Cathryn Overall's interest in EFL began after her first degree, a BA (Hons) in Linguistics in 1980. She also holds a PGCE in Teaching ESL and an MA in Linguistics & ELT, both from the University of Leeds. In 1995 she was awarded an MBA.

Following many years of teaching in Finland, the Netherlands, China, the United Arab Emirates and Spain, Cathryn decided to pursue her career in the area of Business English and went on to combine both English language teaching and business management in a number of middle management positions.

After joining EISU in April 2001, Cathryn set up the Business Management English (BME) Presessional Course, designing course materials and collaborating in a number of in-house publications.  She directed this programme until September 2008, as part of her responsibilities as Director of Business English Programmes.

Currently, Cathryn is Director of Programmes at EISU Selly Oak, where she manages the English & Academic Skills (EAS) “Pathway” Programme for international students preparing for university entry. Her main professional interests are teacher development and ELT management, as well as academic writing and EAP course design.