping them create classroom projects that grow out of real cultural encounters.
It’s a small shift to our usual English coaching holiday — but with huge impact.
I’m even beginning to consider adding an English for Educators strand to my regular offers here at Blue Noun. It feels like a natural next step, given how much educational experience I have – and how much I enjoy working with kids.
Other English teachers often say, “I wish I needed to learn English,” in response to my posts.
Perhaps this is the answer: creating opportunities for English teachers to use English purposefully, creatively, and in ways that ripple far beyond their own learning — into classrooms and communities around the world.
Take an English for Educators Workshop in Scotland
If you’re an educator reading this and imagining the possibilities for your own classroom, I’d love to talk.
At Blue Noun, we believe that language learning is most powerful when it’s lived — when it grows out of real experiences, shared stories, and meaningful cultural encounters. And we’re excited by the idea that those experiences don’t have to end here in Scotland. They can travel home with you, shaping lessons, sparking curiosity, and inspiring your students for years to come.
Whether you’re exploring a specific cultural theme, developing an international project, or simply searching for a more authentic way to bring English alive in your classroom, we’d love to explore how a culture-led experience here could support you.
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British Council
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Friendly community
Perthshire was voted the Friendliest Region on Earth by Booking*com.
What more perfect combination could you need for an English conversation holiday?
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