Do you dread the weekly or monthly staff meeting?  Do you think they are a waste of time? Another interruption in an already busy day? If so, you would not be alone. A recent management survey suggests that 96% of professionals miss meetings; 95% arrive late or leave early; 91% daydream during meetings; and 73% bring along other work. But meetings matter. They are a place where you can receive and give information and they are also where people make judgements about each other, so your behaviour at meetings can be crucial. Grasp the opportunity and make them work for you!

"It`s not how smart you are. It`s how you are smart" (Walter Mckenzie. 1999 www.surfaquarium.com) Traditional views of `intelligence` have tended to pigeon hole those who "are" and those who aren`t. Fortunately scientists are now increasingly unlocking some of the mysteries surrounding 'intelligence' and turning the traditional view somewhat `on its head`.

Dr. Howard Gardner of Harvard University has, for example, identified 9 intelligences and speculates that there may be more. He posits that we all possess these intelligences to some degree but are stronger in some than in others. Recognising and tapping in to our strong intelligences should therefore enhance...

As language teachers, we are always looking for the answer/s to effective and efficient language teaching/learning. Perhaps too often we expect them to come from applied linguists; teacher trainers; the latest 'method' and too seldom do we tap the most immediate, powerful, and relevant source, i.e., our learners and ourselves. Sounds easy? It is certainly very accessible but the crux lies in how to do it!

Are you a native speaker of English, French, German, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese or Chinese and would like to work in the comfort of your own home or other place of your choosing? Then becoming an online language trainer may be the opportunity you are looking for. You would also need to be IT literate and have telephone, computer and broadband internet connection; have experience and/or qualifications in teaching your native language; and preferably also have business experience. If you fit the profile, then ISUS (ispeakuspeak) may be interested in training and employing you as one of their online trainers.

Lesson plans, searching for essential supplementary material, end of term assessments on top of a 25 hour teaching week plus friends/family coming to stay, the round of seasonal parties, domestic chores...in short, the food of stress!

If it is, and you applaud the concept of learning English through sport, then this latest summer school post with Exsportise may appeal. Exportise was established 20 years ago by sportsman and professional coach, Bram van Asselt and every summer they run English sport camps where overseas students not only learn the language through sports coaching, they also practise their favourite sport/s with English native speakers.

If you're a sun seeker looking for summer school employment, Eurobridge International's summer camp may be just the thing. The camp takes place in Pozo Alcon, next to the Cazorla Sierra within Cazorla National Park in Andalucia's Jaen province. Given that the entire Park is over 600m high, you can enjoy the sun and natural surroundings without the overbearing heat experienced at lower levels.

During the academic year it can often often be difficult to get the necessary experience to be considered for a post of greater responsibility, such as a move from teaching into academic management. However, Summer Schools can provide just such an opportunity as they look to recruit well qualified and experienced teachers, with leadership and time management skills, to run their summer programmes.

Do something different this summer by volunteering as a teacher in Mexico on one of the Suenos Compartidos (Shared Dreams) summer camp programs. Suenos Compartidos was set up by Director Tomas Davis who initially responded to a need for English tuition to children and communities by volunteering his teaching skills while travelling in Colombia. The organisation now runs teaching programs in Colombia and Mexico.

After a busy year, it can be tough to transport oneself into another unknown 'tefl world' for the summer. To give you a taste of what it could be like, we spoke to one teacher who had worked on a summer school contract in Cambridge for two years running.