Source: International Herald Tribune/Haaretz August, 2000

Needed: English teachers for high-tech execs

By Tamar Hausman

As a growing number of high-tech companies expand their businesses overseas, a new demand for English language training for technology executives is also increasing.

"I see a growing interest on the part of the more sophisticated technology companies to improve English skills within their work force," says Dr. Marlene Ringler, founder of the Ringler Institute in Jerusalem, which supplies English teachers to companies, individual executives and politicians. "Over the last year, I've noticed that a much larger proportion of our business is devoted to high tech companies. There's certainly a trend."

Ringler says that the trend exists mostly among post-start-up companies. Many start-ups in their earliest stages can't afford hiring teachers and don't require sophisticated business English if their operations are still local. Other companies understand the need for English fluency, and recruit native English speakers. But experts agree that the need is greater than ever among native Israelis to improve their English to succeed in an international marketplace.

The Israeli branches of Intel Corp. and Microsoft Corp., for instance, use Ringler Institute teachers to train employees in classroom and personal settings.

Ringler made aliyah in 1986 from the Washington D.C. area after receiving a Ph.D. in international business negotiation. In her doctoral research, she determined that companies that invest funds in English language courses for employees - which both improves skills and confidence levels in the language - have better chances of success. After teaching at Hebrew University for a short period, she started the institute in 1987.

A growing number of services like the Ringler Institute are popping up in Israel, some of which do train or guide their teachers for their work. But so far, no teacher-training facility geared toward teaching English in the business world yet exists in Israel. Ringler has recruited a number of her 50-odd teachers from such training facilities in the U.S. and the U.K., but wishes that Israel had such a facility and is currently exploring the possibilities of starting one here.

"I haven't done a feasibility study yet, but there is clearly a need, at least from my viewpoint, for more English teachers in the business world," she says.

The English courses at high-tech companies are geared toward the specific set of pupils. Students are taught presentation skills, how to talk during a conference call, and appropriate business terminology. "We tailor-make the programs to the company," explains Byron. Often, top managers who don't want to publicize that they are taking English courses opt to take one-on-one learning sessions.

"The world has gotten so much smaller because of the Internet and new communication methods, and English has become the international language," says Rochelle Marcus, a three-year Byron teacher who made aliyah from South Africa six years ago. She has taught several courses at Tadrian. "People must know English to do international business." A former school teacher, she adds that she prefers her current work "because the enthusiasm level is so high. If people need English for work, they become really devoted.