Elspeth Jones

1
Elspeth Jones

• International Dean
• Leeds Metropolitan University

2
The role of the ELT Manager in international
recruitment

• Outline
• ELT vs MFL cultures managing the divide
• Integrated ELT programmes
• Awareness-raising and minimising rejections
• Apart or a part?

3

ELT Staff MFL Staff
Private sector need for flexible delivery Competition Other HEIs, Language Centres
Badly paid although well-qualified, worse contracts, perceived lack of respect and career progression How they see themselves/ their profession Declining numbers, students with lower ability on entry, grim future for specialist linguists, declining national capability
Having higher status and being indulged See each other as. Upstarts getting all the resources to bring in international students
4
Managing the divide

• Autonomy or harmony?
• ELT staff will tend to identify with applied
  linguists more than MFL teachers
• MFL staff may not be willing to learn from ELT
  (or indeed from other languages)
• ELT pedagogical research well-established
• MFL contextual studies often regarded as
  crucial
• Will they ever learn from each other?

5
Integrated ELT programmes

• Pre-sessional and Foundation Programmes
• In-sessional academic English
• Dissertation support
• Pre-Masters programmes
• All can help to boost international recruitment

6
Key factors

• Winning over the staff morale boost
• Winning over the university resources and
  respect
• Winning over the admissions tutors Oh I
  didnt know we had programmes in English
  language making conditional offers and
  promoting ELT programmes
• Winning lots of competition

7
Awareness-raising and minimising rejections

• If ELT programmes are right and awareness is
  raised across the university, the number of
  international student rejections can be minimised

8
Minimising rejections results in

• Even more students on the ELT programmes
• Higher income leading to better resources
• ELT operations can support MFL during the lean
  times
• International students are often keen linguists
  benefits to MFL programmes/IWLPs
• A more commercial approach to MFL may benefit
  some institutions

9
Disadvantages of successful ELT programmes in
joint ELT/MFL Department

• Potential for ELT staff to feel exploited in
  comparison with MFL impact on employment
  contracts
• Potential for MFL staff to feel isolated or
  resentful

10
Apart or a part?

• Benefits outweigh disadvantages
• Diverse international community has to be good
  for all those interested in languages and
  cultures
• Financial benefits can support all
• Joint research or learning and teaching
  strategies can benefit from both perspectives,
  ELT and MFL