Terms of Reference: get your ducks in a row to waddle ahead
Covid and its economic aftermath has led to an increase in the numbers of investors and board members approaching us to enquire about IGE’s support services for international schools. Once past the discussion having recognised that we have the skills and experience required, we move on to price. Quoting for the delivery of 2 days CPD, or 3 days accreditation preparation is straight forward. Quoting for wrap-around business and education support for existing schools, or for school start-ups, however, requires details that oftentimes the client is not yet clear on themselves. Clearly written Terms of Reference, and Project Scope are essential for pricing and in this article I discuss what they are, why you need them, and assure you that writing these is a service we provide.
Learning from Australia’s Indigenous People’s approaches to land management.
Author: Paul Ellmes
Short termism isn’t seen as the poor choice anymore, such is the zeitgeist. Many international schools seem to think no longer than a teacher’s contract, but their market a child’s life for 11 years. The aborigines thought in decades, and through their use of fire for land management, millennia. International schools, burnt by Covid-19 should seize the opportunity to adopt the longer view, of The Biggest Estate on Earth.
Business leadership: can all the principles be applied in International Schools?
Author: Paul Ellmes
Schools, recognised for the stability and predictability of their social role, have had that expectation reinforced by the pandemic, which has also cemented Amazon, a 21st C company, in our lives. School managers and leaders may be inspired by business, but can all business management principles be adopted or adapted to the running of international schools?
Flight 2020: lessons for the management of schools.
Authors: Paul Ellmes & Jen Light
Unlike pilots, principals are not expected to have, or to exercise all the skills necessary to take an international school through its stages from startup to possible sale. Instead, they are often the co-pilot ensuring nothing disturbs the trajectory. So what happens when they encounter turbulence?
Shenzen’s empty streets: China’s fight with Covid-19
Author: Neil Bunting
IGE’s Executive Team bring their own accounts of Covid-19’s affects on the societies they live in, and the international schools there. Neil writes of the response in Shenzen in March 2020, as the UK was beginning to experience the affects of its first wave.
Open all hours: the vibrancy found in Asia’s cities
Author: Neil Bunting
Travellers to SE Asia can’t but be amazed by the hustle and bustle of life in the cities, and Neil gives readers a glimpse of the cornucopia of sights and sounds to experience. Little did he realise that within three months, China’s streets would be deserted.
Do I see myself in the ME as an international educator?
Author: Neil Bunting
We all have our understanding influenced by the mainstream media, and perhaps no region is that more true of than the Middle East. Each of IGE’s Executive Team have worked in the ME, and will tell you that it’s an amazing part of the world.
Qualities international educators find helpful
Author: Neil Bunting
Moving to a new place can be daunting; how much more when that move involves going to a different culture overseas. Our Executive Team educators have all done this, and our advice for those going overseas for the first time might help you settle.