Sponge Chats – ELT Management with Andy Hockley

This blog post is part of the Sponge Chats video series.

We have looked at many areas in Sponge Chats so far; however, one area we still haven’t gone much into is ELT management. I was lucky enough to sit down with Andy Hockley, co-author of Teacher to Manager (and author of other titles). Andy is also a tutor on the Nile Management in Language Education module as a leader on the International Diploma for Language Teaching Management from the University of Queensland. You may have also seen Andy through his work with the LAMSIG from IATEFL.

In the chat, we spoke about Andy’s journey, some challenges specific to management, and some advice he has for professionals looking to move into, or perhaps already are in management roles. And, of course, we went over a number of book recommendations focusing on ELT management.

I found Andy’s comments to be very insightful and educational. I learnt a lot about the broader picture of management, and it was also nice to know that some of the feelings I have felt in my short time in management are quite normal. Andy also stressed the importance of taking on courses and building a network with other managers – something which you can draw on in times of need. Here are three courses Andy recommends:

International House Director of Studies course

English UK DELTM (UK markets)

NILE Management in Language Education

Andy’s book recommendations

From Teacher to Manager – White, Hockley, Laughner & Van Der Horst Jansen

ETpedia Management – Dunlop, Harding & McLarty

Language Course Management – Richard Rossner

Leadership in English Language Teaching and Learning – Coomb, McCloskey, Stephenson & Anderson

Andy also recommends taking at look at the LAMSIG Archived Articles page for loads of interesting management-focused articles. You can also keep up-to-date with what Andy is doing via his blog, and if you’d like to get in contact with him, this can be done through his blog or his LinkedIn page.

As usual, I hope you all enjoy this Sponge Chat. I feel that if you are moving into management, the information here will be very useful and will, at a minimum, point you in the right direction. If you do like the video, please remember to give us a like, subscribe and watch out for more Sponge Chats on YouTube and Spotify!