Jo Parfitt - Writer, Mentor, Teacher, Speaker, Publisher
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Teacher


Jo Parfitt, Teacher
"Whatever you do, do not become a teacher!” my senior lecturer father used to say whenever we were discussing my potential career and often when we weren’t. “It’s a mug’s game."
So when my school career advisor suggested teaching as a possible career for someone who wanted to study French, I discounted it immediately. But then, in 1984, I landed myself a job in a recruitment agency and part of my remit was to teach word processing (back then a very newfangled concept) to the typists we were sending out on jobs. ​One main reason I got that job was that my father had taught me to use a word processing program called WordStar in order to prepare the synopsis for my first book concept, French Tarts. My mother, then teaching typing at the local college, taught me to touch type. Hmm. Two teachers in the family…

​I was sent on a course to learn how to use a machine called a Wang and had to create my own course documentation ready to start teaching. In short, I loved it. I loved writing the course and I loved teaching it too.
When I moved to Dubai as a newlywed, I found myself work in another recruitment agency, again teaching word processing but when, five years later, we were posted to Oman, it seemed no similar opportunity existed, which was when, with a lifetime of creative writing and 13 published books under my belt, I decided to teach writing. I discovered that I loved that too and that teaching and writing had inadvertently become a perfect portable career that filled me with joy and had the power to make a difference.

Postings took us to Norway, back to the UK and onto the Netherlands and still I taught, always to adults and always on topics I knew well first hand. After running a business for many years I ran classes on networking and marketing on a shoestring. After earning my keep writing articles I started to teach others to do the same, creating a course called Definite Articles. Of course, I taught people to write books too and Release The Book Within followed suit. In 2010 I decided to research and move into writing life story, and created Write Your Life Stories. All three courses can now be taken online with me on a one-to-one basis by email and/or the workbooks can be purchased alone.

In the 25 years or so that I have been teaching, hundreds – if not thousands – of people of countless nationalities and all abilities have sat before me, taken up their pens and started to write. It is a privilege to be part of this.

life story jar
writing ME-TREATS
DEFINITE ARTICLES
WRITE LIFE STORIES
​Want me to come and run a class at your premises? Three-hour or one-day workshops available on the following:
  • Start Writing Your Life Stories
  • Start Writing Articles
  • ​Start Writing Your Book
  • Start Finding Your Writer’s Voice
CONTACT ME

Testimonials

Maggie Sanderson
​​“I felt I was writing holistically, delving deep into myself, allowing words to flow and find their own place.”
Maggie Sanderson, of Writing Me-Treat, Penang, Malaysia 2017
Laurence Marks
"For a week I became an honorary woman. Eleven women and me, all intent on learning the rudiments of how to write a memoir. I went home with my manhood intact, but I also left the Watermill knowing considerably more about the shortcuts and methods of chronicling my life. Under the careful, learned and sympathetic supervision of Jo Parfitt, I am now twelve chapters into my magnum opus and not a morning passes when I don’t refer to the notes and advice Jo passed onto me."
Laurence Marks, England, co-writer of Goodnight Sweetheart and Birds of a Feather on Write Your Life Stories residential course at The Watermill in Tuscany
Corrine Glesne
"With exquisite skill, Jo creates an atmosphere where class participants feel comfortable to delve deep into their lives and to experiment with different writing techniques. She listens intently as participants read their work; then recaps phrases, images, or other examples from that work to provide specific, meaningful and supportive feedback. Her ability to perceive the potential of a story and guide its improvement continually impressed me."
Corrine Glesne, PhD, Professor Emeriti, University of Vermont
Kristin Engvig
"Jo Parfitt has run workshops at the annual WIN conferences on many occasions. They are known for being practical and interactive. She is known for her enthusiasm, her experience and the fact that she is living proof that everything is possible, wherever you find yourself in the world. A true inspiration."
Kristin Engvig, Executive Director, WIN Conferences
Ginny Philps
“Crammed full of techniques, tips, insights and inspiration, this course covers everything you want to know about writing articles (and more). The exercises are not only brilliantly structured, but also empowering and exciting. It’s the best foundation for anyone wanting to harness their expat experiences and get them out there on paper.”
Ginny Philps, Malaysia, on Definite Articles course 2016
David Scarlett
“A magical week being coached by Jo in this sublime place, Posara, is just such an experience. I've created such beauty with my pen, speaking more lyrically, powerfully and piercingly than I ever thought possible."
David Scarlett, author of The Soul Millionaire and The Flight of The Soul Millionaire
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Summertime Publishing | Career in Your Suitcase | Springtime Books | Writing Me-Treats | Expat Bookshop
jo@joparfitt.com

© Jo Parfitt 2020 All Rights Reserved | Website by author2author
  • Home
  • About
  • Writer
  • Mentor
  • Teacher
  • Speaker
  • Publisher
  • The Life Story Jar
  • In Conversation Masterclasses
  • Tools for Writers
  • Inspirer Blog