Q&A with Jessie Goldup, Director of St Giles Live

You may already have heard our exciting news that we are now teaching online. You can read more about St Giles Live here.

We are pleased to introduce you to Jessie Goldup, Principal of St Giles Cambridge and Director of St Giles Live. We met on Zoom for a short Q&A session with Jessie to get to know the programme a bit better…

Q: Congratulations on your appointment as Director of St Giles Live! How is it going?

A: Thank you! It is early days, but I’m so grateful for the support of our team across all our schools. It’s great that the teachers have adapted so quickly to online teaching, and that the team has the know-how to create an international online programme. So far, the team has worked really hard to ensure we provide a full ‘St Giles experience’ with online classes, academic and pastoral support, and an online social programme for students to continue practising English beyond their lessons in a relaxed environment.

Q:  Can you tell us a little bit about your background?

A: Since working for the British Council in Egypt, I’ve spent 2+ years managing St Giles Cambridge, working with the other schools and a small Cambridge team to provide the best experience for our students. It was extremely sad to have to close the schools during this difficult time, but we are so pleased that we can stay in contact with all of our students via our online programmes. I know all the St Giles Principals and Center Directors feel the same, and we look forward to welcoming students back to our schools, as well as continuing to provide online possibilities.

Q: What do you think is going to make St Giles Live special?

A: I believe the Live school is the perfect solution to our current situation – we are working really hard to make it as good as can be, and are open to suggestions from staff, students and our partners as to our and their priorities. I think Live is a great way to provide tuition across time zones and combine St Giles resources, whilst providing the same customer service that students are used to in our schools.

Q: What advice do you have for students studying online? What should they expect from their time at St Giles Live?

A: Classes and our social programme run through the Zoom app, so having technology (internet and a device with camera and audio) is important, as is having a quiet space in which you can follow your classes. Teachers teach up to 12 students in a class, and there’s lots of time to get to know other students, through speaking practice in your classes, break time chat, and our social programme. We also use our E-Learning Zone to provide extra practice, class and homework exercises and our regular 1:1 feedback with the teacher.

Find out more about our amazing online programme here and follow us on Instagram @stgiles_international to get all the updates and information about our virtual social programme.