Our dedicated team have a combined experience in various countries all over the world.

The staff at the ELTC come from a variety of backgrounds including literacy, education, business, linguistics and marketing.

Director of the ELTC

Transition Strategic Lead - Cardiff School of Education and Social Policy

Christine Faulkner (SFHEA)

Programme Director of the International Foundation Course

IFC Module Leader - Professional Development

Christine is the Director of the English Language Training Centre and Programme Director of the International Foundation Course, and a Senior Fellow of Advance HE (SFHEA).  She teaches on the Pre-Sessional Programme and the International Foundation Course on which she is also the module leader for the Professional Development module.

Christine joined the ELTC at Cardiff Metropolitan (then UWIC) in 2008 having gained her CELTA in 2003 at Bristol University.  Prior to joining the ELTC, she worked at The Parade ESOL Service for five years and completed her PGCE in Post Compulsory Education and Training in 2007.

She has attended a wide range of seminars and conferences, most recently the 2021 BALEAP conference (virtual).  As part of Learn English in Wales, she has hosted and co-convened the 2016, 2018 and 2019 conferences at Cardiff Metropolitan.

Her Masters in Education dissertation examined the English language learning experiences of Chinese students.

In addition to her role as DIrector of the ELTC, Christine is also the Transition Strategic Lead for the School of Education and Social Policy.

In her spare time, Christine enjoys running and is passionate about travelling and exploring new countries.

Deputy Director of the ELTC (Monday - Wednesday)

Maria Bond FHEA

IFC Module Leader - English for General Academic Purposes

Maria is a keen linguist who graduated from the University of Sheffield in 2009 with a BA (Hons) in Modern Languages with Interpreting (French and Spanish).  Her experiences as an international student in both France and Argentina inspired her action research based around the promotion of learner autonomy and engagement of students using a variety of teaching methodologies combined with technology.

Maria began teaching in 2010, completing her CELTA qualification at International House (CLIC) Seville.  After working in private language schools around Cardiff for a year, she returned to Seville in 2011 where she taught general English and Cambridge exam classes at the English Language Institute (ELI) until June 2013.  Maria joined the ELTC in July 2013, first as an English Language Tutor on the Summer Pre-Sessional Course then progressing to the role of English for Academic Purposes (EAP) Module Leader in September of the same year. In December 2014, she took on the role of Acting Manager of the ELTC and was appointed Deputy Director of the Centre in March 2015. In January 2018, Maria reduced her hours in the Centre and now shares the role of Deputy Director with Dorne Newland-Edwards. 

In addition to assisting the Director of the ELTC with the running of the Centre, Maria teaches on both the Pre-Sessional and International Foundation Courses, on which she is currently the English for General Academic Purposes (EGAP) module leader. In June 2018, Maria successfully completed the Postgraduate Certificate Teaching in Higher Education (PgCTHE) at Cardiff Metropolitan University, and in doing so became a Fellow of Advance HE (FHEA). Maria is now working towards becoming a Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Authority (SFHEA). 

When she's not working, Maria enjoys running and completed the Cardiff Half Marathon that took place in October 2018.

Deputy Director of the ELTC (Thursday and Friday)

Dorne Newland-Edwards (FHEA)

English Language Tutor (Monday - Wednesday)

IFC Module Leader - English Language Proficiency

Dorne shares the role of Deputy Director of the ELTC with Maria Bond, and is an English Language Tutor within the centre. She teaches on the Pre-Sessional Programme and the International Foundation Course on which she is also the module leader for the English Language Proficiency module. Dorne is a Fellow of Advance HE (FHEA).

Dorne moved from a business management position in the private sector to Cardiff University in 1996, where she spent many years in a senior position supporting learning and research. A major part of her role was coaching and mentoring, and having harboured a lifelong dream of teaching English to adults, Dorne decided to make the move in 2013.

Following successful completion of the Cambridge CELTA and Preparing to Teach in the Lifelong Learning Sector (PTLLS), Dorne then went on to teach Literacy to adults in the community and English Skills for Life to migrant workers, asylum seekers and refugees at Cardiff and Vale College. Dorne started working at Cardiff Metropolitan University in 2014 as an English Language Tutor on the Pre-sessional Summer course, and then joined the ELTC's core team in April 2015. In March 2018, Dorne became the Deputy Director of the ELTC on Thursdays and Fridays.

Dorne's hobbies include cooking, photography and running, but she has a particular passion for hiking and has walked the length of Hadrian's Wall.

Teaching Team

Zobiea Nasir (FHEA)

English Language Tutor

IFC Module Leader - Context Analysis

Zobiea began her professional teaching career in 2005, in both public and private sectors. In 2008, she completed her CELTA at Bristol University, and a Masters in TESOL in 2012 at the University of Wales, Newport (currently University of South Wales), examining the linguistic properties and gender differences of writing styles between native English speakers and non-native English learners in text messaging.

Zobiea joined the ELTC at Cardiff Metropolitan in 2013 and teaches on the Pre-Sessional Programme and the International Foundation course on which she is the module leader for Context Analysis.

In 2016, Zobiea delivered the Pre-Sessional Programme in Beijing, China, overseeing teaching, assessments, and mentoring. Other courses she has delivered are In-Sessional Foundation Support and the Cardiff School of Management International Foundation Course. Zobiea is a Fellow of Advance HE (FHEA) and regularly attends the Learn English in Wales conference sharing best practice in the field of linguistics.

Zobiea is a keen sports fan, enjoys learning about various cultures and is fluent in Urdu and Punjabi.

Pierre Gaite (FHEA)

English Language Tutor

IFC Module Leader - Critical Thinking

Pierre began teaching in 2009, working as a secondary school English teacher for a number of years. This often involved working with students who were new arrivals in the UK or were otherwise non-native speakers, and as a result Pierre has experience of teaching both the National Curriculum and English language skills. He has worked for the ELTC since 2013, initially as a tutor for the Summer Pre-Sessional Course before taking on a longer-term role in 2015, completing his CELTA at Cardiff Metropolitan in the same year.

Pierre teaches on the Pre-Sessional as well as the International Foundation Course, where he acts as the module leader for Critical Thinking. Outside of the ELTC, he has completed a PhD in Medieval History at Cardiff University, where he also carried out undergraduate teaching. His primary research and academic interests now involve cognitive neuroscience and how it can inform teaching practice.

Kenneth Chan

English Language Tutor

IFC Module Leader - English for Specific Academic Purposes

Ken has taught English in Hong Kong, Japan and the UK since 1990.  He trained in electronic engineering in the UK and, after some years working in the engineering field, he became interested in TEFL and completed a Master's degree in Education whilst teaching at the Hong Kong University of Science of Technology.  

Over the years, Ken has enjoyed working with students in different parts of the world, which has also given him an appreciation of the richness and diversity of people and their languages, cultures and customs.  Ken has presented and written papers on the importance of reading from a young age, and using Shakespeare in English teaching. In his spare time, he enjoys walking in the green areas of Cardiff.

Associate Tutors

The ELTC is supported by an exerienced group of Associate Tutors

Centre Administration 

Natasha Parry

ELTC Administrator

Natasha joined the ELTC in January 2019 and provides all the administrative support in the Centre.  She is usually the first point of contact for our students and colleagues alike.