After a degree in modern languages and my postgraduate studies in education in the UK, I ran away to Munich ‘for one year’ and stayed for eight years as an English teacher and later as a Director of Studies. My classroom experience with adult learners in Germany and my teacher training role there is what I’ve found most useful in writing Compass, as a good coursebook must be designed with both learners and teachers in mind. I now teach EFL back home in the UK and keep my connection with Germany through my work for Langenscheidt ELT.