Being an ELT manager brings a unique set of challenges. That's why the Diploma in ELT management (DELTM) was developed 20 years ago, becoming a popular professional development choice for the industry.
One English UK member who is passionate about the benefits of the course is Sarah Bryan, Director of Studies at EC Manchester, who is just completing her final project.
"It's a really enjoyable experience. The face-to-face sessions are great, because you meet people from different places, learn from them and are challenged. The assignments are well-structured and a springboard for further reading. You're encouraged to think about your context and your organisation and come up with recommendations, and that's immediately practical and applicable," she said.
Sarah had previously worked with colleagues taking the qualification, and saw how much the course had helped them both in the job and in their own professional development.
"I've seen how it can help the individual and the company they work for as well," she added. Another motivation was her "passion" for professional development and her feeling that the best way to encourage staff is to lead by example.
The different assignments have been useful, she says, covering areas that she doesn't encounter on a daily basis, such as finance, and with others such as time management proving very useful in practice.
"Some of the suggestions made in assignments have been put into place. I think probably the foundations are laid in the sessions, where you've got groups of people sharing ideas from quite different professional backgrounds. That's the key thing- it helps you see outside your own environment and that's a springboard to make the most of the assignments, with wider reading and research and implementation."
For her final project, due in November, Sarah is working on how to improve staff induction at her centre.
Would she recommend the DELTM to others?
"Yes. It's beneficial in the role you're in at the time, and gives you confidence, qualification and the ability perhaps to go for jobs in a different area, whether that's in a slightly different sphere or more senior.
"The best things are that it gives you confidence and knowledge of a broader range of areas within management. It's been great to be continually developing and taking an interest in different things that I might not have been able to cover myself."
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