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Answer Upon - Using, Choosing, and Using an educational consultant
The trucking industry is growing by leaps and bounds. It is a well-known fact that the industry will grow consistently for the next decade. Basically, trucking companies are delivering truck loads of freight every day and are growing quickly and profitably. They are an engine that is driving the economy.This is all good news for trucking companies, at least for those that can deal with the challenges of paying for repairs, fuel and meeting payroll on time. This can be challenging for a new and growing company, since most clients pay their freight bills in up to 60 days. Waiting can kill the business.Of course, going to the bank for money won’t help. Banks only finance businesses that have good cash flow, lots of assets and can provide three years worth of financial statements. Of course, if you
Using a consultant
Once you’ve decided on a particular consultant, have an agreement drawn up that ensures, for example, that you will be kept informed of progress. For example, it may not be unreasonable to ask for a summary every 2 weeks, if you are an LEA and the consultant is working in your schools.
Once you’ve hired a consultant, make sure you get the best value for money. This means some or even all of the following, depending on the particular circumstances:
Have a clear set of aims and objectives that you are both agreed upon. This may be developed in discussion with the consultant before signing on the dotted line, but there must be a clear set of expectations by the time the consultant starts work.
Make sure that the consultant has the tools needed to do the job effectively. This could mean access to the computer network, desk space, essenti
When setting up a car wash fundraiser is very important to keep the workflow moving. If you have sold a lot of presale tickets or if your car wash fundraiser is on a busy corner in the city then you will no doubt have many cars lined up waiting to be washed.If the line gets too long been people will simply not get in line and you will lose that business forever. However if the line is constantly moving people will get in line and you wash more vehicles, and thus make more money.For car wash fundraiser lay out strategies it makes sense to set up cones so you can have two lanes of cars to wash at the same time. The cones should be equally spaced out with two parallel lines.Hopefully the lines will not get any longer than five cars in each. After this waiting area there should be a space.
The aim of this document is to provide advice and guidance in choosing a consultant in the field of education. You may be the headteacher or principal of a school or college, an officer in a local education authority (LEA) or school district, or the director of a private company wishing to undertake work in the educational sector. This article focuses mainly on information and communication technology (ICT), but the underlying principles also apply more generally.
Using a consultant
Consultants, at least in the UK, have a poor reputation as a species, and yet they are in greater demand than ever. Why? Why would any organisation elect to use a consultant rather than hiring someone? There are several reasons for this.
Short-term work
Some work is, by its very nature, short-term. If, for example, you are having a new computer suite installed, you might want some advice from an external person who has no axe to grind – and whom you can blame when half the staff complain about the design, the equipment and so on!
Expertise
In a specialist area, such as ICT, it’s quite likely that the school doesn’t have the expertise in-house to do what it needs to do within a particular time scale.
Cost
Although consultants can be expensive, it is (or should be) a relatively short-term expense. And don’t forget that you don’t have all the on-costs, like pension contributions. These can add up to 20% of the salary costs. Also, if the consultant goes on holiday or falls ill, you don’t incur any extra expense.
Choosing a consultant
When choosing a consultant or adviser to assist your school in ICT, whether for Hands-On Support, training, strategic development or any other aspect of ICT, it’s important to get the right person or company for the job.
To help you do so, here is a list of questions you may wish to ask before hiring someone. You are unlikely to find any person or company who can answer “yes” to all of these questions, so you will need to bring your own professional judgement to bear on your decision.
1. Is the consultancy independently accredited by a quality assurance scheme, such as by NaaceMark or similar scheme? If not, is it seeking accreditation? Note that an answer of “No” in either case is not necessarily a bad thing. In my own experience, the work itself is so time-consuming that it’s quite difficult to go through the hoops required to prove that you can do what you’re doing! That’s why the next few questions are important too.
2. Is the consultant a member of a relevant organisation, such as (in the UK) Naace or the Society for Education Consultants? These types of organisation provide a certain degree of quality assurance in the sense that they won’t accept just anybody as members, although they will give no guarantees about the quality of work undertaken by their members. Also, they often provide useful information about the sector in which the consultant works, which in theory at least keeps the consultant up-to-date on current developments in the field.
3. Ask for details of similar work undertaken by the consultancy, and for details of satisfied clients – but bear in mind that a reluctance to supply such details may be due to considerations of confidentiality.
4. Ask for references, testimonials, or details of evaluations, ie evidence of quality assurance of the consultants’ work.
5. You can also ask how the consultant gets most of its work. Word of mouth is a good sign.
6. Ask for the CVs of the consultants who will be working in your organisation if you decide to sign up this consultancy.
7. Is the consultant qualified to undertake the work? This could be an academic qualification, accreditation as an inspector or training provider in one or more schemes, or qualification by experience.
8. Has the consultant been on relevant training in the last year?
9. Ensure that the consultancy agrees not to subcontract the work without prior discussion with you, the client.
10. If you are considering the consultant for staff training, ask if you can attend one of their training sessions in another school.
11. Ask for other evidence that will help you decide if the consultancy is the best for this particular work in your school, such as a client list (but note point about confidentiality above), examples of video work, published work or a website.
Using a consultant
Once you’ve decided on a particular consultant, have an agreement drawn up that ensures, for example, that you will be kept informed of progress. For example, it may not be unreasonable to ask for a summary every 2 weeks, if you are an LEA and the consultant is working in your schools.
Once you’ve hired a consultant, make sure you get the best value for money. This means some or even all of the following, depending on the particular circumstances:
Have a clear set of aims and objectives that you are both agreed upon. This may be developed in discussion with the consultant before signing on the dotted line, but there must be a clear set of expectations by the time the consultant starts work.
Make sure that the consultant has the tools needed to do the job effectively. This could mean access to the computer network, desk space, essenti
The surety bond market is currently a very conservative market. Contract and commercial bond departments throughout the nation have tightened up their underwriting practices due to enormous loses throughout the industry. Many sureties have had to close their doors, other have had their ratings drop to a level where they can not write the same business they could in years past. Obviously this leaves the bonding companies that are still operating with a very conservative outlook when it comes to their underwriting guidelines.One thing that many do not understand is while the current surety bond market is tough, it is considered a more traditional underwriting approach. Contractors are being angered by decreases in their bond lines, or in worst cases are now being deemed "not bondable". Business owners s
In a specialist area, such as ICT, it’s quite likely that the school doesn’t have the expertise in-house to do what it needs to do within a particular time scale.
Cost
Although consultants can be expensive, it is (or should be) a relatively short-term expense. And don’t forget that you don’t have all the on-costs, like pension contributions. These can add up to 20% of the salary costs. Also, if the consultant goes on holiday or falls ill, you don’t incur any extra expense.
Choosing a consultant
When choosing a consultant or adviser to assist your school in ICT, whether for Hands-On Support, training, strategic development or any other aspect of ICT, it’s important to get the right person or company for the job.
To help you do so, here is a list of questions you may wish to ask before hiring someone. You are unlikely to find any person or company who can answer “yes” to all of these questions, so you will need to bring your own professional judgement to bear on your decision.
1. Is the consultancy independently accredited by a quality assurance scheme, such as by NaaceMark or similar scheme? If not, is it seeking accreditation? Note that an answer of “No” in either case is not necessarily a bad thing. In my own experience, the work itself is so time-consuming that it’s quite difficult to go through the hoops required to prove that you can do what you’re doing! That’s why the next few questions are important too.
2. Is the consultant a member of a relevant organisation, such as (in the UK) Naace or the Society for Education Consultants? These types of organisation provide a certain degree of quality assurance in the sense that they won’t accept just anybody as members, although they will give no guarantees about the quality of work undertaken by their members. Also, they often provide useful information about the sector in which the consultant works, which in theory at least keeps the consultant up-to-date on current developments in the field.
3. Ask for details of similar work undertaken by the consultancy, and for details of satisfied clients – but bear in mind that a reluctance to supply such details may be due to considerations of confidentiality.
4. Ask for references, testimonials, or details of evaluations, ie evidence of quality assurance of the consultants’ work.
5. You can also ask how the consultant gets most of its work. Word of mouth is a good sign.
6. Ask for the CVs of the consultants who will be working in your organisation if you decide to sign up this consultancy.
7. Is the consultant qualified to undertake the work? This could be an academic qualification, accreditation as an inspector or training provider in one or more schemes, or qualification by experience.
8. Has the consultant been on relevant training in the last year?
9. Ensure that the consultancy agrees not to subcontract the work without prior discussion with you, the client.
10. If you are considering the consultant for staff training, ask if you can attend one of their training sessions in another school.
11. Ask for other evidence that will help you decide if the consultancy is the best for this particular work in your school, such as a client list (but note point about confidentiality above), examples of video work, published work or a website.
Using a consultant
Once you’ve decided on a particular consultant, have an agreement drawn up that ensures, for example, that you will be kept informed of progress. For example, it may not be unreasonable to ask for a summary every 2 weeks, if you are an LEA and the consultant is working in your schools.
Once you’ve hired a consultant, make sure you get the best value for money. This means some or even all of the following, depending on the particular circumstances:
Have a clear set of aims and objectives that you are both agreed upon. This may be developed in discussion with the consultant before signing on the dotted line, but there must be a clear set of expectations by the time the consultant starts work.
Make sure that the consultant has the tools needed to do the job effectively. This could mean access to the computer network, desk space, essenti
Who doesn't have a business card? Business cards are the most affordable, portable, and versatile tool for self-marketing. No other medium for exchanging contact information is as readily accepted as the business card. Over the years, the role of business cards in every conceivable industry has only gained more importance. Today, a business card is no longer a means for leaving contact information. It has been turned many times into an ad, a mini-coupon, a brochure, or even a CD-rom presentation. Business cards have become the hip and cheap way to grab attention and keep it.The importance of business cards to the conduct of business - both online or off - cannot be overemphasized, and it is precisely for this reason that business card cases would make very good executive gifts.Confused over wha
2. Is the consultant a member of a relevant organisation, such as (in the UK) Naace or the Society for Education Consultants? These types of organisation provide a certain degree of quality assurance in the sense that they won’t accept just anybody as members, although they will give no guarantees about the quality of work undertaken by their members. Also, they often provide useful information about the sector in which the consultant works, which in theory at least keeps the consultant up-to-date on current developments in the field.
3. Ask for details of similar work undertaken by the consultancy, and for details of satisfied clients – but bear in mind that a reluctance to supply such details may be due to considerations of confidentiality.
4. Ask for references, testimonials, or details of evaluations, ie evidence of quality assurance of the consultants’ work.
5. You can also ask how the consultant gets most of its work. Word of mouth is a good sign.
6. Ask for the CVs of the consultants who will be working in your organisation if you decide to sign up this consultancy.
7. Is the consultant qualified to undertake the work? This could be an academic qualification, accreditation as an inspector or training provider in one or more schemes, or qualification by experience.
8. Has the consultant been on relevant training in the last year?
9. Ensure that the consultancy agrees not to subcontract the work without prior discussion with you, the client.
10. If you are considering the consultant for staff training, ask if you can attend one of their training sessions in another school.
11. Ask for other evidence that will help you decide if the consultancy is the best for this particular work in your school, such as a client list (but note point about confidentiality above), examples of video work, published work or a website.
Using a consultant
Once you’ve decided on a particular consultant, have an agreement drawn up that ensures, for example, that you will be kept informed of progress. For example, it may not be unreasonable to ask for a summary every 2 weeks, if you are an LEA and the consultant is working in your schools.
Once you’ve hired a consultant, make sure you get the best value for money. This means some or even all of the following, depending on the particular circumstances:
Have a clear set of aims and objectives that you are both agreed upon. This may be developed in discussion with the consultant before signing on the dotted line, but there must be a clear set of expectations by the time the consultant starts work.
Make sure that the consultant has the tools needed to do the job effectively. This could mean access to the computer network, desk space, essenti
We have worked with several HR executives and other people that have to go through with firing people. Even though it may not always be the most comfortable thing to do, it is a very vital aspect of being a HR director.We of course would recommend first and foremost that you give the employee a chance to work with a coach before making them resign or firing them. That of course is if the employee is someone you would like to hold on to, yet they are not performing up to the company standards. Any employee can be coached by a life coach to improve a work, if the employee is worth it to the company.When firing a person it is a high stress environment, for both the person being fired and the person that has to do the actual firing. There are several ways to do this effectively and in such a manner
4. Ask for references, testimonials, or details of evaluations, ie evidence of quality assurance of the consultants’ work.
5. You can also ask how the consultant gets most of its work. Word of mouth is a good sign.
6. Ask for the CVs of the consultants who will be working in your organisation if you decide to sign up this consultancy.
7. Is the consultant qualified to undertake the work? This could be an academic qualification, accreditation as an inspector or training provider in one or more schemes, or qualification by experience.
8. Has the consultant been on relevant training in the last year?
9. Ensure that the consultancy agrees not to subcontract the work without prior discussion with you, the client.
10. If you are considering the consultant for staff training, ask if you can attend one of their training sessions in another school.
11. Ask for other evidence that will help you decide if the consultancy is the best for this particular work in your school, such as a client list (but note point about confidentiality above), examples of video work, published work or a website.
Using a consultant
Once you’ve decided on a particular consultant, have an agreement drawn up that ensures, for example, that you will be kept informed of progress. For example, it may not be unreasonable to ask for a summary every 2 weeks, if you are an LEA and the consultant is working in your schools.
Once you’ve hired a consultant, make sure you get the best value for money. This means some or even all of the following, depending on the particular circumstances:
Have a clear set of aims and objectives that you are both agreed upon. This may be developed in discussion with the consultant before signing on the dotted line, but there must be a clear set of expectations by the time the consultant starts work.
Make sure that the consultant has the tools needed to do the job effectively. This could mean access to the computer network, desk space, essenti
Have you ever faced any of the following situations? One: You need a lawyer but you don`t have the cash for the retainer. Two: You have a warehouse full of inventory that just isn`t moving. Three: Sales are down and you need more customers.Each of the above problems might be alleviated by bartering.1. What Is Bartering?Bartering is simply exchanging goods or services without money.For example, you give your accountant and his family a meal in your restaurant in exchange for the preparation of your income tax return. This is a barter transaction because no cash changes hands between the two parties.2. Bartering Improves Liquidity and ProfitsA shortage of cash is not an unusual situation for either businesses or individuals. Perhaps you would
Using a consultant
Once you’ve decided on a particular consultant, have an agreement drawn up that ensures, for example, that you will be kept informed of progress. For example, it may not be unreasonable to ask for a summary every 2 weeks, if you are an LEA and the consultant is working in your schools.
Once you’ve hired a consultant, make sure you get the best value for money. This means some or even all of the following, depending on the particular circumstances:
Have a clear set of aims and objectives that you are both agreed upon. This may be developed in discussion with the consultant before signing on the dotted line, but there must be a clear set of expectations by the time the consultant starts work.
Make sure that the consultant has the tools needed to do the job effectively. This could mean access to the computer network, desk space, essential contact information and so on.
Ensure that you have all the contact information you need too: phone and fax numbers, a mobile phone number too, perhaps, with the facility for leaving messages, and an email address.
Put in place whatever is needed to enable the consultant to “hit the ground running”. If, for example, you spend the first morning discussing what the consultant should do, you’re throwing money down the drain: all that should have been agreed beforehand – unless, of course, there is a need for a sudden change in plan, although even in those situations there should have been a contingency plan (a “Plan B”) in place.
Don’t keep asking the consultant to do more and more in an unplanned kind of way. If more work is needed, discuss whether it could feasibly be done well in the agreed time, or whether more days need to be allocated for it.
Conclusion
With proper groundwork when choosing a consultant, and sound planning, hiring a consultant to help you with your ICT work can be an excellent means of achieving the aims of your organisation.
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