a. Overview
The Expath Pacing plans are designed to practice the most salient vocabulary, grammar and communication skills for the corresponding CEFR level.
b. Communication skills
A unique element of the pacing plans is the focus on communication skills. This is made up of work-related skills and more every-day social communication skills. If your internal class contains students who will need a focus on work-related skills, please include these. If at any time you would like some advice on how to integrate this, please speak to the Director of Studies. It is important to be aware of both the students’ need for these skills and their focus in the pacing plan.

a. Taking out books

Teachers can check out a book from the Expath library to use for their reference and planning. The book should be returned at the end of the course.

When taking out a book, please record this in the library book form

b. Using the books

The course books are meant for adaptation for use in Expath German classes. This means more than simply ‘going through the motions’ i.e. completing every exercise and reading text in the book. While these can be useful, the focus of Expath classes is more on maximizing opportunities for speaking time.

c. Books for internal classes
Books provided for Expath internal classes are for use in class. Teachers are encouraged to use the materials provided to link with the pacing plans, but we also encourage teachers to use their own ideas, activities and materials. Please avoid using photocopied published materials in Expath classes that are not part of the course books provided.

d. Books for external classes

Students receive books included in the cost of external classes. The book is included in the agreement (usually one per student). Only the book included in the offer and be provided by Expath for the course. Books for external courses are usually delivered in the second or third week of class.

e. Requesting additional books

Additional books for new participants can be requested. Please contact the Director of Studies or Stephan for this.

f. Copyright and copying materials

Expath provides materials for use in internal classes. In external classes, students have a copy of the book to take home and use as their own. Should teachers choose to use other published materials. The costs of this are to be covered by the teacher within the existing copyright guidelines. Please note that it is against copyright law to make copies of published materials for use in a private language school.

a. Internal group courses

i. Frequency, times and duration
Internal group courses can take place at the following times

0800 – 0930 (Tue-Thur)
10:30 – 12:45 (Tue-Thur)
13:00 – 15:15 (Mon-Thur)
15:30 – 17:45 (Mon-Thur)
18:30 – 20:45 (twice weekly, various days)
10:00 – 16:30 (15:30 on final day) (Sat/Sun) A1.1 on the last two weekends of every month
ii. Rooms: Expath has three rooms: the front room (where the office is), the small room (next to the kitchen) and the back room.

Rooms are not set for the whole course. These can be subject to change. Class should not take place more than once per week in the front room. If your class is in the front room on one day of the week, it should be rotated to the back room for the other day of the week.

iii. Key times in your internal group course:

– 1st lesson: check that everyone is in the right level. Let the Director of Studies know if any students need moving to a higher or lower group.

– 3-5th lesson: collect first feedback from course participants. Leave 5 minutes at the end of class for students to complete these. At this point the teacher must leave students alone in the room. Students then leave the feedback with the Director of Studies or whoever is in the office at the time after they have completed it.

– 8-14th lesson: A 90-minute lesson observation will take place. See more in the section on observations to find out how often this will happen.
– 10th lesson: Remind students to sign up for their follow up course.

– 15th-16th lesson: collect final feedback from students. Leave 5 minutes at the end of class for students to complete these. At this point the teacher must leave students alone in the room. Students then leave the feedback with the Director of Studies or whoever is in the office at the time after they have completed it.

b. Internal 1-1 courses

Internal 1-1 courses happen upon request in the Expath center. If there is no fixed time for the internal course, please use the Expath room booking calendar to book your rooms for your internal course.

Internal courses in general are shorter than group courses and may only be a few lessons. For that reason, it is worth noting that they progress and expectations are much more focused on the student. Be sure to get a good idea of what the student wants out of the 1-1 lessons.

There is no short feedback or final feedback for internal 1-1 classes.

c. External group courses

i. Key times in your external course

– Before the 1st lesson: come to Expath for a briefing on the company and the class.

– After your first lesson: let the Director of Studies know how the lesson went and how many students came. Another important thing to remember is to bring any students who may not be part of the level to our attention so we can suggest an alternative class if applicable.
– 2-3rd Lesson: inform Expath of how many books you will require for the course. If this is a new course this is especially important so that we know how many books to order

– 3-4th lesson: books are available to pick up at Expath. We can sometimes arrange for books to be dropped off at clients, but this generally takes longer.
– 3rd lesson from the end of the course: let Expath know the course is coming to an end so that if we have not already renewed the course this can be taken care of.
Frequency
Expath external courses run for 30 units for A1.1 and 48 units for levels A1.2 – C2.2. Generally, these courses will take place once or twice per week for 90 minutes. Upon request, some clients may have shorter courses or higher/lower frequency.
External courses unless specifically agreed upon between client, teacher and Expath, do not take place on public holidays or weekends.
Expectations
Students in the external courses generally do not intend to take examinations for their level of German. There is also not strictly a focus on anything related to Business German. In many ways, the students will be similar to the students in the internal group courses in that they want to improve their spoken German for every-day situations.
Testing
In most cases, there is no test at the end of the course for participants in external courses. In cases in which clients specifically request tests, Expath can provide tests. These should be collected by the teacher and then handed back to Expath after for processing. Please do not leave the tests with the client. Expath will also make copies of the tests for use in class.
Levels
Expath offers courses from A1.1 – C2.2 to its external clients.
Renewing courses
Expath will always contact the company regarding renewal of the course. When you see that your course has 3-4 lessons remaining, please also let us know so that if we haven’t already renewed the course we can work on taking care of that.
Dress code
Since many of our clients are Berlin start-ups, traditional smart dress code you may expect in German companies may not be the case. Many of your students will be dressed in smart casual. Please dress in a way that fits with your students’ expectations.
Punctuality
Please be sure to arrive to external classes punctually. We would recommend you arrive at least 10 minutes before the start of the class to ensure there is a timely start to the lesson.
Cancellations
For many of our external groups, we have a cancellation policy of 2pm the day before the class. Please check if this policy applies to one of your external groups, if so then any lesson cancellation the day before the class after 2pm can be charged. Any cancellation before 2pm or with an external class to which this policy does not apply is rearranged and not charged.
Changing class times
For all external class groups, the day and time of the lesson is fixed and cannot be changed. The day and time of the course is set out in the agreement with the client and must not be changed by the teacher. If for any reason the current day and time is no longer possible for the students, please ask Expath to contact the client to handle this. Under no circumstance should the teacher change the day and time of the lesson.
Please use your Expath calendar to keep track of all external group courses.
External 1-1 courses
In contrast to external group courses, external 1-1 courses are more flexible and can be rearranged to fit the schedule of the student at a time that is convenient for the teacher. Please use your Expath calendar to keep track of this.

Most students expect their teacher to set homework to complete between class. To maximize students’ learning between class, please be sure to set homework.
Internal class students cannot take the course books home with them. This provides a great opportunity to set more personalized and engaging homework than the exercises from the work book. Ideas for homework not using the book are included in Appendix __
While external classes have a book to take home, we would still strongly recommend that the teacher set homework that is more engaging than the workbook exercises, which may be set as a supplement or addition to homework.
While many students will not complete their homework, please continue to set homework for students.
Check homework in every class. This does not have to necessarily be the first stage of class. In many instances, an interactive warmer may be a more engaging and motivating way to start class.

Attendance lists are provided for all classes Expath offers and must be filled in each lessons. You can find an attendance list online at XXX or ask for one to be sent or printed for you to pick up in the center.
Each numbered column represents one 45-minute lesson unit. This means that if you have a 90-minute external class then two numbered columns represent that lesson. For a 2-hour-15-minute lesson, three numbered columns represent the lesson. For each student for each lesson unit their initials are required.
Keep internal class lists in the designated area in the kitchen. For external classes, lists are either kept at the client’s premises or taken away by the teacher after each lesson. Check with Expath before starting a course to clarify which system is used for your course.
If you lose a list, contact Expath for a new one.
Copies of lists for external 1-1s and external groups must be sent at the end of each month with invoices. This is mandatory and invoices cannot be processed without this information.

Please be sure to keep lists clearly marked with dates, up-to-date with lessons that have taken place, and free from duplicate lessons or extra lessons added onto the end of a page.

As freelancers, Expath teachers are free to book holidays at any point in the year. Please inform us which classes on which days you will need another teacher to cover for you. It is absolutely vital that you inform us of all classes for which you require cover.
Sickness is unavoidable and should you need to call in sick please let us know as soon as you can so that we have the chance to find a short-notice substitution. Contact the emergency number (SMS preferred). Please also send us a quick message once you’re feeling better or if you need a sub for further lessons.
a. Short-term substitutions
For 1-1 students, the lesson can often be rearranged in the case of short-term substitution.
For external classes, we will do our best to find a substitute for the class(es) on the dates and times needed. See appendix 3 for the form to complete for substitutions. This needs to be completed and sent with the request for a sub. These can be left at the client or at Expath for the teacher.
b. Long-term substitutions
For requests for substitutions longer than 4 weeks, it may be better for the students’ progress and continuity to have another teacher take over the course permanently. If you are planning a longer break or sabbatical from teaching in Berlin, get in touch and we can discuss options for your courses.

a. Fire exits
Please be aware of the location of exits in the center. In case of fire, please walk in in a calm manner to the nearest exit and escort your students out to the fire meeting point, which is on the corner of Weserstr and Jansastr.
b. Safety in the center
Please keep your valuables on you at all times. Expath can be held responsible for the loss of theft of anything left unattended on our premises.
Please be vigilant with the front door and the side door. Remind students to close the door behind them and be aware especially during break times that non-students could enter from the street.

a. Tea and coffee
Tea and coffee is free for all teachers and students at Expath. Please respect the other users of the kitchen by leaving your used cups in the designated area by the microwave. Avoid leaving used mugs in the sink as this can lead to their chipping or breaking.

a. Format and frequency
Depending on their course load, Expath teachers can expect two observations per year. Ideally, one or more of these will be of an internal class.
The person coming to class will stay for 60-90 minutes.
We understand that observations can be a stressful experience, which is why we give the opportunity for teachers to suggest which class and at which times would be most appropriate to see. If no request is received, then the Director of Studies will contact you with a suggestion.
b. Feedback
Feedback can take the form of a 1-1 talk about the lesson to share insights, a telephone conversation, skype meeting or written report. Teachers are free to choose which fits their schedule best.

We highly encourage Expath teachers to participate in our peer-learning scheme. All Expath teachers are free to observe any group course taking place in our center. Get in touch with the Director of Studies to find out which classes are available and when.
There is no formal need to conduct feedback after the class. However, if both teachers agree, a short question and answer sessions is possible. Please check with the teacher beforehand if you have questions.

a. Board pens
Board pens are available. If you find the pens in your classroom are empty, please throw them away and ask a member of staff for more pens.
b. Pens and paper
Pens and paper are available on request.
c. Authentic materials
A selection of authentic materials is available at Expath. Expath fully appreciates the value of using these with students, which is why we are open to requests for new authentic and can purchase these. Speak to the Director of Studies for more information.
d. Clip boards
Clip-boards are available in the front room.

Expath does not currently possess a photocopier. Any photocopies made for classes must be covered by the teacher. We strongly encourage teachers not to copy from other books for their classes and to use the materials provided at Expath for copyright reasons.

It can sometimes be the case that attendance in external classes varies from week to week. An example of this could be that 6 students attend your A2.2 class one week, and 2 students (who were not present the week before) attend the next week. For this sort of situation, it is especially important to contain lesson topics to the 90-minute lesson slot.
If attendance or students coming late becomes an issue, please speak to the Director of Studies.

Invoices are to be submitted at the end of each calendar month. The invoice will be processed within 7 business days from the 3rd business day of the new month (excluding wiring times).
For an invoice to be processed for payment, the following items need to be received with the invoice:

1. The invoice
2. Copies of attendance sheets (scanned or pictures) for the month
3. An updated calendar for external and 1-1 courses

Any invoices received without this information may not be processed until this is received. To avoid any delay in payment, please be sure to submit the all three parts.
N.B. when submitting pictures of attendance sheets, please name the attendance sheet DATE (YY.MM.DD) + CLIENT + COURSE CODE

You can find a sample of an invoice in appendix 4 that you could use as a template for a future invoice, to be changed and adapted as you see fit. This is just an example of how you might want to do this and by no means must you use this exact format.

Teachers names and contact details will not be shared with students without the permission of the teacher. Likewise, student email addresses and contact details cannot be shared with teachers without specific permission from the students in concern.

New offers are usually communicated by email. We may also at times call you on occasion for short-notice substitutions.

Teacher should be ready to start their class at the given class time. This will mean planning to arrive a minimum of five minutes before the class in order to set up. Please respect students’ time when finishing classes in the evenings and aim to finish your class promptly.