Welcome to Managing TEFL, a language school manager's guide and companion encouraging reflection and action.
There’s so much for teachers and so little for school managers and owners, we hope this will be a useful space for us all. In this first edition, we’ll suggest you stop reading, but if you insist we’ll look at changing gears, creating space for strategic thinking and getting ready for what’s coming up.
We’d love to hear your comments so feel free to send us the answers to any of the questions here on any of our social media posts or email us at training@activelanguage.net
Stop reading now
What does mid-August mean to you? Maybe you're still very much on holiday and that's great, I salute you. If that's the case and the idea of engaging with work is the last thing you want to do, then stop reading now!
If you're still reading, great but should you be? We spend our lives supporting people and problem solving, we also need time to disconnect and nurture ourselves. If you feel like you've hardly had a break at all, maybe you should stop reading now.
How do you look after yourself?
Changing gears
Ok, if you're still reading, that's great. July and August have a different gear to the rest of the year, maybe you've had summer intensive courses or summer camps for children and now there's a lull, a quiet time. If we go into our schools, it's certainly different, the gears change.
I love this quote from Edutopia.com, “There’s something magical about the stillness of a classroom in the summer - a great time to imagine future possibilities” (from teacher Lauren Huddlestone), I think so much is also true for managers and school owners being in a quiet school.
How have July and August been for you?
Time to strategise?
For some of us this is a time to regroup, to take a step back away from the day-to-day operations and roller coaster ride. Is it a time to think about what we're doing, how and why? Is it time to set goals, possibly both personal and for our schools? Is it time to plan and to strategise? And if so how do you do it? What's your process? Do you start with a piece of blank paper and let your mind room into some blue sky thinking where the only limits are our imaginations? Maybe a gentle SWOT analysis looking at Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats is a good way to start. Or perhaps it's time to get into the finances to look again at the accounts and let that guide us.
How do you approach building strategy?
Here’s a selection of podcasts on strategy from the Harvard Business Review, it’s business focussed rather specifically from the ELT world and perhaps because of that extremely useful. Harvard Bussiness Review , subscribe to their daily management tips too!
Getting ready
Perhaps you're already engaged in the coming academic year. You might be thinking about how to attract new students, perhaps making sure recruitment is under control is uppermost in your mind.
How are you going to start the year for yourself, your students and their families and, perhaps most importantly, for your team? Do you try to make the beginning of year special for everyone with magic moments? How do you on-board new members of staff and integrate them into the group? Do you have induction days? How productive are they? What about a pre-kick off social moment?
How do you tend to start the year? What might you do differently this year?
If recruitment is in your mind, how do you find teachers? Do you know about Spainwise , Tefl.com ? Do you find social media helpful?
Inspiration injection
Everyone has their own strengths and weaknesses, is your team ready to go? Does anyone need extra training or an inspiration injection before starting? If so, do consider suggesting or even offering them the Teaching Younger Learners course with us at Active Language.
The Teaching Younger Learners courses
Teachers with lots of or no experience with younger learners will benefit from the course, the feedback we get is proof of that. You can find more information here.
We want the course to be available for everyone and we are committed to financial inclusivity so please talk to us at training@activelanguage.net if finances are tight, we'll find a way to make it work. And for those based in Spain FUNDAE funding is available for all our courses.
Enjoy the rest of August whatever you're doing and wishing you all the best in Managing TEFL!