DOS and administrator courses

[orangutan]

I have seen a number of courses for training Directors of Studies and language school administrators, and was wondering if anybody can give me some idea of how they are regarded and how useful they are for people who are going to fill these positions. I am thinking in particular of the courses offered by International House.

[systematic]

In my experience, DOS positions are usually promoted from within. In any case, advertised posts are extremely rare. To be a DOS of a small to medium sized language school would probably not require much more knowledge of how things are done than you would already have picked up by having been employed as a teacher. However, if you feel you would need to acquire special skills in leadership and/or (especially) teacher training or teacher performance assessment, you may find such a course helpful.

If you were thinking of the DELTA, modules 1 and 2, you may wish to consider if there are any foreseeable career opportunities that would provide an ROI on the relatively high course fees.

[orangutan]

Thank you, this is (once again) very helpful. I agree that ROI on something like the Delta does not look promising. I was actually thinking of the more modest 1-week course offered by International House. As a relatively experienced teacher I would hope that I have most of the knowledge needed for a DoS, but lack of experience in that role counts against me - so I am looking for something which employers will find reassuring, and which will protect me from rookie mistakes once appointed. Promotion from within does not apply in my case.

[systematic]

If promotion from within does not apply, one approach would be to follow job ads for DOS positions and establish what trend in qualifications appears to exist. However, it is rare to see DOS jobs advertised.