Administrators now have a comprehensive guide to managing ELT courses, writes Wayne Trotman

Too often in the ELT profession, the oldest or most-seasoned classroom teacher is appointed as an administrator in the hope that their lengthy experience will transfer directly to managerial wisdom. This, as many of us know too well, is rarely the case, and near disaster is often the outcome.

This title gets to the heart of issues faced on a daily basis by administrators such as course directors or training managers who are asked to make critical decisions that often affect the whole team.

Drawing on the quality-assurance guidelines of Eaquals, an established accrediting body, part one looks firstly at different aspects of quality in language education, such as standards, stakeholders and the many roles managers are often required to fulfill.

Managing the recruitment of new teachers is possibly the greatest burden for

administrators. This is considered as a process from seeking applications to selection, followed by induction and orientation.

“Based upon my own bitter experience of meetings that seemed to be about 
nothing and tended to go nowhere, I would strongly recommend all 
administrators carry a copy of the ‘Dos’ and ‘Don’ts’ for managing 
teachers’ meetings”

The exercises provided are particularly useful. For example, one asks the reader to peruse CVs in order to select the most suitable candidates for a given teaching post.

Part two of the book focuses on managing language teachers, and includes how to provide support and opportunities for development. Key issues such as maintaining team spirit and motivation are also covered.

Managing people inevitably brings challenges. The book outlines how troublesome colleagues tend to fall into three categories. Firstly, the loners who are less team-oriented than others, which may be due to a desire to do things their own way.

More problematic are the disaffected, who, if they form a solid core, can drive an inexperienced administrator insane by constantly pointing out how things can’t possibly work.

In contrast are the mavericks, who like to dance to their own tune and who, although generally popular with students, can be annoying in their refusal to comply with regulations.

Based upon my own bitter experience of meetings that seemed to be about nothing and tended to go nowhere, I would strongly recommend all administrators carry a copy of the ‘Dos’ and ‘Don’ts’ for managing teachers’ meetings on page 43.

Assessing teachers’ development needs, supporting and monitoring professional development and observing teachers in the classroom are all covered in depth.

The title also covers performance management and key aspects of overseeing ongoing programmes and resources. This may include ‘incentivisation’ (also known as a potential pay increase), the authors stress. In contrast, ‘feedback’ and ‘future planning’ might well involve pointing less willing colleagues to the door marked ‘exit’!

The book also outlines how to ensure quality feedback, suggestions and complaints. It looks at institutional assessment and action planning including adjusting standards and indicators.

The author ends with a reminder of how many roles one administrator might have to adopt in a single day. He points out that treating people courteously but without fear or favour can go a long way towards enhancing a positive institutional climate.

This title fills one of the most noticeable gaps possible in the literature on the ELT profession.

Language Course Management is one of three in a series entitled ‘Language Education Management’. The two others are Language Teaching Competences and Language Course Planning. I would recommend reading Language Course Management first.