Finding an ESL agent – A open discussion

September 22, 2010

This event has passed.

Check out the webinar recording or view the slide presentation.

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I’ve been working with language schools for a decade now. One question keeps popping up time and time again: “How do we find agents?”

The traditional way to find an educational agent is to attend an agent workshop or fair. For small or aspiring language schools however, the fees to attend such fairs are out of the question.

I’ve organized a free, webinar-style discussion on the topic and I’m inviting you to join me. This will be a frank and open discussion. It will be online, open to anyone who wants to join in:

Here are the event details:
Title: “Working with ESL and Educational Agents: Tips from the Pros – a webinar”
Format: Online, real-time, live discussion
Date: Thursday, October 14, 2010
Time: 08:00 – 09:00 Mountain Standard Time (Origin point: Calgary, Canada) – Please convert to your time zone.

Guiding questions for the session:

  • How do ESL schools and programs find reputable agents?
  • What are the alternatives for small schools without a sufficient budget to attend the large agent fairs and workshops?
  • What are some pitfalls for language schools to avoid when working with agents?
  • How can schools develop long-term relationships with agents
  • Recommendations from the pros

Participants are invited to join at no cost. The point of this session is to provide information, education and an interactive discussion between language school directors and marketers and those working in the ESL / Educational agents field.

Registration link: http://workingwitheslagents.eventbrite.com/
Deadline to register: Tuesday, October 12 – Note: there are a limited number of seats available in the virtual classroom, so participants are encouraged to register early.

Please invite your associates and members to join us for this open discussion between ESL schools and educational agents.

This event is sponsored by:

  • Elluminate – Providers of the webinar technology.
  • Eventbrite – Providers of the registration system for the event.

Update: September 24 – So far, participants from the U.S.A, the UK, Italy and Korea have registered.

Related posts:

Tips for finding ESL educational agents

Tips for success at educational trade fairs

How to find a good ESL agent: Tips from the trenches

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Update – January 2018 – This blog has had over 1.8 million views thanks to readers like you. If you enjoyed this post, please “like” it or share it on social media. Thanks!

Sarah Elaine Eaton is a faculty member in the Werklund School of Education, University of Calgary, Canada.

Comments Off on Finding an ESL agent – A open discussion | agents, marketing, Uncategorized, webinar | Tagged: , , , | Permalink
Posted by Sarah Elaine Eaton, Ph.D.

In their own words – Boost ESL enrollments with multilingual marketing materials

September 20, 2010

Imagine this: Your daughter wants to go away and study a foreign language… maybe Chinese or French or some other language that you don’t speak. She tells you that she has found two possible schools and wants you to have a look at their web sites. She sends the links to you at the office. During your coffee break, you check out the first school’s site. All the information is written in English. You find out about the school, the teachers who work there, the homestay accommodations available and the program she will be taking.

You move on to the second site. All the same information is there (you think?) but it is written only in the language your daughter wants to learn. You surf around, look at the pictures and try to get back to the home page again.

After you’ve looked at both sites, where do you want to send your daughter?

The fact of the matter is that both schools may have excellent programs, but if students (and their parents) can read about it in their own language, you will build an unspoken relationship of trust with them. It’s both perception and perspective. You trust what you know.

For ESL programs that recruit international students, translating your web site (or at least major points of it) into the languages of your major markets gives you an advantage over your monolingual counterparts.

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This post has been adapted from “Idea # 16: Sell yourself in as many languages as possible — translate your marketing materials into the languages of countries you want to target” from 101 Ways to Market Your Language Program.

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Update – January 2018 – This blog has had over 1.8 million views thanks to readers like you. If you enjoyed this post, please “like” it or share it on social media. Thanks!

Sarah Elaine Eaton is a faculty member in the Werklund School of Education, University of Calgary, Canada.

Comments Off on In their own words – Boost ESL enrollments with multilingual marketing materials | 101 Ways to Market Your Language Program, ESL, language program administration, marketing, target market | Tagged: , , , , , , | Permalink
Posted by Sarah Elaine Eaton, Ph.D.

The biggest mistake educators make when marketing new programs

September 17, 2010

My first job in educational administration was in 1989 at Saint Mary’s University. I worked in what was then the Division of Continuing Education. Part of my job was to promote current and new programs. I’ve learned a thing or two over the past twenty years of working in education. What’s the biggest challenge of marketing of new educational programs?

One word: Impatience.

As educators, we tell our students that they need to study regularly. We tell them that consistent effort over time brings results. We tell them to set aside time every day for their studies. We tell them that if they put in the work, that they’ll see results… but they just have to be patient.  If we followed the same advice, we’d be much better at promoting educational programs.

Instead, administrators want results NOW. If a program is posted in the course calendar in one semester and it doesn’t meet the minimum requirements for registrations, it’s canned. Wiped off the books. Written off.

Imagine if you saw a student giving up so easily after getting less than stellar results on a test. Would you say, “Yeah, you’re right. You bombed this first test, so clearly you don’t have what it takes…”

No, of course not! You’d sit down with the student, review the results, determine strategies to improve and then monitor their progress. We can do the same thing with educational programs. If a new program bombs the first time, examine the results and try to figure out why. Develop some new marketing strategies and go out and try them. Keep an eye on your process and watch for improvements.

If we promoted our programs with the same vigilance and patience that we have with our students, we’d have better long term results.

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Update – January 2018 – This blog has had over 1.8 million views thanks to readers like you. If you enjoyed this post, please “like” it or share it on social media. Thanks!

Sarah Elaine Eaton is a faculty member in the Werklund School of Education, University of Calgary, Canada.

Comments Off on The biggest mistake educators make when marketing new programs | education, marketing, Uncategorized | Tagged: , , , | Permalink
Posted by Sarah Elaine Eaton, Ph.D.

Resources for Language Program Administration and Management

September 16, 2010

Here is an online list of resources relating to language program administration and management. This has been an emerging field over the past decade. Most of these resources are free and available on line. There are also links to a few books on the topic that are available for sale through selected booksellers:

Here’s the list: http://www.diigo.com/list/saraheaton/language-program-administration

This is a companion list to the one that is specifically on marketing and public relations for language programs: http://www.diigo.com/list/saraheaton/marketing-language-programs

I’ll keep adding to the list as I find more resources. If you know of an excellent resource, please e-mail me at sarahelaineeaton (at) gmail.com.

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Update – January 2018 – This blog has had over 1.8 million views thanks to readers like you. If you enjoyed this post, please “like” it or share it on social media. Thanks!

Sarah Elaine Eaton is a faculty member in the Werklund School of Education, University of Calgary, Canada.

Comments Off on Resources for Language Program Administration and Management | language program administration, Uncategorized | Tagged: , , , , | Permalink
Posted by Sarah Elaine Eaton, Ph.D.

Every young American to become proficient in a 2nd language within a generation?

September 15, 2010

Glen Loveland at Examiner.com reports in “Foreign Language Education Targeted by Congress” that new proposed legislation in the U.S. would have American children learning a second language in school. The objective? That within one generation all Americans would be fluent in at least one other language. Loveland writes:

“On the last day of the 111th Congress, a bill sponsored by U.S. Congressional Representatives Rush Holt (D-NJ) and Paul Tonko (D-NY) was quietly introduced…. Holt and Tonko propose legislation that would allow every young American to become proficient in a second language—in addition to English—within a generation. The plan is to start language instruction in early childhood and ensure that they are able to build capacity throughout their elementary and secondary education until they gain proficiency.”

The province where I live, Alberta, tried to legislate mandatory second language classes for all students around the turn of the millennium. The Second Languages Initiative, as it was known, fell flat when there was a change in the ministry of education, following an election. In Alberta, second language study remains optional.

What would happen if an entire country – an entire, powerful, influential country – followed in the footsteps of other, smaller countries that have been mandating second language learning for years? The synergy between the “super power” of the United States and those countries who support multilingualism through policy and practice could resonate across the globe. Is that naive or a beam of hope? What do you think?

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Update – January 2018 – This blog has had over 1.8 million views thanks to readers like you. If you enjoyed this post, please “like” it or share it on social media. Thanks!

Sarah Elaine Eaton is a faculty member in the Werklund School of Education, University of Calgary, Canada.

2 Comments | languages, leadership, second languages | Tagged: , , , , , | Permalink
Posted by Sarah Elaine Eaton, Ph.D.

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