Tips for ELT managers
Submitted by
Jenny Johnson
on 4 February, 2009 - 15:24
Like many others, I rather fell into ELT management. One moment I was in the
classroom, the next I was sorting out teaching materials into files for the
staffroom and the next I knew I had stepped into a substitution job for the
absent DoS (Director of studies). Since then it has been an upward learning
curve, and I have picked up and stored away a few tips along the way, which may
come in useful for any of you who find yourselves in the same boat. Here, then,
are 13 top tips for teachers who become managers:
Size matters
Whether you come into your organisation from the outside or are promoted from
the ranks within it, look at your organisation, observe its growth pattern. Is
it small, medium sized or large? If it is small – ten teachers or so, and unless
the boss is a despot, it is likely to be an organically growing affair, with a
clear hierarchy, from director to director of studies to teachers, and a small
admin team. Communications then will be easy, meetings small and involving
everybody. There will be collaborative decision-making, and plenty of room for
good people to shine and step into positions which open up through natural need.
Responsibilities will be evident, and who to go to for what will be clear.
Duties will be shared and if the culture is healthy, no-one will mind mucking
in.
If it is a large organisation, patterns will already be set. Departments will
exist and there will be a larger number of heads. Responsibilities and the chain
of command may be less clear and communications tricky, making double-checking
and monitoring a must, to ensure that everyone knows who does what and what they
should be doing. Decision-making may be done through committee, allowing the
‘lack of consultation’ virus to fester and multiply. If you are aware of the
characteristics and therefore the culture of your organisation it will be easier
not to make mistakes when ordering, delegating or organising.
People
Get to know and understand your people! Without stereotyping too much, teachers
(like all teams) fall into certain ‘types’ and if you can recognise them it will
make it easier to work out how to deal with them.
Product
Decide which courses to run according to your target market; ask your
receptionists to do the research, they know everything about your customers.
Make sure there is more than enough demand, through market research, before
launching a new product.
Development
Believe in the importance and benefits of CPD (continuous professional
development), emphasise the links between quality and success. Forget
performance management by numbers: students leaving often has nothing to do with
the teacher. Set up a useful appraisal system where the teacher sets the
criteria for their development.
The annual plan
When does what happen and when do you need to start the process timeline for
each part of the plan? This is cyclical and each year is as good as identical to
the last: make notes on everything and when you have been there a year look back
in your diary and you will see the next year’s plan emerge.
Budgets
Get your head around budgeting and profit and loss. Insist on a budgeted
allowance for resource replenishment, premises refurbishment and staff training,
with, to a degree, staff involvement in how to spend it. This is all good
investment to ensure returning students.
Cover
The DoS nightmare!
Manage student expectations; convince them of the benefits of having different
teachers and combining classes, embed this in the organisational ethos: it’s
good to change! But make sure there is good documentation and records to ensure
seamless continuity.
Clients and customers
Who are the stake-holders in the business? The school has both external and
internal customers: customer service and client care apply to both. How can you
care and show you care?
Ownership
The success of the school is down to the owners, so make sure every staff member
is an ‘owner’, through shared responsibility, decision-making and consultation,
plans and ideas. The teacher needs to be aware they are front of house staff and
marketing representatives of the school.
Mission and vision
Is there one? Whose is it? Start again, involve everyone and come up with new
ones. This will encourage ownership, and help everyone see why the organisation
exists and why everyone counts in making it successful.
Social responsibility
What part does the organisation play in the local environment? It should be a
hub of activity everyone local knows about. Reach out tentacles to neighbours
and nearby businesses. Create a scholarship, offer empty spaces for community
activities. Indirectly, this will lead to more business, and make the staff feel
they belong and are useful members of society.
Environmental responsibility
Mounds of paper and ink are wasted and other unsustainable practices are rife in
most schools. Insist on an ecological approach to the business. Invest in green
matters, educate in more than languages, do all you can for the planet.
Your own training
Whether you have worked for years in the business or just a few months: you need
professional development too. Workshops, modules, conferences, professional
bodies, periodicals, make sure you get your hands on them, make your learning
lifelong.