THE QUALITY CHARTER

The European Federation of National Associations of Native Language Instruction is an accepted common standard of professional excellence in language instruction and services provided by their member schools.

The purpose of the charter is to encourage the learning of the federation countries' native languages and, specifically, to encourage the learning to take place in the countries where the language is spoken.

The wider objective is to encourage a professional standard of language instruction to increase the student's language proficiency as well as foster the social, cultural and economic interchange between the students of the countries of Europe and beyond.

The ELITE federation believes that the most important objective is to include associations of schools who offer the highest quality level of language instruction.

To satisfy the requirements for membership to the ELITE federation, the national associations must demonstrate that it enforces a quality charter of professional excellence upon all its member schools.

Institutional management in conformity with the law
Teaching qualification
Teaching ability
Academic management
Publication accuracy
Student welfare

School premises and services
Teaching resources
Accommodations
Leisure/sport/ social programs
Cultural awareness in the host country

National charters must specify the interval between full site inspections. This interval may be up to a maximum of five years with spot checks between regular full inspections. National charters must provide regulations for
removing an institution after failing a site inspection. Institutions that do not pass inspection may be given a period of up to twelve months to make improvements before a follow-up inspection. Otherwise removal from the association must be immediate.

The ELITE federation also requires each national charter to include an evaluation process allowing the students to evaluate the quality of their learning experience. This invaluable "feedback" will allow students to express their concerns, compliments and complaints in an organized manner that can facilitate necessary actions and increase improvements for each institution. Each national charter must include a complaint procedure, made clear to the student, which allows complaints to be addressed to the national charter in the case that resolution is not achieved directly with the member school.

Institutional management in conformity with the law National charters require that all member institutions be in regulation with the law. Member schools will make such provisions according to local and national regulations for inspectors to check their compliance with laws regarding the safety and welfare students, the protection of minors and the equitable treatment of employees. National charters require member institutions to show evidence of a competent general management, financial stability and adequate insurance coverage.

Instructors must be qualified to teach the level and type of courses provided. Teachers will normally have a university degree and experience teaching their native language to foreigners. National charters must give a clear indication of the exceptional circumstances where a teacher not meeting these standards may so be employed.

National charters must require inspectors to conduct classroom observations evaluating the quality of teaching. Inspectors will evaluate how the teacher engaged students in the learning process and how progress was made in accordance with specific teaching objectives.

National charters must require the member schools of each national association to operate a system of academic management composed of the following:

• ACADEMIC MANAGER: One person or a team of people must be assigned the primary responsibility of academic management. The academic manager/s must be recognizable to the students and fellow teachers.
• STUDENT PROGRESS: Effective systems monitoring the student's initial assessment and progress must exist.
• COURSE DEVELOPMENT: It is required that the methodology employed for designing and developing courses is explicit and capable of being checked by inspectors.
• TEACHER ASSESSMENT: Academic managers must assess the performance of teachers regularly. The method of assessment must be specified in national charters

The academic manager/s are required to:

• hire teachers and manage the acquisition of teaching resources
• train teachers and monitor their development
• organize and implement policies for student examinations
• All duties of the academic manager/s should be explicit and capable of being checked by site inspectors.
  

National charters must require that all publications must be accurate in both their implication and their literal nterpretations.

• Name of institution
• Location of classroom sites
• Mailing address
• Name and address of the owner of institution (if different from above information)
• Membership of the national association
• Description of types of courses offered
• Student age range
• Maximum class size
• Course descriptions in terms of content and structure
• Hours of instruction per week for each course (expressed in hours and minutes not in number of teaching periods)
• Accommodation arrangements and services offered listed explicitly.
• Complete and concise information about fees, including refund or loss of deposit information. (May be in brochure or in a separate leaflet.

National charters must require that member schools are aware of their responsibility for the welfare of the students enrolled at their institution. Institutions must understand that student welfare embraces a concern for the physical and moral well being of the individual students. In many cases, with younger students, this may mount to a series of legal obligations.

National charters must require member schools to conduct an orientation of the local facilities and explain the services and amenities provided to the students. National charters must require that member schools aid the students in adjusting to life in the host country providing students with information about legal, health, and safety matters. (Member schools ought to keep in mind the school's location and the age and background of the students when conducting these orientation activities.)

National codes must require provisions to be made for confidential counseling for students and clearly specify procedures to be followed in emergency situations. National charters must be precise in their requirements for the care and concern for younger students who are considered to be minors by law in the host country.

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 exchange.

National charters must specify that membership of the association is open to instructional institutions for which the primary activity is instruction of the host country's language. Institutions, applying for membership, must have been in operation for a minimum of two years. National charters may specify circumstances in which exceptions to this requirement may be made.