Often, teachers fall into the roles of managers within the ELT sector which is great because they have a strong understanding of teacher and student needs.
However, it can be daunting trying to navigate this new world as there is such a wide variety of areas it can cover including teaching, teacher development, recruitment, timetabling, admin, market research and strategic decisions.
So we’ve put together some useful resources for ELT managers and Director of Studies or those considering switching teaching for managerial positions.
Courses for Director of Studies / ELT Managers
These two courses are perfect for anyone working in an academic manager’s role or looking to move into such a position. The IH course is very focussed on typical tasks of a Director of Studies whereas the English UK course looks deeper into school management. Check out the content for both of these to see which would suit you best.
International House Director of Studies Course – a really thorough course with 13 modules covering all the different tasks of an academic manager from conducting observations to financing. This course typically runs from October to January.
English UK’s DELTM: Diploma in English Language Teaching Management – an in-depth 10-month course covering skills required for day-to-day management up to strategic level management. This course usually runs from September to June but won’t be running in 2021.
Conferences
Conferences are a great way to learn what’s new in the industry and gather ideas to explore further when back in the workplace. They are also a great place to meet with people in similar positions to share ideas and issues and make connections that go well past the conference.
These are two of the main annual ELT conferences in the UK, please leave a comment of any more you know of in the rest of the world:
IATEFL – sited as one of the main events in the ELT calendar, this 3-day event is a great chance to hear the latest ELT developments, meet with fellow ELT professionals and return home with a wealth of ideas to put into practice. The next conference will take place in Belfast in May 2022.
English UK: ELT conference – another key date for your ELT calendar is this 2-day event. Day 1 is specifically designed for ELT managers and always covers a range of inspiring and relevant talks. The next conference will take place in April 2022.
Other resources
Sandy Millin has an active blog with loads of really useful resources to delve into including a wealth of tips for Director of Studies and collating ideas and tips from other ELT professionals.
British Council has a number of useful resources including Tips for ELT Managers which offers a brief overview of the many different areas you’ll need to consider as an ELT manager.
English Club: ESL admin has loads of useful articles including ideas for marketing your language programme and help with HR such as how to conduct an ESL interview.
You may also want to consider joining IATEFL’s: Leadership and Management Special Interest Group (LAMSIG) which offers many networking opportunities for those in leadership and management in language teaching organisations where you can share best practices, ideas, questions and resources.
If you know of any other useful resources, please add them to the comments!