About Me
Cambridge CELTA-certified English trainer. Four languages. Eleven years in Australian luxury hospitality. Now teaching from Saint-Pierre, La Réunion, France.
Many people learn a language at a desk. I spent eleven years using English at work, in Sydney’s luxury hospitality, where being understood was part of the job. The professional English of those years is what I now teach.
Who I am
My name is Sourov Deb. I am a Cambridge CELTA-certified English trainer based in Saint-Pierre, La Réunion, France. I specialise in IELTS, TOEIC, Business English and English for specific sectors: hospitality, aviation and healthcare.
Before teaching, I spent eleven years in anglophone Australia working in luxury hospitality management, at the Star Casino in Sydney and across the Merivale Group. I supervised multilingual teams and managed high-end client relationships. Those years gave me fluency not just in English but in the professional and social registers that formal education rarely teaches.
I speak four languages: English (bilingual), French (C1), Bengali (native) and Hindi. I know what it means to learn a language as an adult, under pressure, in a culture that is not your own. That experience shapes everything I teach.
Qualifications
- Cambridge CELTA: the Certificate in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (originally the Certificate in English Language Teaching to Adults)
- IELTS Specialist: IDP Education (2026)
- DCL Français: GRETA Réunion
- Sommelier and barista: hospitality credentials from Australia
What I teach
- IELTS and TOEIC preparation (all bands)
- Business English: professional writing, meetings, presentations
- Sector English: hospitality, aviation, medical
- General English, A1 to C2 on the CEFR scale
- Individual coaching and small groups
How the path fits together
The short version, as a diagram:
LANGUAGES
Bengali · Hindi · English · French
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WORK: 11 years, Australia
luxury hospitality
(Star Casino Sydney, Merivale Group)
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TRAINING: Cambridge CELTA
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TEACHING: Saint-Pierre, La Réunion
IELTS · TOEIC · Business English
Sector English · A1-C2
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English as it is used at work
What you will find on this site
I started writing here to record what I actually know about English teaching: not textbook theory, but methods that work in real classrooms, with real learners, under real constraints. The 60-Day ELT Masterclass is the core of it, a structured daily series on grammar, skills, lesson design, feedback and the wider craft of teaching English professionally.
I also write about philosophy and mental health. I live with ADHD, Bipolar I disorder, depression and Complex PTSD. I write about managing them not for sympathy but because transparency is more useful than silence; the longer story is in My Mental Health Journey.
Beyond that, there is a Reading Room for literature and performance, a travel journal from 100 days in Europe, and a free resources library of tools for English learners, philosophy readers and anyone interested in mental health. No affiliate links: only what I actually use.
The takeaway: in my experience, language sticks when it is used where it matters. My lessons start from the situations you actually face at work, in an exam room or abroad, and build the English for those.
📺 YouTube
Videos on teaching English, language-learning strategy and life in La Réunion, on my channel Treasure Hunters Digital.
✉️ Get in touch
Bookings, collaborations and media enquiries: sourovdeb.is@gmail.com, or use the contact form.
Available for individual and group sessions, online or in Saint-Pierre, La Réunion.