Mark Cleland

Experience

• 

  WESL Institute, Western Illinois University

  Jan 1986 - Jan 1997

  ESL Instructor

  International Student Advisor, Testing and Materials Coordinator, International Student Advisor, and ESL Lecturer.

• 

  ELS Educational Services, Inc

  Jan 1997 - Oct 2010

  Supervised 13 Centers: Houston, San Antonio, Clear Lake (Texas); Miami, Melbourne, DeLand, Orlando, St. Petersburg (Florida); Atlanta (GA); Philadelphia (PA); Denver (CO); Clemson (SC); Ruston (LA). Supervisor, Trainer and Mentor for Business, Operations and Academic Directors and their entire staffs.Responsible for oversight of all Center business activities in all 13 locations.Opened first ELS-based IELTS Test Centre and continued oversight of IELTS operations within ELS both nationally and regionally until departure for ME. Show less

  • District Director

    Jan 2005 - Oct 2010

  • Center Director

    Jan 1997 - Jan 2009
• 

  IELTS

  Jan 2003 - Jan 2008

  Administrator

  Administrator and IELTS Specialist in the US and Caribbean.

• 

  Mercury English Centers

  Oct 2010 - Jun 2011

  Director of Mercury English Centers

  Established business relationships and ventures with new partners in the UAE, Oman, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Turkey, and China.Established an ESL program in a Dubai K-12 school, and taught some of the classes.Wrote a student handbook for administrators in the same school.

• 

  IDP-Australia

  Jul 2011 - Sept 2014

  Manager, IELTS Test Centres, Gulf

  Establish and maintain business relationships with government departments, private companies, and educational institutions throughout the region, which led to significant growth in government sector and secondary school market share.Started Testing operations in Dubai July 2011, had exceptional growth during my tenure.Established, trained, and managed Test Venues and staff in Dubai, Sharjah, Ajman, Dibba, Abu Dhabi, Muscat, Riyadh, Jeddah, Al Khobar.Responsible for all staff recruitment, training and support. Negotiated and maintained relationships with clients and organizations. Coordinated training activities in multiple locations.Coordinated Centre support and training in UAE, Oman, KSA, Qatar, Kuwait, Iran, Turkey, Jordan, and Egypt. Show less

• 

  Cleland Consulting

  Oct 2014 - now

  ESL, IELTS and Testing/Training Consultant

  Conduct weekly and monthly IELTS presentations via Zoom and other online platforms to groups worldwide.I am a teaching, training and testing professional, skilled at public speaking, innovative planning, leadership, staff evaluation, and assessment.Recent professional training sessions include: 'Countdown to IELTS', 'IELTS Masterclass', 'IELTS Ask the Expert', 'Countdown to IELTS Webinar', 'IELTS Masterclass Webinar' and 'IELTS Crash Course'; all previously given in Face-to-Face sessions, though now via webinar format on Zoom and other platforms. Show less

• 

  American University of Sharjah

  Oct 2017 - Dec 2018

  Adjunct Faculty

  Responsible for IELTS training and preparation for pre-university students who had been unable to pass the test despite numerous attempts. Achieved a 95%+ success rate while on campus.Taught English language classes for Emirati professionals who wished to improve their job prospects with better language skills.