“Talking TEFL”, the world’s first full-length documentary on TEFL (Teaching English as a Foreign Language), is set for world DVD release on 17 March 2008.
Produced by independent filmmaker Daniel Emmerson and sponsored by TEFL.net, the documentary film uses Poland, Thailand and Slovakia as primary case studies while exploring today’s global TEFL industry.
“We shot over fifty […]

Benefits and techniques of teacher training and development
This article will deal with issues of training. We will look at the benefits of training for the organisation and the individual, issues to be taken into account before starting a training programme and different ways of developing staff. The article promotes a pro-active approach whereby training […]

Having a school Self Access Centre is hardly a new idea, and many well-established schools have managed to build up quite a supply of Self Access materials of various ages and levels of interest. Unfortunately, what seems like a lucky position to be in can turn into a disadvantage when students walk into the SAC […]

The basics for successful promotion of your courses
As government and institutional funding for language programs decreases, it becomes increasingly important for schools to spread the word about their courses in order to maintain enrollments and keep new students coming through the doors. This includes post-secondary institutions, private language schools, non-profit organizations and any other school […]

The importance of welcoming and integrating new teachers for efficient school management
The last two articles have looked at selecting and recruiting new teachers. The view taken was that if you get your recruitment procedure right from the start, you’re more likely to get teachers who fit the needs of your school and clients; and teachers […]

Tips and pointers on starting, equipping and promoting an ESL school
The aim of this article is to give you pointers and ideas about which issues you should be considering. You might find that the article provides you with as many questions as it does answers! This is a good sign as it gets you thinking […]

In 1998 “Asian flu” hit the markets, causing thousands of Korean, Japanese and other Asian students to stay home. In 2001 the World Trade Center in New York was destroyed and for a time, North America was no longer considered a “safe” destination for international students and enrollments dropped again. In 2003, the war in […]

Keys to maintaining discipline and staff harmony
Continuing our series of recruiting and retaining staff, this month the focus is on dealing with problem staff. What do you do about somebody who is persistently late for work? What about the teacher who never completes paperwork on time? You need to deal with this; firstly to eliminate […]

A structured approach to interviewing prospective teachers
For those of you who have already seen the first article in this series, you’ll know that I take a structured approach to interviewing. The first article gave an overview of the process of recruiting. Here, I’ll go through suggestions for the interview itself.
Preparation
You need to refresh your […]

Why recruitment is a key to success in your school, and how to get it right
Recruitment is the process of getting the right person in the right job and so is a key to success in your school. All too often you have one hour with somebody to decide whether they’re going to fit into […]