INTRODUCTION

English Language Teaching (ELT), also referred to as English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL), given the status of English as a global language, is a global phenomenon, taking place in virtually every country in the world and being provided in a wide range of institutions, or Language Teaching Organizations (LTOs). Indeed, one of the most striking characteristics of ESOL is the huge diversity of contexts and organizations in which it is provided. Many LTOs are commercial businesses, some are not-for-profit (NFP) enterprises which, nonetheless, have to be run commercially, and yet others are publicly funded, ranging from regular state sector schools, through further education (FE) institutions to universities. There is also tremendous variation in the size of LTOs, from small, owner-run schools to global chains.

Despite this diversity, there is one unifying factor: all of these LTOs, regardless of size and context, have to be managed. The role of management and administration in LTOs has, like ESOL itself, greatly expanded in the past twenty years, influenced by the widespread acceptance of management principles and practice, not only in the commercial, but also in the public and NFP sectors as well. This development, accompanied by a focus on quality, efficiency, improved productivity, self-management, accountability to stakeholders and an emphasis on service, is a feature of managerialism or New Public Management (Fitzsimons, 1999), which may be contrasted with professionalism, in which codes of practice and the interests of the client are prioritized. ESOL is not isolated from the tensions between managerialist and professional priorities, and without an understanding of management principles and practices, the ESOL professional in a management role can be disadvantaged and marginalized. One of the purposes of this book is to help achieve an effective and productive balance between these two sets of demands.

The LTO: variety

The diversity of ESOL contexts referred to above is illustrated in the following examples. This is not an exhaustive set, and you may well work in an LTO which does not actually match any of these examples.

HONG KONG: THE PUBLIC SECTOR SCHOOL

Angela is the departmental head of English in a medium-size public sector secondary school with an enrolment of around 900 students, which serves children from adjacent public housing.