Tom is the Director & Head of English Language Teaching at York Associates/English in York. A highly-qualified teacher who has worked all over the world in the field of specialist English language training for almost ten years, he is particularly experienced in delivering bespoke Business English courses, designing learning materials, and conducting research on applied linguistics and language teaching. Tom holds an English language teaching qualification and an MA in Applied Linguistics and English Language Teaching. He is also currently working on a part-time PhD in Applied Linguistics, is a member of various teaching organisations, is a regular presenter at teaching conferences worldwide, and is also a materials writer for several large ELT publishers. His interests include the influence of published materials on teachers' decision-making in the classroom, and the use of task-based learning.