Committee elections 2009

Elections for committee members

As you are probably aware, BESIG is run by a group of volunteers who take on various jobs during the year. Key amongst these are the members of the BESIG committee, elected at the AGM. Other work is carried out by volunteers who come forward to help out with specific tasks, contribute to the website and newsletter, and help out with events.

At this year's conference a number of committee members are standing down after having served in their respective positions for 3 years. The positions that will therefore need to be filled are as follows. For details on each of the positions please follow the link or scroll down.

Coordinator
Newsletter Editor
Events Organisers
Administration and Development & Events Organiser
Website coordinator
Nominations form

Information about the nominees is available here.

Coordinator

The role encompasses leading the BESIG committee and, ultimately, overseeing all of BESIG’s activities. Responsibilities of the role include:

organising and chairing two to three committee meetings per year. In general, one of these takes place around the annual IATEFL conference at the conference venue in March/April; one takes place mid-year (e.g. June) at a place of the committee’s choosing; and one takes place the day before the annual BESIG conference at the conference venue in November;
attending three meetings of the IATEFL SIG coordinators. In general, one is at the IATEFL conference in March/April; one is mid-year in London; and one is in October/November in Canterbury (at the IATEFL HQ).
overseeing the planning of the BESIG annual conference
supporting and overseeing any additional local events held
ensuring communications between committee members and the general smooth running of committee activities
representing and promoting BESIG wherever possible in order to further ties between BESIG and other like-minded organisations
being the interface between BESIG and IATEFL
writing an opening article for Business Issues, BESIG’s newsletter, three times a year
writing short articles for the IATEFL magazine, Voices, six times a year

An ideal candidate for the position would have

substantial committee experience, preferably in the (Business) English Teaching area
a thorough understanding of the world of Business English teaching
contacts in the BE world with, for example, publishers, teaching institutions, materials writers, other English teachers’ associations, etc.
the ability to work as part of a geographically diverse team
the patience and ability to work well in high-stress situations and with a wonderfully diverse array of people
well-developed writing skills
the willingness to attend conferences and events and to travel to committee meetings
a sense of humour

Newsletter Editor

The new Newsletlter Editor as of December 1, 2009 will take on the responsibilities of organising the BESIG Newsletter Business Issues, which appears three times annually in the spring, summer and autumn.

Responsibilities of the role include:

finding contributions (e.g. articles, book reviews, columns) to the newsletter
finding advertisers
compiling and editing/proofreading the contributions
finding / selecting photos, as needed, including cover photo
writing the editorial
organizing the content for each issue and emailing it to DTP
doing the final proofreading of the newsletter and authorizing it for print
sending a list of contributors and their regular mail address to IATEFL office
sending billing information for advertising to IATEFL office
attending meetings and staying in contact with the BESIG Committee

An ideal candidate for the position would have:

well-developed editing and writing experience
good spelling and grammar skills
good computer skills and internet access
the ability to communicate with people from different cultural backgrounds
the patience and ability to work well under stress and keep to a deadline
an understanding of the world of Business English teaching in various contexts
the ability to work as part of a geographically diverse team
the ability to deal occasionally with the unexpected
the willingness to attend conferences and events and to travel to committee meetings
a commitment to hard work
a sense of humour.

Events Organisers

BESIG is looking for up to two Events Organisers to join the existing team in the event of two of the current events team being elected to the posts of joint coordinators. Main duties will be to help organise the annual BESIG conference as well as lending support to other events (including PCEs at the main IATEFL Annual Conference). The team of organisers is responsible for:

contacting and organising the exhibitors and sponsors
vetting speakers’ proposals and putting the programme together
liasing with local organisers and looking after miscellaneous matters in order to ensure a smooth running of the conference
vetting scholarship winners
vetting locations for future annual conferences
dealing with visas and letters of invitation for speakers and delegates who require them

Ideal candidates for the positions would have:

an understanding of the world of Business English teaching
contacts in the BE world with, for example, publishers, teaching institutions, materials writers, other English teachers’ associations, etc.
a flair for organising events from exploration of suitable venues to the final product
the ability to work as part of a geographically diverse team
the ability to deal occasionally with the unexpected
the patience and ability to work well in high-stress situations and with a wonderfully diverse array of people
be technically-minded with an ability to extemporise “on the hop”
an ability to work in varying teams (i. e. having good people skills)
good IT-experience and –practice
well-developed writing skills
the willingness to attend conferences and events and to travel to committee meetings
a sense of humour.

Administration and Development & Events Organiser

BESIG is looking for an Events Organiser (to join the existing 3-person team) with the special responsibility of furthering the running of (small scale) local events (including PCEs at the main IATEFL Annual Conference). Responsibilities of the role include:

contacting local BESIG-members
exploring the possibilities of holding an event and co-organising it with a local team
complementing the events team for the BESIG Annual Conference
looking after miscellaneous matters at the annual conference and organising a BESIG table with Newsletters and SIG information
looking after the general administration of the SIG, including preparation of committee meetings, minute taking and coordinating the information flow within the SIG
responding to enquiries coming in through the BESIG website and forwarding to whoever responsible in BESIG or amongst the host organisers

An ideal candidate for the position would have:

an understanding of the world of Business English teaching
contacts in the BE world with, for example, publishers, teaching institutions, materials writers, other English teachers’ associations, etc.
a flair for organising (small scale) events from exploration of suitable venues to the final product
the ability to work as part of a geographically diverse team
the ability to deal occasionally with the unexpected
the patience and ability to work well in high-stress situations and with a wonderfully diverse array of people
be technically minded with an ability to extemporise “on the hop”
an ability to work in varying teams (i. e. having good people skills)
good IT-experience and –practice
well-developed writing skills
the willingness to attend conferences and events and to travel to committee meetings
a sense of humour.

Website co-ordinator

BESIG is accepting nominations for the position of Website co-ordinator. The role encompasses maintaining the BESIG website and being a general member of the BESIG committee.

Responsibilities of the role include:

maintaining the BESIG website. This includes updating it on a regular basis with news of new events, archiving information of past events, maintaining the Links page etc.
re-designing the website should the committee decide it is necessary
co-maintaining supporting technologies such as the wiki and the e-mail discussion group
taking part in two to three committee meetings per year. In general, one of these takes place the day before the annual conference at the conference venue; one takes place mid-year (e.g. June) at a place of the committee’s choosing; and one takes place around the annual IATEFL conference at the conference venue
taking part in ongoing communications between committee members (generally via e-mail)

An ideal candidate for the position would have

experience in maintaining and/or designing websites
a thorough understanding of the world of Business English teaching
the ability to work as part of a geographically diverse team
the patience and ability to work well in high-stress situations and with a wonderfully diverse array of people
well-developed writing skills
the willingness to attend conferences and events and to travel to committee meetings
a sense of humour.

Information about the nominees is available here.