Do You Have What it Takes to Save Your Language Program?

January 22, 2011

Over the past several months, I’ve heard a lot about language programs closing or being cut. This is troubling not only because I’m a strong believer in second and additional language education, but also because it means that highly trained and committed professionals are losing their jobs.

So what does it take to save a language program that’s at risk of closure?

Time

If your program is scheduled to be cut at the end of the semester or even within the next two years, the best thing you can do is buy yourself some time. You will need it to build your campaign and garner support.

A campaign to save your language program

This is a bit tricky. You don’t want to be so zealous that you turn people against you. Your campaign needs to be well-crafted and thought out thoroughly. You’ll need the help of other people. Develop the plan together and monitor it as you go. Include things like letters of support from parents, alumni, local politicians or other champions.

Support

No matter how much you may love your program, you won’t be able to save it alone. You may find support in unexpected places and no support from people whom you think should back you. Surround yourself with like-minded people. Leave behind the whiners or those who are too burnt out to care. Build those relationships. Ask their opinions and advice. Include them in your activities.

Energy

Above all else, you will need unrelenting energy and a “can-do” attitude.  You’ll need to stay positive (but not nauseatingly so) as you lead the charge.

A focus on the future

This isn’t just about closing your program today. This is also about the effect it will have on an entire generation of students and possibly even the generation after that. You’re working for them. You’re doing this so that they continue to gain all the benefits of studying a second language that you know will make them more intellectually and culturally robust.

There is a ripple effect that happens when second language programs are cut from schools and universities. It’s worth the fight.

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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.

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Posted by Sarah Elaine Eaton, Ph.D.

Sample Host Family Application

October 9, 2010

Choosing host families for your international education or language program takes significant time and effort. Matching prospective students with families willing to open their hearts and home to a foreign student who is studying English as a Second Language (or any other language or subject, for that matter) requires skill, patience, background checks and a fine balance between working with the people that you have in your pool of students and families and ensuring that some basic requirements are met.

The first step in setting up your host family selection process is to develop your host family application. The application needs to include more than just the name and address of the family. You also want to ask questions about lifestyle, such us: do they allow smoking in the home?

The local police service in many communities will perform security checks for a small fee. Adult members of the household should include a police security check, as you will want to know if anyone in the household has had criminal charges brought against them, or if there have been incidents of domestic violence in the home.

The more questions you ask up front, the better chance you’ll have of selecting excellent families to host your students.

Here’s a sample host or billet family application that you can download and adapt to your own needs. Remember to include a statement about privacy if your area requires you to do so when you collect personal information.

Related posts:

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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.

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Posted by Sarah Elaine Eaton, Ph.D.

The Plight of the ESL Program Director

March 29, 2010

Are you a frustrated ESL program manager?

I presented a paper a few years ago at the University of Prince Edward Island called The Plight of the ESL Program Director.  It reveals findings of a research study I did about English as a Second Language program directors and managers at the university level.

Here are the two main highlights:

  • Many English as a Second Language (ESL) program managers, are charged with the responsibility of marketing their programs and recruiting students internationally, often with little or no training (Eaton, 2005).
  • Not only are they set forth ill-prepared, the repercussions for insufficient revenue generation may be harsh, including having to fire instructors or having their programs may be closed by the very institutions they serve (Mickelson, 1997; Soppelsa, 1997; Staczek, 1997), many of which regard such programs as lucrative (Rubin, 1997).

Building on the work that has been done in this field to date, this research adds in the voices of three language program directors that I interviewed for this study. All of them directed different ESL programs, housed in different academic units at the same university. They offer commentary and insight into matters of importance for ESL administrators.

At the end of the paper, I offer some recommendations on how things may be improved for the future.

The full-text paper in .pdf format is available free of charge through the ERIC database.

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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.

1 Comment | education, language program administration, languages, leadership, marketing, recruitment, Uncategorized | Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Permalink
Posted by Sarah Elaine Eaton, Ph.D.

Language schools and Facebook: Just do it

March 26, 2010

Recently a colleague (someone whom I respect very much) told me that as far as social media goes, she has a “Just say no” policy. She claims it would take up too much of her time if she “did Facebook”. I felt like jumping across the table at the restaurant where we were enjoying lunch and strangling her.

Anyone who knows me knows that I am a big fan of social media. But me being a fan of it means nothing and that’s not why anyone should explore it. There is a one good simple reason why language programs should have an online presence, including a Facebook page. It is this: If you’re marketing something, you need to “be” where your prospective students are.

I have a client who runs an adventure language learning school in Europe. I’ve suggested to him that he focus his marketing efforts on finding students who are already into the adventure lifestyle. He’ll probably get more traction at outdoor expos than he will at a traditional language fair. He wants to “be” where his students are. He’s also looking at online marketing, and rightly so.

Why? Because his learners are young people, aged 18-25. And where are those folks? They’re on line. This age group rules the Internet. In particular, they’re on Facebook.

My adventure language learning school owner has it right, folks. If you’re marketing to 18-25 year olds, you don’t just want a website. You want an entire online presence that includes a Facebook page.

This means a Facebook page, at the very least. Don’t know how to get one? It’s easy and it’s free. I’ll give you an example. Here’s my company page: http://www.facebook.com/EatonInternationalConsulting

I’m not offering that up as shameless self-promotion, but rather to make it easy for you. On the bottom left hand side of the page there’s a link that says, “Create a page for my business”. Click on it. Make a page for your school.

See? Wasn’t that simple? 10 minutes of your time increases your online presence.

When you’re done that, send a note out to all your current and past students, asking them to become fans of your page. Yes, ask. It’s not cheesy. It’s how it’s done. Being a “fan” of someone’s FB page is code for “I think these folks are all right and I’m happy to be part of their community and support them”. (By the way, since I believe in practicing what I preach, why don’t you become a fan of my FB page while you’re there?)

Hopefully you already have a Facebook account for yourself and your students are your friends. If not, get yourself an account. Keep it professional. Search for a few student names and start adding friends. The term “friend” on Facebook can be your actual real, live friends and they can also be customers, business contacts and others. I keep my Facebook page fairly neutral and don’t mind if colleagues and former students are friends. It’s a good way to stay in touch.

If you go onto Facebook and do a search for groups using the term “language schools”, the results may surprise you. There are businesses listed who have hundreds of fans. Who are all these fans? Their current and former students, of course! The students use the school’s page as a place to post photos and exchange messages. It creates a hive of online activity, led in a large part by the students themselves. This is pretty much the perfect low-cost, high-impact marketing and promotion I am a big fan of.

When you’ve got your FB page, send me a note or drop me a comment on the blog and I’ll become a fan of your page. Why? Because I am way more of a “Just do it” kind of girl than my colleague in the restaurant. That is to say, when “just do it” is good for you, of course. When it comes to marketing it is definitely good to “do Facebook”.

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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.

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Posted by Sarah Elaine Eaton, Ph.D.

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