From the employer's point of view an effective job ad is one that will attract the right candidates and so make the process of selection easier. But there are two sides to the coin because, for the candidate, an effective ad is one that makes the job sound attractive enough to be worth applying for. To reconcile these two needs, you have to make the information accurate and tempting without being misleading. If you hype the benefits of the job you may attract a bumper response but you are less likely to achieve a successful recruitment because the candidates will find their expectations are not met. Get the information right, and you will attract appropriate responses from which to make your choice. Another vital consideration is respect of the employment and advertising laws in your own country and the countries where the ad will be seen. For example, it is often illegal to state age or gender preferences.

The key information to include is:

• Exact job title (entry-level teacher/experienced teacher/director of studies)
• Location (country, region and town)
• Qualifications and experience required (basic requirements and desirable ones)
• Job description (age groups to be taught; special responsibilities; contact hours)
• Benefits (salary, holiday entitlement, health insurance, accommodation, relocation and travel allowances, professional training opportunities)
• Describe the school (size; types of student; facilities; how long established)
• Full contact details, website address and deadline
• Selection process (state if all applications be acknowledged; when will interviews take place and where)

An ad containing this level of information will give candidates a good basis for deciding if they are right for the job and the job is right for them.

In the next issue: the job contract.

Online training is an attractive form of professional development for teachers because of its ease of access and its flexibility. Staff can work wherever they choose and at times convenient to their schedule. But online training, just like any form of distance learning, has its downside. It requires very strong motivation and self-discipline because the learner doesn't have the support of a group of other trainees. This means that many feel isolated, lose momentum and drop out before they complete their course.

To overcome this drawback, and to help teachers make the most of online training opportunities, you can set up a support group in your school. First ensure that several teachers sign up for the same program. Then agree with them a time when they will meet regularly to discuss the issues raised on the course. The group could be self-directed or you might ask a senior staff member to coordinate it so that further transfer of knowledge can take place from, say the DOS, to the participating teachers. This way you can integrate the online training process into the professional development program in your school in a truly supportive way.

The choice of online courses is impressive, but it’s probably best not to be too ambitious to begin with. Try a course that can be completed within a few weeks so that your teachers can try out online learning. Choose a course that suits your needs by going to the website: http://www.whichcourse.com/.

In the next issue: cross-cultural awareness for the teachers.

Every month we will be polling the ESL Employer community on issues of importance to the ESL community. This month's poll: Should teachers be educated to degree level before taking an ESL qualification: --> Voice your opinion here!

View the results of last month's poll here.

Think of exams and what comes to mind? For lots of people, exams mean first and foremost taking a written test. Well, there are plenty of written exams in English, of course. But a language is really about being able to speak. It is said that some 80% of international phone calls take place in English. Students needing English for their careers will have to demonstrate that they can talk to customers and colleagues, and universities expect international students to have basic spoken English skills. So it makes good sense to offer your students the chance to prove themselves by taking an oral exam.

What’s the choice? In fact the choice is wide. You can find an exam to suit all levels and even to suit specialist areas such as business English. Check out these possibilities:

• TELC Examinations

The European Language Certificates are language certificate exams offered at four levels of the Council of Europe's Common European Framework of Reference. (http://www.languagecertificates.com/TELC_Examinations/)

• Trinity College London

Trinity's spoken English examinations are for non-native speakers of English aged seven years old and up. There are twelve grades or levels, divided into four stages: Initial, Elementary, Intermediate and Advanced. Candidates can enter at any level that suits their abilities. (www.trinitycollege.co.uk/).

• London Chamber of Commerce and Industry Examinations Board Spoken English for Industry and Commerce

The Spoken English for Industry and Commerce examinations are oral examinations designed to meet the spoken language requirements of business people today. (www.lccieb.com/).

In the next issue: regional trends in ESL.

Problem: My teachers do an excellent job in the classroom and feedback from students is positive. But when it comes to administrative duties, I find they are lax. Registers are sometimes forgotten, lesson records are sketchy, and reports on students are late and not very full. How can I make teachers understand that these duties are as much a part of their job as teaching?

Answer: You have taken the first step by acknowledging the problem! It's a fact of life that teachers usually hate admin. But you could ease the situation by building admin time into the timetable. The reluctance often stems from teachers being obliged to complete admin tasks in their own time. Since classroom pressures are usually stronger, they not surprisingly prefer to spend additional time planning lessons and organizing materials. If you build in fifteen minutes a day, or twice a week, when teachers meet in a designated admin room to complete their tasks, they will find it easier to accept that this is part of their normal responsibility.

For this to succeed though, you will need to involve them in the planning. If they see this as extra time tacked on to the working day, it will probably be met with resistance but if you can devise a plan whereby it fits into the existing work hours, it will have a greater chance of success. This may mean scheduling time when students work alone—using self-access materials, interviewing each other or doing other interactive projects. Alternatively you could shave five minutes off lessons to accumulate the time needed. Let the staff work out a system acceptable to all so that they feel they own it. Once admin features as a regular and obligatory slot on the teachers' timetable you should find the situation improves.

Do you have any questions or issues that you just can't seem to find the answers to? Ask them here. Any dilemmas that you need help solving? This is the place. Each month, we’ll post them here, and then do our best to answer them.

ELT Web
(http:www.eltweb.com/) is an excellent index of English language resources. If your teachers need to search for materials, lesson plans and all kinds of online support, this is well worth a visit.

English Study Direct
(http://www.englishstudydirect.com/OSAC/ebookappling.htm/) has a valuable list of ELT journals available online.

Online English Grammar
(http://www.edufind.com/english/grammar/) is a well-established grammar reference site useful for students and teachers alike.

UK
May 4
39th Iatefl Annual conference
Contact: conferenceprocessor@iatefl.org

Spain
May 11
Online Educa Madrid 5th International Conference for Spanish and Latin American E-Learning Experts
Contact: roque.vazquez@icwe.net
Website: http://www.online-educa-madrid.com

Germany
May 19-21
The Association of Language Testers in Europe (ALTE) international conference, Berlin, Website:
www.alte.com

USA
May 21
Third Ohio, Kentucky, and Indian TESOL Regional ESL Conference Website:
www.hcesc.org

Ready to begin filling your positions today? Post your open positions now on ESL employment and be included in our weekly "ESL/EFL Job Finder Newsletter". The largest newsletter of its kind with over 86,895 active job seekers.

Visit the following link for step by step instructions:

http://www.eslemployment.com/posting-help.htm

Did you know: How much of a message is communicated through body language and not through words?

Answer: From 65 to 90 percent of every conversation is interpreted through body language, according to Ray Birdswhistell, professor of research in anthropology at Temple University.

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