April '09 Newsletter (3)
 
Hello to everyone Out There
 
I hope your April is as filled with renewed revolutionary zeal and mischief making as mine is. This is what I have for you this month:
 
Blog response to a reply to last week's newsletter - I explain our 'troubles' and finally name names.
UK student immigration changes - someone had to point it out
Outsell Inc like talking to us about EOT
What doing EOT online sounds like - audio
More members joining - the benefits outlined (again)
FA Cup did they really say that?
 
Since I gave some free self-study plans away last week this week is a bit gritty and political. Sorry!
 
I got a lovely email from an ex-student who felt that my 'call to arms' to our newsletter readers was a bit too emotional and demeaned LOT (i.e. made us look smaller and less worthy) as she said she had a great time when she studied with us and that we were above all that.  Which is great to hear.
 
But I explained why I did it in an email to her and have published her email and my reply on my blog. In my explanation I had to mention some rather unsavoury and upsetting stuff from a few years ago and some recent disappointments we have suffered. For years I have not named names but I think it is now time to let people know, if they are still interested, who did what and in one case, who didn't:
 
http://www.languagesoutthere.com/articles/Response-to-last-weeks-rallying-cry-I-name-names-re-BC-inspection-in-2004
 
As promised for the last couple of weeks here is the first correspondence with the UK government about the new student immigration legislation and how it is affecting LOT. I know it is not very big or clever to pick a fight with the government but once you've read what I have to say (and this is unfortunately linked to the events of 2004, see above) you will understand, I hope, why I feel I must point a few facts out to the authorities.
 
When Tony Millns (Chief Executive of English UK) told me over a beer a few years ago that we (LOT) would have to become accredited I thought I would wait and see, and see if they had thought it all through. It seems they haven't:
 
http://www.languagesoutthere.com/articles/UK-visas-ELT-and-immigration-questions-Round-1
 
In the last couple of days I have been talking to an analyst at Outsell Inc in the US whose strapline on their website is 'Must-have intelligence and advice for publishers and information providers'.  They picked up our press release and are now very interested in what we do and why we do it, and the fact that we are the first to publish such a course:
 
http://www.outsellinc.com/our_industry/headlines/167869
 
They are going to write some more about it and about our place in the world of ELT so watch the news feeds, if you are interested.
 
Follow someone doing a lesson with the audio. In speaking with people interested in what we do this week and trying to think (as usual) how to best explain it, I remembered we had this on the website. Look at the sample self-study lesson on prepositions of place:
 
http://www.languagesoutthere.com/categories/FREE-ENGLISH-LESSON-PLANS
 
and listen to this recording of a Chinese person in China (no one met face to face) using it with a colleague..
 
http://www.languagesoutthere.com/downloads/20081127_1
 
Make sure you listen to the end...she gets a lot better, and it was all done and recorded on Skype.
 
More people are becoming members of Languages Out There, I thought I would remind you of what you actually get:
 
Unlimited access to all of our truly unique materials which you can download, print and copy, even start your own business with, using Meetup.com or Wiziq.com and use for focused language exchange at Italki.com.
 
If you become a member you get an affiliate link (a link unique to you that tracks people back to your membership account) which you can put on your Facebook profile or in your emails and if your friends click on it and become a member too I will know and I will pay you 25%.  Just four friends and you have free membership for a year. More friends and you're actually making money.
 
Membership gives you 33% off our course in London, which you can book and pay for online now.
 
Crikey, you can still:
 
1. Set up your own English Out There school, anywhere. Space is free all around you!
2. Brand it with our logos that you can download from the members' area
4. Teach EOT on and offline to paying students
5. Become an agent and earn commission from new members you find and courses you book for students
 
The opportunities are still there, they are still real and they are still increasing. You really don't need to do what you have always done, change is in the air, hell, even Gordon Brown apologised for the emails his closest staff were sending out to smear opposition politicians!
 
If what I have described above interests you and you think it might interest some of your friends, do please forward this newsletter to them.
 
Did they really say that?
 
In honour of the FA Cup semi finals being played this weekend...an old but great quotation by Terry Venables:
 
"If history repeats itself, I should think we can expect the same thing again"
 
Until next time...
Cheers
Jason