After graduating from Newcastle Polytechnic with a degree in Government and Public Policy in 1994, Joe decided a life in public administration was not for him so he took a TEFL course and decided to try his luck as an English teacher in Barcelona for six months. 20 years later, he considers himself very lucky to still be doing a job he very much enjoys despite never getting to grips with split infinitives. After completing the Diploma in ELT in 2004, Joe went freelance and entered a world of acronyms and has since taught at the UAB, UOC, UIC, UPC, ESADE and now NELC. He is a specialist in English for academic and research purposes and currently works as an associate lecturer at the UIC and UPC, teaching on undergraduate medical and engineering degree programmes as well as teaching general, in-company, business English and exam preparation courses with NELC. He also has experience of teaching EAP at universities in the UK and more recently as a visiting lecturer in Technical Communication in English on Erasmus programmes at engineering schools in Spain and Austria. He lives in Vilanova I la Geltrú where he enjoys mountain biking in the spectacular countryside nearby and playing the banjo, though rarely at the same time.
Joe Barr
