The six Associations that constitute the European Federation each bring together national institutions for the teaching of native languages. The Federation’s aim is to apply European quality standards for teaching, service and accommodation. ASILS is a founder member of ELITE

• attraverso lo scambio di informazioni fra i suoi membri;
• attraverso la propria promozione al pubblico;
• attraverso la partecipazione come gruppo a fiere e convegni
• attraverso l'applicazione della Carta di Qualità
  

ITALIA: ASILS
(Associazione Scuole d'Italiano come Lingua Seconda)

REGNO UNITO : ARELS
(Association of Recognised English Language Services)

PORTOGALLO: AEPLE
(Associaçao de Escolas Privadas de Português Lingua Estraingeira)

SPAGNA: AEEA
(Asociaciòn de Escuelas de Español para Extranjeros de Andalucia)

I membri della federazione pensano che, al momento, nessun' altra lingua europea venga insegnata ad un numero sufficiente di studenti stranieri tale da rendere realistica la possibilità di assistere alla creazione di nuove associazioni nei paesi in cui tali lingue sono lingua madre.

Ciononostante, i membri della federazione sono convinti della vitale necessità dell'apprendimento delle lingue. Essi credono che esista una domanda crescente per questo e che l'aumento del numero delle scuole, al fine di rispondere a questa domanda, avrà come conseguenza la presenza in futuro di nuovi membri all'interno federazione. Ciò potrebbe verificarsi con l'entrata di nuovi membri europei ma, più in là nel tempo, anche con l'entrata di nuovi membri di altre parti del mondo, facendo sì che la federazione si sviluppi dalla presente forma europea in organizzazione globale.

The quality charter of the European Federation of National Associations for Teaching mother tongues is accepted as the common standard of professional excellence by all national associations within the European Federation. The purpose of the introduction of the charter is to encourage the learning of the mother tongues of the countries represented in the federation and, specifically, to encourage learning to take place in the countries where the language is spoken. The wider objective in the encouragement of a high level of professionalism in language teaching, and so a greater degree of competence in language learning, is to facilitate and increase social, cultural and economic interchange within the countries of Europe and between the countries of Europe and the rest of the world.

To satisfy the requirements for membership of the federation every association must demonstrate that it enforces a national charter which requires all teaching institutions in membership of the association to adhere to high professional standards.

The federation believes that the most important objective in respect of quality is to achieve agreement on the areas which are essential to delivery of high quality courses, and so on the standards to be expected in each of those areas.
The federation has agreed common standards in the following areas :

Management in conformity with the law
Teachers’ qualifications
Teachers' practical ability
Academic management
Accuracy of publicity
Welfare of students

The federation intends, over a period of time, to develop common standards in these areas:

Premises
Teaching resources
Accommodation
Leisure/sport/social programmes
The culture of the country

The federation requires a reliable process of inspection at regular intervals to be incorporated in each national charter. The process of inspection must be robust in that inspections must be carried out by inspectors external to the institution being inspected. The inspection process must lead to a formal decision that the institution does or does not comply with the quality standards laid down in the national charter. Each national association's system for admitting new members must require that only institutions shown by the inspection process to comply with the national quality standards may be considered for membership.

National charters must specify the interval between inspections, which may be up to five years, and provide for spot checks between regular full inspections. National charters must also provide a mechanism for removing from the association any institution which is shown to have fallen below the high standards expected by the federation and each national association. A period of up to twelve months may be granted for improvements to be made before a further inspection. Otherwise removal from the association must be immediate.

The federation also requires each national charter to include a requirement for the regular collection and analysis of 'feedback" from students so that their opinion on the quality of all major aspects of their course is known and can be acted upon in a timely fashion. Each national charter must require member institutions to operate a simple complaints procedure which must be made clear to all students. Each national association must have a procedure for dealing with complaints which students have not been able to resolve directly with member institutions, and must require their members to notify students of the existence of that procedure.

Common Standards

Management in conformity with the law

National charters shall require that all member institutions are administered in accordance with the law. They will make such provision as may be appropriate (according to national legislative provisions) for inspectors to check compliance with laws relating to the safety and welfare of all students, the protection of minors and the equitable treatment of employees. National charters shall require from member institutions evidence of competent general management, of financial stability and of adequate insurance cover.

Teachers' Qualifications

The qualifications of teachers must be appropriate to the level and type of course which they provide. All teachers will normally have a university first degree and will have a specialist qualification in teaching the relevant mother tongue as a foreign language. National charters must give a clear indication of the exceptional circumstances in which the employment of a teacher not so qualified may be acceptable.

Teachers' practical ability

The assessment of the quality of teaching must be based on classroom observation. National charters must require inspectors to satisfy themselves that teachers have succeeded in engaging students in the learning process and that students have as a result made progress in accordance with the teaching objectives.

Academic management

National charters must require the members of each national association to operate a system of academic management which must have the following components:

• Responsibility for academic management must be allocated to one person or to a team of people whose primary responsibility it is. This person or team must be recognised by the team of teachers and by the students as carrying this responsibility.
• Initial assessment of students and monitoring of their progress. It must be a requirement that effective systems exist for these functions.
• Course design. It must be a requirement that the methodology employed for the design and development of courses is explicit and capable of being checked by inspectors.
• Delivery of teaching. It must be a requirement that academic managers regularly assess the performance of teachers. The method of assessment must be specified in national charters.

Management.

It must be a requirement that the arrangements for:

• managing teachers, their development and their training
• managing the acquisition and maintenance of teaching and learning resources
• planning and implementing a policy for entering students for examinations

are all explicit and capable of being checked by inspectors.

Accuracy of publicity

National charters must have an absolute requirement for accuracy of all publicity material in its implications as well as in its literal interpretation.

For brochures, national charters will specify the information provision of which is mandatory, and may specify information provision of which is recommended but not mandatory. The federation requires the inclusion of the following information in each national charter's list of material which is obligatory:

• The name of the institution;
• the locations in which all teaching is carried on;
• the address for all correspondence with the institution;
• the name and address of the owner of the institution (if different from the earlier name and address);
• the fact that the organisation is a member of the national association;
• descriptions of the types of courses offered; age range of students;
• maximum size of classes;
• description of courses in terms of content and structure;
• hours of tuition per week for each course (expressed in hours and minutes not in number of teaching periods);
• accommodation arrangements offered should be stated explicitly;
• full and un-ambiguous information about fees (whether in the brochure or in a separate leaflet) specifically including information about conditions for refund or loss of deposit.

Welfare of students

National charters must make it clear that each member is responsible for the welfare of students taking its courses. The core element of welfare is pastoral concern for the physical and moral well being of the individual student which may well, in the case of young students, amount to a series of legal obligations.

National charters must require members to ensure that all students receive orientation to local facilities, services and amenities and are helped to adjust to life in the host country through their being provided with information about such legal, health and safety matters as may be appropriate to each student bearing in mind the locality of the member and the age and background of the student. National codes must require provision to be made for confidential counselling of students who find difficulty of any sort. They must specify clearly the procedures to be followed in cases of emergency. National charters must be precise in their requirements for the pastoral care of students who are considered to be minors by the law of the host country.

The broader purpose of language courses.

National charters must make it clear that attendance at language courses is an entire cultural experience, not confined to (though often largely based on) a pedagogical language experience.

Eligibility of institutions for membership of national associations

National charters must specify that membership of the association is open to teaching institutions, based in the country concerned, for which a major activity is teaching the language of the country. Institutions eligible for membership must have been in operation for a minimum period of two years before they can be admitted. National charters may specify circumstances in which exceptions to this requirement may be made.

September 1999