Blog
Lounging Around
At the recent family reunion I stayed with my aunt and uncle in Caversham. We sat round the kitchen table for several meals. I first sat at that table in the mid-1970s. They were different, simpler times. My uncle had been to Hong Kong on business and brought back...
Letter from the UK
I left Japan on March 7th, spent the night in London and the weekend at my sister’s converted church in Cambridgeshire. I visited the local library. Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday I was at the London Book Fair. Of course, a new outfit is necessary every year. I...
Podcast: Eikaiwa Teacher to Eikaiwa CEO
In my budget presentation and recent articles I talked about being able to take time off. I’m currently away in England for two weeks attending the London Book Fair and visiting family. It’s great to be able do that at the busiest time of the year and know my business...
Running a School: What business are you in?
The answer to this question may seem obvious. I teach English. But what exactly does that mean? Allow me to illustrate with some famous examples. In 1900 the CEO of Cunard probably would have answered the same question by saying he was in the trans-Atlantic shipping...
Video: Budgets and Profitability for English Schools
To introduce the new media section of the blog, we are including a video of a presentation I gave to the JALT SO SIG in January 2018. It is about budgets, using your time well and profitability. Will be uploading more videos and podcasts soon. If there is anything you...
Running an English School: Budgets
The first budget article really seems to have struck a chord. Either because people like the Beatles, or they realise they are working too many hours and not spending enough time with the people they love. It’s easily done. I can’t stress this enough – get an...
Running an English School: Money Can’t Buy Love
To run a school as a business is to make a profit. This only makes sense. While spending time to get right all the things that contribute to that, the curriculum, the staff, the systems, the marketing, et cetera, and focusing on the net result, it’s easy to lose sight...
Running an English School: Keeping Teachers and Staff Happy
When staff leave we always do exit interviews. I’m sure we never get a 100% accurate picture, as people may be reluctant to give their true feelings face-to-face, but we learn a lot. I always begin interviews by telling people I want their honest opinion, whether I...
Running an English School: Managing Staff
Once teachers are employed, they then have to be managed. At Modern English, we provide a structure under which teachers can work, but also give them freedom to implement their own ideas. This comes in the form of a curriculum and admin system that take a lot of the...
Running an English School: Training Teachers
Training can be a huge headache for small schools. It is great if the teacher you have just recruited has several years’ classroom experience and a TEFL certificate of some kind, though be sure to check they are actually familiar with everything their course or...