62- English with Jo and the Royal Family
Lindsay: This is an All Ears English Podcast, Meeting Monday: Episode 62: “English with Jo and the Royal Family.” [Instrumental]
Gabby: Welcome to the All Ears English Podcast, where you'll finally get real, native English conversation. Now here are your hosts, Lindsay McMahon, the ‘English Adventurer' and Gabby Wallace, the ‘Language Angel,' coming to you from Boston, Massachusetts, USA.
Lindsay: In today's episode, we have a very special treat. Learn how an English teacher from Australia got a job working in England for the Royal Family.
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Lindsay:
All right. So today we are here with Jo form the website englishwithjo.com and we're so excited to have you here today Jo. Thanks so much for joining us.
Jo:
No problem. Thanks for having me.
Lindsay:
Great.
So can you go ahead and kind of introduce yourself a little bit and explain to us where you're from and what you do?
Jo:
Sure. Well, I'm an English teacher. As you said I have an online English teaching website called “English with Jo.” I grew up in Sidney, Australia, but I've spent quite a few years overseas. So I spent about five years living in the UK and then another three years living in Greece and now I'm back here in Australia again.
Lindsay:
Wow, so you've been all over the place teaching English and just kinda (kind of) traveling. That's excellent.
Jo:
I have. I've had some quite unique experiences.
Lindsay:
Yeah, it sounds like it.
Gabby:
That's wonderful.
What brought you to the UK?
Jo:
Well, I went to England because I wanted to do a bit of travel around Europe so my plan was to work in London for about six months and do some travel on weekends and holidays, (um) but then that plan changed when I ended up getting quite an interesting job in London. So I stayed in the end for nearly five years.
Lindsay:
Oh wow.
Gabby:
Wow.
Lindsay:
So what was that interesting job? (Like) what were you doing in London?
Jo:
Well, quite accidentally, I ended up getting a job for the British Royal Family…
Lindsay:
Wow.
Jo:
…which is really the last place I expected to end up having just arrived from Australia.
Gabby:
That's amazing. So it was kind of an accident? (I mean) how, how does that just land in your lap?
Jo:
It was an accident. So when I arrived in London, I was very keen to get a job as soon as possible. So I sent my CV in many different directions to many recruiters and then one day I got a call from one recruiter saying that they received my application and they wanted me to go in for an interview. So I asked them to tell me more about the job and who (I) would be working for and then I was very surprised when they told me that actually it was a secret and they could not reveal who the employer was.
Lindsay:
Whoa!
Jo:
So. So…
Gabby:
That could either be really good or really bad.
Lindsay:
Right.
Jo:
Yeah.
But she said to me, “Look. Trust me. It is interesting. (You know), come in for the interview.” So it wasn't until I'd had about three interviews that they finally told me that the job was for the Prince of Wales, who most people know as Prince Charles. (Uh), so in the end I got the job and I worked in the office of Prince Charles for three years and then the office of Prince William and Prince Harry for 1 ½ years.
Lindsay:
Wow.
Gabby:
That's so cool.
Lindsay:
That is a once in a lifetime experience isn't it?
Lindsay:
That's so cool.
Jo:
It really was.
Lindsay:
So what were you – what were your main duties in that position?
Jo:
Well in Prince William and Harry's office, I had to help with arrangements for various events. So for example, there was a big concert to mark the 10th anniversary of Princess Diana's death and also a memorial service. So I helped to organize both those events as well as some others and then in Prince Charles' office I helped to organize many of his visits and engagements to outside organizations.
Lindsay:
Wow.
Jo:
So for example if he went or if he planned to visit a hospital, I would go with a team of people to that hospital ahead of time and we would plan what he would do and who he would meet during the visit, (you know), to make sure it would all go smoothly on the day.
Lindsay:
Yeah.
Gabby:
A lot of logistics.
Lindsay:
Did you feel a lot of pressure in these, in this position, just (kind of like) you couldn't mess up. Yeah.
Jo:
Yes, exactly, because, (you know), if – one little mistake can have really big consequences, so… Gabby:
Wow.
Jo:
…there was a lot of pressure at times.
Lindsay:
So you must be a really detail-oriented person, I would imagine.
Jo:
Well, I had to learn to be.
Gabby:
Wow.
So did you have a lot of interaction, (uh), actually with, (uh), the princes.
Jo:
Well quite a lot, particularly with the two younger princes, Prince William and Prince Harry because their office was a lot smaller than the Prince of Wales office. They had less staff. (Um), so I, I met them (um) on a number of occasions, (um), and I found them to be really charming, very polite, very friendly… Gabby:
That's wonderful.
Jo:
…(uh) quite funny.
Lindsay:
Oh, very cool.
Jo:
They're just like regular guys.
Lindsay:
Wow, how cool – how cool to see the human side of such a public, of such public figures.
Jo:
Exactly. Yeah, it was really nice.
Gabby:
Was there anything that you could share with us that was surprising, maybe that you didn't expect going in to work for the Royal Family and something that you just found (uh) surprising.
Jo:
It's a good question. I think (um), I didn't really have a good understanding of what the Royal Family was all about to be honest until I started working there. And a lot of people have this impression that the Royal Family, they really live the high life and actually this is one expression I wanted to tell you guys about.
Lindsay:
Okay.
Great.
Jo:
Because ‘to live the high life' really means to have a very luxurious way of living. And some people in the UK can criticize the Royal Family and say (um) “Oh they just live the high life,” (you know), their life is very easy. They have all these luxuries. But when I started working there, I was really surprised to, to see how hard they all worked. (I mean) (uh) Prince Charles works every day of the year, even on holidays from morning to night.
Both:
Wow.
Jo:
And, (you know) he does that because he really wants to. So he doesn't actually have to work as a prince… Lindsay:
Right.
Jo:
…but he chooses to and he does that because, (you know), he's very passionate about all these issues and so that actually really surprised me because there is this public perception that the Royal Family just live the high life and that they are ‘given things on a silver platter,' which is another really interesting expression.
Lindsay:
(Mm). That's a great expression.
Gabby:
Yes.
Lindsay:
What does that mean?
Jo:
So this means to receive something without having to work for it.
Gabby:
Right.
Jo:
So a, a platter is like a serving dish. So…
Gabby:
Right.
Jo:
…if you can imagine being ‘served things on a silver platter,' it's very luxurious and it's like saying, you get all these wonderful things, but you don't have to do a thing to get it.
Lindsay:
(Hmm). So that's not actually the case then with the Royal Family necessarily.
Jo:
It's not the case. No.
No.
Gabby:
I know in the…
Jo:
It's really not the case.
Gabby:
In the US, (uh), we say ‘to be born with a silver spoon in your mouth.' Jo:
Oh, that's really interesting. Quite a similar expression.
Gabby:
Yes.
Lindsay:
Really interesting. Did you have any other expressions that you wanted to teach our audience today?
Jo:
Yes.
So one other expression is ‘pomp and ceremony' and I suppose this is quite a British expression.
Gabby:
Yes.
Jo:
And it's used when describing really exciting state celebrations like a royal wedding for example and (you know) quite recently, what – there was the wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton and there was huge ‘pomp and ceremony.' (You know), lots of music and celebrations and traditions and that's really what ‘pomp and ceremony' is all about. (Um) and although I wasn't lucky enough to go to the Royal Wedding because I had already left by then, (um), I was lucky enough to witness lots of ‘pomp and ceremony' almost on a daily basis when I worked there (uh) because at 11 o'clock every day they had this ceremony called “changing of the guards.” Lindsay:
Okay.
Jo:
This is where the Queen's soldiers and pipe bands, they march from Buckingham Palace to St. James' Palace – they're quite close to each other and as I would be sitting at my desk typing away at my computer, I could see all those (uh) soldiers in their beautiful (uh) outfits and huge black hats (um) marching past my office window so that was always really nice.
Gabby:
That's so exciting.
Lindsay:
Wow.
That's incredible. What a cool memory for you. That's so cool.
Jo:
Yeah, yeah. It was really interesting.
Lindsay:
Oh wow.
Gabby:
That's wonderful.
Well tell us a little bit about your current projects.
Jo:
So at the moment, I teach English online. So the students are from many different countries around the world from Asia and Europe and the Middle East and, and I just teach them online over Skype. So that's what I'm doing at the moment.
Lindsay:
Great.
So do you focus on conversation skills in your teaching primarily?
Jo:
Yes.
Yes.
We do lots of conversation and that's because a lot of people, (you know), they learn grammar in school and from textbooks but they really don't get the opportunity to speak to a native speaker or to speak English and to learn sort of real English, (you know), that the English that we use that's not written in textbooks, which I know is exactly what you guys do as well.
Gabby:
Yeah absolutely. We are on the same team.
Lindsay:
Yeah.
I think that's really important, (you know). That's something that English students really need at this time. So that's awesome. Well we're excited about your projects. That's great.
Gabby:
And, yeah, tell our listeners where they can find you. What's the best place for them to look for you and your work?
Jo:
So the best place is at my website, which is englishwithjo.com and Jo is spelled just J-o, not J-o-e, which is for a man's name. So just englishwithjo.com Lindsay:
Excellent.
Gabby:
Perfect.
Lindsay:
Well thanks so much for joining us today, Jo.
Gabby:
Yeah.
Thank you.
Lindsay:
It's been really cool to hear about your experiences with the Royal Family. This has been really great.
Jo:
Well thanks so much to you too. You guys have a really great show so I'm happy to be part of it.
Gabby:
Thank you.
Lindsay:
Our pleasure. Take care.
Jo:
You too. Bye.
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Gabby: If you want to connect with us, come to our website allearsenglish.com/win. That's w-i-n. We want to share the four ways to win at English. So again, come to allearsenglish.com/win to connect with us and learn the four ways to win at English.
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Lindsay: If you like to put your ears into English with Lindsay and Gabby, be sure to subscribe to the podcast audio in iTunes for free on your computer or onyour smartphone. Thanks for listening to the All Ears English Podcast. See you next time!
