About The Propannex Council
The Propannex Council (ELT Professionals Board) is an independent professional body for English language teaching. We exist to serve the profession, not to sell courses.
Our story
The Council was established in 2009 by a group of teachers, trainers and academic managers who believed English language teaching deserved the same professional infrastructure as other established fields: clear standards, a route for career-long development, and an independent voice for practitioners.
What began as a small network of teacher trainers has grown into a membership body of more than twelve thousand professionals in over seventy countries. Throughout that growth our purpose has stayed the same: to raise the standing of the profession and to support the people within it.
We are funded by our members. We do not run or sell teaching courses, which keeps our standards work and our provider recognition independent of any commercial training interest.
At a glance
- Founded 2009, based in London
- 12,400+ members worldwide
- 70+ countries represented
- 35 recognised training providers
- Independent, member-funded
Our mission and values
Everything we do is guided by a simple aim: a stronger profession and better outcomes for learners.
Raise standards
Define and maintain clear, practical professional standards for teaching, training and academic management.
Support development
Give every member a structured path for continuing professional development and recognition.
Act independently
Stay free of commercial training interests so our recognition and advice can be trusted.
Build community
Connect teachers across borders so no one has to develop their practice alone.
How we are governed
The Council is led by an elected Board and supported by standing committees made up of practising professionals.
The Board
The Board sets the Council's strategy and is accountable to the membership. Board members are elected by members and serve fixed terms. The Board appoints the chairs of our standing committees.
Standing committees
- Standards Committee — owns the professional standards framework and the provider recognition criteria.
- Professional Development Committee — designs CPD pathways, recognition routes and the webinar programme.
- Research & Publications Committee — commissions the ELT Review and oversees the resource library.
How decisions are made
Standards and criteria are reviewed on a published cycle and consulted on with members before changes take effect. Committee remits, meeting summaries and the current standards version are available to members in the resource library.
Ethics and independence
Members and committee volunteers declare any commercial interests. Recognition decisions are made against fixed criteria by people without a financial stake in the outcome.
The people who lead our work
A small team and a wider network of volunteer practitioners keep the Council running.
Dr Eleanor Marsh
PhD in Applied Linguistics (University of Edinburgh) with over twenty years in teacher education across the UK, Japan and Spain. Eleanor chairs the Council's Standards Committee and leads its provider recognition framework.
James Whitfield
DELTA-qualified teacher trainer and CPD specialist. James designs the Council's continuing professional development pathways and member webinar programme.
Priya Kapoor
Former British Council academic manager and journal editor. Priya commissions and edits the Council's research digest and practitioner articles for ELT teachers worldwide.
Marcus Reed
Twelve years supporting ELT teachers and institutions. Marcus runs the Council's membership services, special interest groups and the annual professional conference.