Teacher Handbook 2008

ISIS Education & Travel
EFL Teacher &

EFL Teacher-Activity Leader
Handbook 2008
Contents:
1 Introduction
2 Equal Opportunities
3 The ISIS Summer
Schools
4 Staffing
5 Starting Work &
Getting Paid
6 The Language
Programme
7 Teacher Guidelines
8 Staff Development
9 Disciplinary
Appendix
1 Introduction
Welcome to ISIS Education and Travel Junior Summer Schools. We hope that your time with us will be happy
and rewarding.
This handbook aims to give you a clear picture of how we work in our summer schools; what to expect; and what
we expect from you. It sets out the terms and conditions for your period of employment with us and so forms part
of your contract with ISIS Education and Travel. Therefore that it must be read carefully.
Company Background
ISIS Education and Travel was founded in 1991 as ISIS Educational Services Ltd with the idea of operating
educational tours for UK students in the winter months and summer language schools in the summer. ISIS was
set up with backing from the Prince’s Trust. Within 18 months, ISIS had grown to be one of the largest and most
successful businesses within the Trust. To this day, ISIS remains closely linked to the Prince’s Trust and advises
on sponsorship of new businesses within the South London area.
Currently, the company comprises the following businesses:
ISIS Education and Travel – junior summer schools

ISIS Study Centres – year-round adult schools in Brighton and Greenwich
ISIS Teacher Development – Trinity TESOL Teacher Training Course in Greenwich
Buckswood Summer – junior summer schools
ISIS College Tours – educational visits arranged for students in higher education
ISIS Studytrips – educational visits arranged for pupils in primary and secondary education
Details of the above can be found on our website: www.isisgroup.co.uk
2 Equal Opportunities
ISIS Education and Travel has and Equal Opportunities Policy that aims to ensure that staff are not
discriminated against on grounds of: race, gender, sexuality, class, age, religion or belief, disability or sexual
orientation.
Preference will be given, all other things being equal, to native English speakers.
3 The ISIS Summer Schools

During June, July and August we run language courses for students aged between 12 and 18. The course also
includes a full activity programme of sports, games and educational visits. These courses are mainly residential
and are based in universities and higher education colleges throughout the UK. Staff, however, may choose to
be residential or non-residential depending on their circumstances. Our courses are accredited by the British
Council and are subject to regular external inspection. In 2008 we have centres at the following locations:
• Bristol, University of the West of England • Cirencester, The Royal Agricultural College
• Durham, The University of Durham • Guildford, The University of Surrey
• London, Goldsmiths’ College • London, University of Greenwich
• London, ISIS Greenwich School of English • London, Royal Holloway University
• Newport, University of Wales • Nottingham, Nottingham Trent University
• Oxford, Oxford Brookes University • Winchester, Sparsholt
Details of each of the above centres can be found on our website: www.isisgroup.co.uk and following the
summer schools link.
ISIS Education and Travel Summer School Set Up 2008
Fig 1
Owners
Company Directors
Managers
Senior
Programme Managers Group Academic Manager
Departments
Recruitment Manager Activity Programme Manager Peripatetic Academic Managers
Course Directors
Italian Co-ordinator Activity Manager Director of Studies
Centre Staff
Assistant Activity Manager Assistant Course Directors Assistant Director of Studies
Individual Co-ordinator Activity Leaders EFL Teacher-Activity Leaders EFL Teachers
Client
Students and Group Leaders
Italian Co-ordinator, AAM, ACD and ADoS postions are dependent on centre size.
The role of Welfare Officer will be filled by one the managerial assistants or by Course Directors in smaller centres.
Our students
In 2007 9,500 students attended our summer courses. While 55% of these were from Italy, we also welcomed
students from China, Turkey, Japan, Israel, Morocco, Greece, Spain, Serbia, Portugal, Russia and Croatia.
Most students stay for 2 weeks – living on campus in the university’s halls of residence. They follow a
programme that typically offers 15 hours per week of English language classes and a range of activities
including sports, games, arts and crafts, Talent Shows, discos and karaokes. Students will also go on 1 full day
and 1 half day coach excursion per week.
Student Groups
The majority of our students come in groups. The groups come to us through specialist travel agents in the
countries listed above. Depending on its size the group will be accompanied by one or more Group Leaders
(GL). Often the GL will be the teacher, back home, of the students they accompany.
Group Leaders will often bring groups back to the UK year after year and therefore are important to us for
business reasons. They usually know the UK very well; may be very familiar with the centre you are working at;
speak excellent English and don’t suffer fools gladly. Equally, they are very helpful in liaising with students and
passing on key information about the course. They also have an important welfare role to play.
Individual Students
Some of our students travel unaccompanied by either other students or a Group Leader. They therefore merit
extra attention and care. At each centre a member of staff will be appointed as an Individuals Coordinator
specifically to look after this group of students.
Why do students come?

When asked why they’ve bothered to come to the UK students give 3 stock answers:
“to have fun”

“to meet people from other places”
“to improve my English”
“because I love travelling”
4 ISIS Summer Centre Staff Structure

Figure1 shows how a typical ISIS summer school is staffed.
In all but very small centres (100 students or fewer), there will be 3 senior staff members: Course Director,
Activity Manager and Director of Studies.
In larger centres (400 plus students) there will also be an Assistant Director of Studies, Assistant Activity
Manager and, in some cases, an Administrator.
EFL Teachers and EFL Teacher-Activity Leaders

In centres with 300+ students teaching takes place morning and afternoon. This is known as a ‘zig-zag’ or
‘double-banked’ programme. The student body is divided into 2 halves. In Week 1, half of the students have
lessons in the morning and some of their activities in the afternoon. The other half has its lessons in the
afternoon and some activities in the morning. In Week 2, the 2 halves swap: hence ‘zig-zag’. In the evenings and
at weekends, the 2 halves of the programme come together for activities and excursions.
Teaching staff at ‘zig-zag’ centres are employed as EFL Teachers (TE’s) and will teach 30 contact hours per
week and, depending on their contract, may have responsibility for 2 non-teaching sessions. Please see the job
specification in the appendix.
In smaller centres, teaching takes place in the mornings only. Activities take place in the afternoons, evenings
and weekends. Teaching staff in these centres are employed as EFL Teacher-Activity Leaders (TA’s). TA’s
teach 15 contact hours and supervise 7 activity sessions per week. Please see the job specification in the
appendix. Sample programmes can be seen on the following pages.
Week One Morning Afternoon Evening All students who arrive on the correct arri-
val days will have a minimum of 20 lessons
WWW.ISISGROUP.CO.UK | INFO@ISISGROUP.CO.UK | 259 GREENWICH HIGH ROAD, LONDON SE10 8NB | TEL ++44 (0)208 293 1188
Sunday Arrivals and Settling In Arrivals and Settling In Film and Welcome
per week (15 hours) in classes of a maxi-
mum of 15 students.
ISIS WINCHESTER SAMPLE PROGRAMME - 2008
Monday Testing and Lessons Shuttle into Winchester with Orienta- Welcome Disco
tion Students work on all aspects of General
English but focus particularly on:
Tuesday B Lessons Sports on site Who Wants to be a Millionaire? Quiz
SAMPLE PROGRAMME WEEK-1
R D Night • Using English in real - life situa-

E L I tions
Wednesday A Lessons U Half Day coach excursion to Ports- N Karaoke • Improving pronunciation with
ACADEMIC PROGRAMME
N mouth with visit to Naval Museum
K N teachers
F C E
Thursday Lessons H Sports on site, Casino Night Prepa- It’s a Knockout • Improving their learning behaviour
A ration, Arts and Crafts R
S Parents and teachers are able to assess
Friday T Lessons Scavenger Hunt Casino Night the students’ experience and abilities
Full Day coach excursion to London Politics and Royalty Walking Tour Disco
through the completion of the ISIS Work-
Saturday book, Gazette and detailed Report Card
and Certificate.
Week Two Morning Afternoon Evening

Trinity College London Spoken Exami-
Sunday Optional excursion or on site activi- Optional excursion or on site activi- Film Night, Sports on site, Cabaret nations are available to students at all our
ties ties Night Preparation centres. Candidates will receive two 90
Swim/Shop in Winchester Lessons Fancy Dress Disco
minute preparatory sessions as part of the
Monday exam fee prior to sitting the exam. ISIS
prepares hundreds of students every year
B
Tuesday Sports on site Lessons Film Night and enjoys a pass rate of 97%.
R D
E L I
Wednesday Half Day coach excursion to Salis- U Lessons Karaoke Conversation Club runs twice a week at
A N
bury N all our centres and is a great opportunity
K N
C for students to practice their speaking and
Thursday F Sports on site, Cabaret Night Prepa- Lessons E Sports Tournament
H listening skills in a relaxed, international
A ration, Arts and Crafts R
environment. Students meet to discuss
S
Friday Winchester with final day shopping Lessons Cabaret Night topics and issues that are important to
T
them and the countries in which they live.
EXTRA STUDY OPTIONS

Saturday Full Day coach excursion to Oxford With Walking Tour and entrance to Farewell Disco
an Oxford College Link Lessons provide a set of stimulating,
free exercises and tasks to complete on
trips included in their activity programme.
Optional Excursions
OPTIONAL VISITS
The language work completed on excur-

The programmes we offer are varied and interesting but we also offer many options for the students to do outside of the programme. At Spar-
sholt College we offer a number of optional excursions including visits to London, Bath and Alton Towers. sions allows a greater understanding of the
locations visited, as well as improvement in
ISIS is able to get group discounts at most attractions and we are happy to arrange visits to London with West End Theatres, London Attrac- language skills.
tions such as Madame Tussauds and The Tower of London and many others including more traditional activities such as Ten Pin Bowling and
Trips to the Cinema.
Week One Morning Afternoon Evening All students who arrive on the correct arri-
val days will have a minimum of 20 lessons
WWW.ISISGROUP.CO.UK | INFO@ISISGROUP.CO.UK | 259 GREENWICH HIGH ROAD, LONDON SE10 8NB | TEL ++44 (0)208 293 1188
Sunday Arrivals and Settling In Arrivals and Settling In Welcome and Film Night
per week (15 hours) in classes of a maxi-
ISIS MANCHESTER — SAMPLE PROGRAMME - 2008
mum of 15 students.
Monday Testing and Lessons Orientation of Manchester City Cen- Disco
tre Students work on all aspects of General
English but focus particularly on:
Tuesday B Lessons Outdoor sports Speed Dating
R D • Using English in real - life situa-
E L I tions
Wednesday A Lessons U Half day coach excursion to Tatton N Karaoke • Improving pronunciation with
ACADEMIC PROGRAMME
N Park
K N teachers
F C E
Thursday Lessons H Visit to the Museum of Science and Indoor Sports • Improving their learning behaviour
A Industry R
S Parents and teachers are able to assess
Friday T Lessons Swimming Quiz Night the students’ experience and abilities
Full Day Excursion to York with And entrance into York Minster Disco
through the completion of the ISIS Work-
Saturday
walking tour book, Gazette and detailed Report Card
and Certificate.
Week Two Morning Afternoon Evening

Trinity College London Spoken Exami-
Sunday Optional Excursion or Onsite Activi- Optional Excursion or Onsite Activi- Film Night nations are available to students at all our
ties ties centres. Candidates will receive two 90
Lessons Visit to Salford Quays Disco
minute preparatory sessions as part of the
Monday exam fee prior to sitting the exam. ISIS
prepares hundreds of students every year
Tuesday B Lessons Outdoor sports Swimming
and enjoys a pass rate of 97%.

R D
E L I
Wednesday Lessons U Half day coach excursion to Chester Karaoke Conversation Clubs run twice a week at
A N
N most of our centres and is a great opportu-
K N
C nity for students to practice their speaking
Thursday F Lessons Visit to the Urbis Musuem E Indoor sports
H and listening skills in a relaxed, interna-
A R
tional environment. Students meet to dis-
S
Friday Lessons Shopping in Manchester Cabaret Night cuss topics and issues that are important
T
to them and the countries in which they
EXTRA STUDY OPTIONS

live.
Saturday Full Day Excursion to Liverpool with And entrance into the Beatles Story Farewell Disco
walking tour
Link Lessons provide a set of stimulating,
free exercises and tasks to complete on
Optional Excursions
OPTIONAL VISITS
trips included in their activity programme.

The programmes we offer are varied and interesting but we also offer many options for the students outside of the programme. At Manchester
we offer a number of optional excursions including visits Chatsworth House, Blackpool Pleasure Beach or Sea Life Centre, Blue Planet The language work completed on excur-
Aquarium and Cheshire Oaks. sions allows a greater understanding of the
locations visited, as well as improvement in
ISIS is also happy to arrange local visits to other traditional activities such as Ten Pin Bowling and trips to the theatre and cinema. language skills.
It may be necessary during your contract period with ISIS to switch between the 2 roles, and ISIS reserves the
right to vary the contract. Such a change may occur because of an increase or decrease in the expected student
numbers.
All centres will have a quota of Activity Leaders (AL’s). AL’s work full-time on the activity programme. Often
AL’s will have a particular area of expertise eg drama or sports coaching.
5 Starting Work
A few weeks before you are due to start work you will receive details about how to get to the centre by public
transport. Please note that ISIS do not reimburse travel costs to the centre. You will also receive a schedule for
the first few days at the centre, including an agenda for your induction day; and also contact details for the senior
staff of the centre.
Your contract begins with the induction day - a day for which you are paid and attendance is compulsory.
A few days before you begin work one of the centre managers will contact you by phone to confirm arrival details
and to answer any questions you may have.
You will need to bring:
• Originals of degrees and/or teaching certificates – if these have not been provided at interview stage
• Originals of First Aid and/or coaching certificates – if these have not been provided at interview stage
• Passport or photo ID
• A P45 if you have one - otherwise you can complete a P46 or P38 at the centre
• Towels
• Sports clothes for Activity Leaders and EFL Teacher Activity Leaders
Teachers may want to bring their favourite, tried and tested materials with them. You are welcome to bring as
many of your own materials as your baggage allowance… allows. The Teachers' Room will have plenty of
supplementary materials, however.
Induction Day
Your first day of employment is an induction and training day. The day will include the following:
1 Overview of the company; our expectations and our clients’ expectations.

2 General and welfare induction. This will introduce staff to the nature of summer school work,
contractual requirements, statutory Health and Safety briefings, school rules and student welfare
briefings.
3 Job specific inductions. Members of staff will split into groups with different members of the
management team.
4 Activity, excursion and transfer training. The Course Director and/or the Activity Manager will take
staff through the key components of the activity programme; how to conduct an airport transfer;
welfare on excursions.
5 Tour of the campus.
Getting Paid
You will have completed and returned an Employee Record Form giving us your bank details. Your salary will be
paid directly into your UK bank account. Pay dates for 2008 are 18th July and 22nd August. Employees whose
contracts expire prior to one of these dates will be paid in common with all other employees on the next fixed
pay date.
Where no UK bank account has been provided, payment will be made by cheque.
You will be asked to complete a weekly timesheet and submit this to the Course Director. Payment can only be
made after receipt of this completed claim form. All pay claims must be made before the end of the period of
employment. Failure to submit a pay claim during the period of employment may result in non payment.
Claims for any additional work or overtime must be authorised by the Course Director and Recruitment Manager.
These claims must be made during the period of employment otherwise non payment may result.
It is your responsibility to provide ISIS with the appropriate Inland Revenue form: P45, P46 or P38. If you do not
have a P45 from a previous employer and are not a UK student, you should complete a P46. If you are a UK
student who works only in the summer, you should complete a P38. Blank copies of P46s or P38s will be
available at the centre. Alternatively, download from the following links:
www.hmrc.gov.uk/forms/p46.pdf
www.hmrc.gov.uk/forms/p38s.pdf
Staff arriving from overseas should complete a P86. If you are then returning back overseas, you need to
complete a P85. These will enable you to claim back any tax due to you. ISIS does not handle tax claims for
employees: it is the employee’s responsibility to claim back any tax due. Forms P85/P86 are available from the
HMRC website:
http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/cnr/r_and_d.htm
If you fail to provide any of the above forms, you face being taxed at the basic rate.
Self-Employed Status
During their period of employment staff are considered employees of ISIS Education and Travel. As such self-
employed status cannot be claimed.
6 The Language Programme
Course Aims
Our publicised aims and syllabus details are :
ISIS Summer Schools provide a structured course that aims to help achieve significant improvement in each
student's use of the English language.
Communication is a key aspect and students are encouraged to interact at every level and as frequently as
possible.
Studying in an English language environment allows students to build confidence in their abilities while at the
same time improving pronunciation from time spent with a native speaker.
Students gain an insight into the practical usage of the language as well as making improvements in their
fluency and accuracy.
The ISIS Syllabus
The syllabus combines the following main language areas:
• Key skills practice (speaking, listening, reading and writing)

• Lexical input
• Grammatical structures work
• Improvement of pronunciation and understanding of phonology
• Certain functional areas of usage
ISIS is also keen to utilise the environment in which students learn and consequently there is a strong cultural
theme to the lessons, with trips and excursions tied closely to language studies.
Principles behind the ISIS Syllabus
The syllabus is designed to provide teachers with a framework of lessons with which to teach five levels
(elementary, pre-intermediate, intermediate, upper intermediate and advanced). Each level includes
grammatical, functional, lexical and pronunciation content and is broken into around 25 lessons.
We have provided around 25 lessons in order to give at least three weeks’ input. To see how the lessons fit into
the timetable please refer to the ISIS National English Framework.
The material detailed in each lesson is not assigned to a single teacher or a period of the timetable – partner
teachers are expected to discuss the week’s requirements and take responsibility for the sections they would
prefer to teach.
They should also decide on which lessons are most suitable for the class – the 25 lessons are ordered generally
in terms of difficulty. Therefore if a Pre-intermediate class is formed on test day but is felt to be mid-range in that
level (rather than very good Elementary students) then the DOS should direct the teachers to begin half-way
through the Pre-intermediate syllabus and thereby push the students with harder material.
For each language item or language task there is a corresponding resource reference. The core textbooks for all
the levels come from the Cutting Edge and Clockwise series, while a number of supplementary textbooks will
also be available in all centres. There are also a series of ISIS Supplementary Files that provide a range of
materials from different sources :
• Supplementary Resource File

• Language Activities File Pronunciation File
• Project File Link
• Lessons File
7 Teacher Guidelines
Where to begin
Each class will have 2 teachers but it is not specified in the module what each teacher should cover. This
introduces a level of flexibility for the teachers allowing them to teach to their strengths and interests. It is clearly
essential, however, that teachers liaise with one another. This is not only a practical necessity but good teaching
practice as it will provide an, albeit informal, forum for exchanging views on the classes and students that
teachers are sharing, and also for swapping teaching ideas and expertise.
The DOS should tell the teachers where to begin the syllabus. A previous example was of three Intermediate
classes which had been carefully placed so that there were Lower, Mid and Higher bandings within Intermediate.
Start the Lowers on lesson 1, Mids on 9 and Highers on 17. This will allow more difficult lessons for those who
can take it. The Highers may go onto the start of the Upper Intermediate syllabus in their second week, the
Lowers may have been nervous in the exam and can be handed more difficult work if they can handle it. The
DOS must start the process when they hand the class list to the teacher but must then also make sure the
teacher is conscious of the level of the class.
Timetable ‘zig-zag’ centres:

Lesson 1 09.00 – 10.30 Lesson 3 14.00 – 15.30
Break Break
Lesson 2 11.00 – 12.30 Lesson 4 16.00 – 17.30
There may be slight variations on this at some centres.
Timetable TA Centres:
Lesson 1 09.00 – 10.30
Break
Lesson 2 11.00 – 12.30
Afternoon activities 14.00 onwards
Assessment
Throughout the syllabus there is assessment of the learner in order to give an accurate appraisal of their ability
and help them improve their skills. An assessment task is provided in the syllabus and the teacher need only
monitor the activity and discreetly assign a mark to each student. Marking is limited to: MERIT, PASS, FAIL.
Marks to be noted on the Assessment Record for the class.
The assessment marks then provide a basis for the teacher to write the student’s report card at the end of their
course.
Some students will have elected to do the Trinity Spoken English exams. Those students taking the exam will be
given 2 90-minute preparation sessions before their exam. The sessions will take place outside of regular class
times. Information on the Trinity exams can be found at www.trinitycollege.co.uk
Link Lessons
The link lesson leaflets will be available in centre with a copy for each student. The DOS should liaise with the
AM and inform teachers of which trips they should be pre-empting with the leaflets but everyone should be
reassured that most students take the same trips even if this occurs on different days. Teachers should be
encouraged to use only one leaflet per lesson. Please note these activities must be completed but the teacher
can choose to replace the activity with a suitable replacement.
ISIS Gazette
The ISIS Gazette is a project designed to give students the chance to record their experiences during their stay
and at the same time improve their fluency. Each student is supplied with an A3 folded sheet in the student
notebook, which provides the cover of the gazette. Teachers should then encourage students to complete A4
pages with information on excursions, on-site activities, what they have studied in lessons, new friends they
have met and the gossip from their own group. Interviews with ISIS staff or the general public (on excursions)
could also be used while photos from tourist guides and other publications should be added to make it more
colourful.
If students prefer to work together to complete one gazette (a maximum of three people per gazette should be
maintained) teachers should look to encourage equal participation. When possible, it would be preferable that
different nationalities are mixed within the groups. At the end of the course the teacher can then copy the
finished pages so that each member of the group has a complete gazette to take home.
Enough work should be completed to turn out a substantial piece of work but teachers should take care to make
sure that the time spent on the gazette is productive. Students should be given an end goal for each project
session (i.e. ‘by the end of the lesson I will have completed my review of last night’s film’), rather than be allowed
to have a slow session relaxing in their native tongue.
Pronunciation
Pronunciation should be a feature of every lesson in one-way or another, or at least always be in the back of a
teacher’s mind. However, specific reference is made to it in the modules in an attempt to systematise
pronunciation teaching and make sure it takes place. Although it is set out separately in the module,
pronunciation should be part of the framework of other language learning activities. There are introductory
lessons in the student workbooks which all students should complete during their stay.
Games
No games have been included in the syllabus as such. The reasoning is not that games cannot play an effective
part in learning but that they are frequently overused and are a major source of complaint on the part of our
clients.
All staff are directed to provide lessons that are demanding, well-paced and include a range of effective
materials.
Resources
The core textbooks that support the syllabus, a range of well-known supplementary books (Communication
Games, Reward Resource Packs and others), as will as the ISIS series of supplementary files, listed above, are
available at all centres.
Teachers will have full access to a photocopier. They are, however, requested to keep copying down to a
minimum and to observe copyright guidelines. These are located on the staff notice board. It is particularly
important that sourcing is recorded on all copied materials.
Resources, photocopied or published, that are used in class can affect the image of ISIS and the quality of
tuition it provides. No materials that may offend students or other staff members should be introduced into the
centre. All photocopies should be as neat as possible. Failure to do so will be considered as inappropriate
preparation.
CD and cassette players are available at all centres. Video and DVD equipment is also available with prior
arrangement.
Computer and IT facilities are limited. In most centres teachers will have access to a PC and printer. However,
teachers and students will not be able to engage in IT based lessons.
Learner Training : Using the ISIS Student Workbook

In 2007 the student workbook was updated to include more resources and structure for students. Students
should return home with a completed book that can be used for revision in the future. The main sections are as
follows :
Welfare: students should complete P3 on receipt of the book (either in induction or the first
lesson) and go through the information on Living in the UK.
Grammar: a basic grammar review is provided on P4-7.
Pronunciation: P35-37 contain three exercises on introduction to the phonemic chart. Teacher’s
guidance is provided in the appendix to the DOS Operations Book. The chart is also
reproduced on each study page.
Contacts List: Inside the back cover is space for students to make note of new friends they have made
during their stay.
Generally the workbook has been redesigned to incorporate aspects of learner training, that is to encourage
students to become better learners and examine the way in which they learn. Aspects of learner training and
how to exploit the student workbook will be covered in the induction.
Homework
Given the students’ full activity programme, you are advised not to set homework. As part of the Link Lesson
students may be given tasks to complete while on an excursion, however.
Administration
We have tried to keep academic administration and paperwork to a minimum and teachers are minimally
required to complete the following:
• Class register
• Daily work record
• Assessment record
• Student report card & certificate
All staff are required to complete a weekly timesheet.
Student Absences and Lateness

Please inform the DOS as soon as possible if a student is absent. This should be done before the end of the first
class from which the student is absent. Consistent lateness should also be brought to the attention of the DOS.
Student Movement
Despite our best efforts during the placement test, some students will need to change level. This must be done
in consultation with the DOS.
Student Discipline
Teenagers will be teenagers, and more so when away from home for a couple of weeks. The plus side is that
they will be in high spirits, full of fun and energy and therefore fun to teach. However, there are potential
problems with discipline, non-cooperation, bullying and vandalism. If these are issues, the DOS, Group Leaders
and Course Director are there to help you.
8 Teacher Development
Teacher Observations
The DOS or an Academic Manager will aim to observe each teacher once during the summer. You should be
given at least 24 hours’ notice of an observation. Observations will take between 45-60 minutes. You should
expect to receive feedback the same day and be given a written copy of the feedback. We intend for the
observations to be developmental and for the feedback to be constructive.
Where a problem with teaching is identified, either from observation or feedback, there may be subsequent
observations. The DOS in consultation with the teacher and an Academic Manager will then establish a plan of
action. Please see the Teaching and Working Standards checklist below.
Should operational conditions allow, the DOS will set up a schedule of peer observations.
Seminars & Workshops

After the inevitably busy first week teaching staff will be able to take part in a seminar programme. This will take
place once a week. It is envisaged that the workshops and seminars will focus on an area selected by the
teaching staff. Popular sessions in recent years have been: ‘Increasing Use of English in the Classroom’,
‘Vocabulary Games’, ‘Project Lessons’, ‘Phonology’, or ‘Teaching Young Learners’, ‘Minimum Preparation,
Maximum Output’ and ‘Communicative Grammar’.
Copies of the Teacher Development Booklet, offering a range of articles from ELT publications will be available
in the staff room.
Teaching and Working Standards

The job specification sets out broadly what is required from members of the teaching staff. Additionally, teachers
will need to demonstrate in their classroom practice the following core skills.
Lesson Planning
• Variety of input and methods of learning
• Suitable staging and timing of activities
• Consideration of student needs
• For observations by the DoS or an ISIS Academic Manager, a complete lesson plan including aims,
timings, foreseeable problems, staging, interaction patterns
Aims and Achievement

• Multiple achievable aims for each lesson, clearly stated
Exploitation of Material
• Development of basic material past the instructions given in the material and teacher’s book
• Adequate staging and pre- and post-activities to incorporate set material into given lesson
• Generally imaginative and positive approach to use of all materials
Presentation of Material
• Professionally presented: no excessive photocopy shadow
• Full sourcing of materials
• Clear instructions on activities and exercises
• Proofread materials
Instructions
• Clear, concise and delivered with the appropriate level of English
• Delivered to all class members
• Concept checked
• Exemplified where necessary
Monitoring
• Unobtrusive
• Even-handed
• Includes note-taking of errors where necessary
Feedback
• Student-centred
• Even-handed
• Analytical approach to assessing why answers are correct or incorrect
• Efficient in use of time and pace of lesson
Error Correction
• Applied to all activities and stages of lessons where appropriate
• Even-handed
• Completed sensitively
• Use of peer correction techniques
Board Work
• Clear and legible
• Planned
• Effective and efficient
Phonology
• Use of drilling
• Use of phonological techniques to all activities and stages of lessons where appropriate
Teacher Presence & Effect

• Supportive, encouraging, confident, knowledge
• Maintenance of an efficient and effective pace
• Maintenance of an enjoyable and inclusive learning environment
• Sensitive to cultural and personal differences, rapport with all students
TTT/STT
• Student-centred lessons aiming to increase STT wherever possible
• Aim to reduce TTT as much as possible
• Employment of various interaction patterns
Classroom Management
• Awareness of correct usage of classroom tools
• Awareness of interaction patterns and placement of students
• Awareness of arrangement of classroom and furniture
• Maintenance of discipline – in the event of repeated problems with discipline speak to the DoS
• Use of student names
9 Disciplinary Matters
ISIS Education and Travel expects a reasonable standard of performance and conduct from its employees.
Where these standards are not met, disciplinary action may result. The job specifications largely set out what
you are required to do and it is not practical to specify all the disciplinary rules and offences that may result in
disciplinary action being taken. However, the following form an important part of your contract of employment:
Health and Safety

Employees must at all times abide by the general health and safety rules and procedures in place at the centre.
No action should be taken by employees which threaten the health and safety of themselves, other employees,
students or members of the public.
Absence and Timekeeping

Staff should arrive punctually for work. Lateness on more than 1 occasion in a week may result in disciplinary
action being taken.
If you are to be absent from work, you must notify a manager as soon as possible. Leaving work before the
specified finish time with authorisation from a manager will be considered unauthorised leave.
Teachers are expected to remain with their class during class time. Classes should be fully prepared before their
commencement. Personal tasks are not to be carried out during lesson time.
Teaching and Working Standards

Failure to meet these standard as set out above and in the job specification may result in disciplinary action
being taken.
Behaviour At Work
All staff are required to behave civilly and with respect towards colleagues, members of College staff, students,
group leaders and members of the public.
All reasonable instructions from a manager must be followed. Failure to do so may be considered gross
insubordination.
Statements of a racist, sexist or defamatory nature will be treated as a serious breach of staff rules and will not
be tolerated.
Behaviour Outside Work

ISIS expects its employees to maintain the highest standards of behaviour and personal conduct at all times and
not engage in behaviour that will discredit the company or bring it into disrepute.
Furthermore, employees will not engage in any behaviour that will bring ISIS into disrepute.
Centre Property
Use of centre property for any purpose other than ISIS company business is not permitted. Centre property is
not to be taken away from the centre without prior approval.
Confidentiality
At no time shall an employee enter into discussion with its clients in regard to its confidential commercial terms.
Employees shall not disclose or make use of for their private advantage any information not generally available
to the public which they may acquire in the course of their duties.
Confidential information shall include (but is not limited to):
• Information concerning the services offered or provided by ISIS including the names of any persons,
companies or other organisations to whom such services are provided, their requirements and the terms
upon which services are provided to them;
• ISIS’s marketing strategies and business plans;
• Financial information relating to ISIS;
• Any information which you have been told is confidential or which you might reasonably expect to be
confidential.
Copyright
The copyright of course materials and all documents required by ISIS as part of your employment shall belong to
ISIS.
Disciplinary Procedures Outline

The disciplinary procedures will ensure that:
1. All employees are aware of the standards of performance, action and behaviour required of them.
2. Failure to comply with the performance standards may result in disciplinary action.
3. Disciplinary action, where necessary, shall be taken speedily and in a fair, uniform and consistent
manner.
4. An employee will only be the subject of disciplinary action after careful investigation of the facts and the
opportunity to present his/her case.
5. At any stage of the disciplinary process an employee has the right to be accompanied by a fellow
employee.
6. Normally an employee will not be dismissed for a first breach of discipline except in cases of gross
misconduct.
7. An employee who is the subject of the disciplinary process will receive an explanation of the disciplinary
action taken and reminded of their right to appeal against this action.
Unsatisfactory conduct
1st occasion Verbal warning
2nd occasion Written warning
3rd occasion Final written warning
4th occasion Dismissal
Misconduct
1st occasion Verbal warning
2nd occasion Written warning
3rd occasion Dismissal
Gross misconduct
1st occasion Dismissal
The following examples may be considered instances of gross misconduct, but is not an exhaustive list:
• Grossly indecent or immoral behaviour.

• Dangerous behaviour, fighting or assault.
• Deliberate falsification of any record, including timesheets and pay claims
• Undertaking private work at the centre without prior permission
• Theft of property belonging to ISIS, its employees, its clients or the College.
• Serious breaches of health and safety protocol.
• Gross insubordination and/or refusal to follow reasonable instructions given by a supervisor.
• Introduction of illegal drugs into the centre.
• Incapacity at work or poor performance at work due to the taking of alcohol or drugs.
• Supplying drugs or alcohol to students.
• Being drunk in the presence of clients.
• Any relationship with a student that is deemed to be anything other than professional will result in instant
dismissal and may be liable to prosecution.
Appeals
An employee has a right to lodge an appeal in respect of any disciplinary action taken. If the employee wishes to
exercise this right, an application should be made within 2 working days of the disciplinary announcement. The
employee should state why the penalty imposed is felt to be too severe and/or that the employee is innocent of
the stated offence.
Employee Complaints and Grievances
If you have a grievance relating to your employment, you are entitled to take this up with the Company. In the
first instance this should be done with your manager and raised orally. In the event that the grievance relates to
your immediate line manager, the grievance should be referred to the immediate line manager’s own manager
or, alternatively, with the Recruitment Manager at head office.
ISIS National English Framework
The ISIS National English Framework aims to provide ISIS students across the UK with a challenging and rewarding English
course which ties into the busy activity programme that all groups enjoy. The NEF is tied to the Common European Frame-
work in order for students to more easily transfer credits and study experience between institutions around the world.
The NEF includes :

• A wide range of skills work
• New functional, grammatical and lexical material in all lessons
• On-going assessment of learner abilities
• Bench-mark assessments in spoken, written, aural and reading skills
• Detailed link lessons for all levels to preview half-day and full-day excursions in all centres
A sample two-week academic programme follows, including twenty 90-minute academic sessions taught by two teachers.
The Testing - includes a multiple choice test, a written com-

The Basic Lesson - teachers select from 20 lesson plans suitable to
position and a detailed oral test. This test will also tell us
the level and use them to teach for a 90 minute slot.
what Trinity level the student is.
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
Link Link
Lesson Lesson
1st Testing Lesson Lesson Lesson Lesson Lesson Lesson Lesson
Gazette Gazette
Link Link
Lesson Lesson
2nd Induction Lesson Lesson Lesson Lesson Lesson Lesson Lesson
Gazette Gazette
The Link Lesson - a selection of hand-outs tied directly to the cen-

The Induction - this session will include basic survival infor- tre’s programme (20-30 minutes)
mation as well as more details on the academic system and
what will be included in the activity programme. The Gazette - the written section of the course and unique record of
the summer.
The NEF operates a full range of levels which are linked to the Common European Framework, Trinity College London GESE
Tests and the Cambridge ESOL Main Suite Examinations :
NEF Levels CEF TCL GESE Cambridge
Beginner - A1 0-1
Elementary 1/2 A1-A2 2-3

KET
Preintermediate 1/2 A2-B1 4-5
PET
Intermediate B1-B2 6-7
Upper Intermediate B2 8-9 FCE
Advanced C1-2 10-12 CAE-CPE
For more details on the NEF please contact Mark Hitchcock at mark@isisgroup.co.uk or visit www.isisgroup.co.uk
ISIS National English Framework
How to apply the syllabus
• The key factor in the design of the syllabus is to give all classes a meaningful and demanding series of lessons.
• The syllabus is intended to provide carefully balanced lessons, sourced to suitable materials.
• Teachers are provided with 24 lesson plans for each of five levels from Elementary to Advanced. The DOS should in-
form teachers which syllabus to use with their class and also identify where a class might begin one syllabus half-way
through and then complete the course with the next level syllabus.
• Teachers should avoid jumping around the syllabus too much, i.e using lesson 10 followed by 3, followed 17. The sylla-
bus is designed to be followed in sequence provided as there is a general increase in difficulty.
• Each lesson includes an assessment that should be completed by every class with the listed material. The activity
should be completed in the same way as an Activate (of ESA) or Practice (of PPP) stage of a normal lesson. The assess-
ment gives the teacher confirmation that the student has been able to successfully use the lesson’s language focus. A
repeated failure to do this would suggest the student is in the wrong lesson and should be reported to the DOS. Ideally
the teachers would identify any students who are in the wrong level at the end of the first day’s lessons.
• The Lesson Plan is actually more of an overview and the timings, presentation and supplementary materials should be
decided upon by the teacher. The DOS will of course be able to provide support in this area.
A Sample Lesson Plan
Lessons are generally organised by level of diffi- Five levels are available ; Elementary, Suggested materials are listed here.
culty - so lesson 19 should be more demanding Pre-intermediate, Intermediate, Up- Other materials may be used if the
than lesson 3. A better PreInt class might start per Intermediate and Advanced. For teacher has an alternative but it
from lesson 14 and even end the course with the Beginners the DOS will assign must maintain or improve the level
the first few lessons from Intermediate. separate materials. of the lesson.
Lesson No. 3 Level : PREINTERMEDIATE
Aims Describing personality and appearance Clockwise Unit 3 P34
Vocabulary Parts of the body, adjectives of shape See above

& compound adjectives
Grammar / Function Compound adjective structure See above
Pronunciation +ed endings See above
Assessment Students to describe people in the café ISIS Resource File P47
portrait to their partners (15 minute)
The teacher receives a short note of the assessment structure along with
The Assessment - every lesson includes a short as-
some directions on set-up. In this example students present a pictiure to
sessment of each student. This is not an individual
their partner and the teacher gives a mark of COMPLETE, PARTIAL or FAIL
test but more of a recorded check that the student is
for their capability at the task. The marking is not completed publicly and the
capable to using the language presented in the lesson.
marks are not advertised. It equates to the final stage of a PPP lessons.
For more details on the NEF please contact Mark Hitchcock at mark@isisgroup.co.uk or visit www.isisgroup.co.uk
Job Specification Non-Residential Teacher Activity Leader
Background
Students attending our summer schools receive a combination of 15 hours English language tuition per week and a
comprehensive programme of activities and excursions. The activity programme will include daytime and evening activities and
day excursions at the weekend to attractions and places of cultural and historical interest.
The summer school environment is challenging but can also be very enjoyable and rewarding in terms of the relationships you
form and the experience you gain. The personal qualities referred to below are as important as your professional qualifications.
The Working Week

A Non Residential EFL Teacher - Activity Leader will teach 15 hours per week comprising 2 90-minute lessons per day. Teaching
in most centres takes place Monday – Friday. An EFL Teacher – Activity Leader will also work 7 non-teaching sessions per
week, in most cases this will involve accompanying students on 1 full day excursion per week at the weekend (counting as 2
sessions) plus 5 further non-teaching sessions. Sessions, on average, last 3.5 hours. There will be 1 full day off, to be taken at the
weekend.
Qualifications
The following are essential:
• Aged 18 or over
• Eligible to live and work in the UK
• Native or native level English speaker
• Either CELTA, Trinity TESOL (or equivalent) and/or BEd or PGCE.
Other TEFL qualifications may be acceptable if they have been validated by an external body and include
a minimum of 6 hours observed teaching practice. One – day, weekend, online or distance learning
courses are not considered CELTA/Trinity equivalents.
• Flexibility and adaptability
• Ability and desire to work as part of a team
• Excellent communication skills
• Enthusiasm to participate in the activity programme
• Reasonable level of physical fitness as the post requires substantial amounts of walking on excursions, and
carrying of equipment in order to set up activities
Ideally, applicants will have:

• A first degree
• Post-qualification teaching experience
• Experience of teaching junior students
• Experience of teaching in a summer school setting
Salary from £315 per week depending on experience
Responsible to Course Director, Director of Studies, Activity Manager
Main Duties & Responsibilities
Teaching and academic matters: Residential EFL Teacher – Activity Leaders are expected to:
• Teach 15 hours per week
• Prepare and deliver lessons with the aim of achieving the objectives and outcomes of the syllabus
• Make every effort to create a positive learning effort such that students are able to participate purposefully in
the lessons
• Encourage student participation by being positive and enthusiastic about activities in which they are involved
• Employ teaching techniques appropriate to the level and needs of the students
Job Specification Non-Residential Teacher Activity Leader
• Effectively manage students and their behaviour

• Maintain class registers and work records on a daily basis
• Administer and mark course assessment tasks
• Complete end of course student certificates and reports
• Arrive punctually for classes ie before the lesson begins
• Assist the Director of Studies with student testing and placement
• Assist in the effective running of the language programme as directed by the Director of Studies
• Agree to be observed by the Director of Studies or an ISIS Academic Manager
Other duties: Residential EFL Teacher – Activity Leaders are expected to:
• Work 7 non-teaching sessions per week (see above)
• Organise and implement a wide range of activities during daytimes, afternoons and evenings as directed by
the Activity Manager
• Promote the activity programme
• Participate in, lead and supervise activities
• Take responsibility for, or joint responsibility for, excursions
• Guide students on excursions
• Assist with airport transfers and student arrivals and departures
• Assist in the setting up and running of the centre as directed by a member of the senior staff
• Supervise students during meal times as per the weekly rota as part of the 12 sessions to be worked
• Where required, assist group leaders settle students at the end of the night
• Where required, assist group leaders get students up in the morning
• In some centres, patrol accommodation areas until lights out when children are settled
• Respond to general emergencies at all times
• Maintain proper levels of student discipline, safety and welfare
Job Specification Residential EFL Teacher - Activity Leader
Background
Students attending our summer schools receive a combination of 15 hours English language tuition per week and a comprehensive
programme of activities and excursions. The activity programme will include daytime and evening activities and day excursions at the
weekend to attractions and places of cultural and historical interest.
The summer school environment is challenging but can also be very enjoyable and rewarding in terms of the relationships you form
and the experience you gain. The personal qualities referred to below are as important as your professional qualifications.
The Working Week

A Residential EFL Teacher - Activity Leader will teach 15 hours per week comprising 2 90-minute lessons per day. Teaching in most
centres takes place Monday – Friday. An EFL Teacher – Activity Leader will also work 7 non-teaching sessions per week, in most
cases this will involve accompanying students on 1 full day excursion per week at the weekend (counting as 2 sessions) plus 5 further
non – teaching sessions. Non – teaching sessions last, on average, 3.5 hours. There will be 1 full day off, to be taken at the weekend.
Qualifications
• Aged 18 or over
• Reasonable level of physical fitness as the post requires substantial amounts of walking on excursions, and
carrying of equipment in order to set up activities

• A first degree
Teaching and academic matters: Residential EFL Teacher – Activity Leaders are expected to:
• Make every effort to create a positive learning effort such that students are able to participate purposefully in the
lessons
• Encourage student participation by being positive and enthusiastic about activities in which they are involved
Job Specification Residential EFL Teacher - Activity Leader

Other duties: Residential EFL Teacher – Activity Leaders are expected to:
• Work 7 non-teaching sessions per week (see above)
• Organise and implement a wide range of activities during daytimes, afternoons and evenings as directed by the
Activity Manager
• Promote the activity programme
• Participate in, lead and supervise activities
• Take responsibility for, or joint responsibility for, excursions
• Guide students on excursions
• Supervise students during meal times as per the weekly rota as part of the 12 sessions to be worked
• Where required, assist group leaders settle students at the end of the night
• Where required, assist group leaders get students up in the morning
• In some centres, patrol accommodation areas until lights out when children are settled
Job Specification Non - Residential EFL Teacher
Background
comprehensive programme of activities and excursions. The activity programme will include daytime and evening activities
and day excursions at the weekend to attractions and places of cultural and historical interest.
The Working Week

A Non-Residential EFL Teacher will have 30 contact teaching hours per week comprising 4 90-minute lessons per day.
Teaching in most centres takes place Monday – Friday.
Qualifications
• Aged 18 or over
• Reasonable level of physical fitness as the post requires substantial amounts of walking on excursions,
and carrying of equipment in order to set up activities

• A first degree
Responsible to Course Director, Director of Studies

Non-Residential EFL Teachers are required to:
• Make every effort to create a positive learning environment such that students are able to participate
purposefully in the lessons
• Encourage student participation by being positive and enthusiastic about activities in which they are
involved
Job Specification Non - Residential EFL Teacher
Other duties:
• Assist in the setting up and running of the centre as directed by a member of senior staff
• Respond to general emergencies at all times when on site
Job Specification Residential EFL Teacher
Background
comprehensive programme of activities and excursions. The activity programme will include daytime and evening activities
and day excursions at the weekend to attractions and places of cultural and historical interest.
The Working Week

A Residential EFL Teacher will have 30 contact teaching hours per week comprising 4 90-minute lessons per day. Teaching in
most centres takes place Monday – Friday. A Residential EFL Teacher will also work on 2 non-teaching sessions per week:
either 1 full-day excursion at the weekend or 2 evening sessions during the week. Each session is approximately 3.5 hours.
There will be 1 full-day off per week, usually to be taken at the weekend.
Qualifications
• Aged 18 or over
• Reasonable level of physical fitness as the post requires substantial amounts of walking on excursions,
and carrying of equipment in order to set up activities

• A first degree
Teaching and academic matters: Residential EFL Teachers are expected to:
• Make every effort to create a positive learning environment such that students are able to participate
purposefully in the lessons
• Encourage student participation by being positive and enthusiastic about activities in which they are
involved
Job Specification Residential EFL Teacher
Other duties: Residential EFL Teachers are expected to work 2 non-teaching sessions per week. In so doing
they may be required to:
• Accompany and supervise students on a full day excursion on 1 day at the weekend
• Supervise 2 evening sessions as directed by one of the management team
• Accompany students and group leaders to and from the airport on their arrival/departure
• Supervise students during meal times

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ISIS Education & Travel

EFL Teacher &

Currently, the company comprises the following businesses:

ISIS Education and Travel – junior summer schools

Details of the above can be found on our website: www.isisgroup.co.uk

3 The ISIS Summer Schools

Italian Co-ordinator Activity Manager Director of Studies

Individual Co-ordinator Activity Leaders EFL Teacher-Activity Leaders EFL Teachers

Why do students come?

“to have fun”

4 ISIS Summer Centre Staff Structure

EFL Teachers and EFL Teacher-Activity Leaders

R D Night • Using English in real - life situa-

Week Two Morning Afternoon Evening

EXTRA STUDY OPTIONS

The language work completed on excur-

Week Two Morning Afternoon Evening

and enjoys a pass rate of 97%.

EXTRA STUDY OPTIONS

trips included in their activity programme.

You will need to bring:

1 Overview of the company; our expectations and our clients’ expectations.

6 The Language Programme

The ISIS Syllabus

The syllabus combines the following main language areas:

• Key skills practice (speaking, listening, reading and writing)

• Supplementary Resource File

Timetable ‘zig-zag’ centres:

There may be slight variations on this at some centres.

Learner Training : Using the ISIS Student Workbook

Grammar: a basic grammar review is provided on P4-7.

All staff are required to complete a weekly timesheet.

Student Absences and Lateness

Seminars & Workshops

Teaching and Working Standards

Aims and Achievement

Teacher Presence & Effect

Health and Safety

Absence and Timekeeping

Teaching and Working Standards

Behaviour Outside Work

Confidential information shall include (but is not limited to):

Disciplinary Procedures Outline

• Grossly indecent or immoral behaviour.

Employee Complaints and Grievances

The NEF includes :

The Testing - includes a multiple choice test, a written com-

The Link Lesson - a selection of hand-outs tied directly to the cen-

NEF Levels CEF TCL GESE Cambridge

Elementary 1/2 A1-A2 2-3

Upper Intermediate B2 8-9 FCE

Advanced C1-2 10-12 CAE-CPE

A Sample Lesson Plan

Lesson No. 3 Level : PREINTERMEDIATE

Aims Describing personality and appearance Clockwise Unit 3 P34

Vocabulary Parts of the body, adjectives of shape See above

Grammar / Function Compound adjective structure See above

Pronunciation +ed endings See above

The Working Week

Ideally, applicants will have:

Salary from £315 per week depending on experience

Responsible to Course Director, Director of Studies, Activity Manager

Main Duties & Responsibilities