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Future of TEFL?
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nomad soul



Joined: 31 Jan 2010
Posts: 11454
Location: The real world

PostPosted: Wed Mar 02, 2016 5:05 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

kona wrote:
For what it's worth, there's still plenty of people, both bloggers and recruiters, saying you can teach English in China without a degree (and with either fake documents or without a work visa), some as recently as 2013.
....

Recruiters and private TEFL organizations are taking cues from buzz feed.

Visa regs and/or employer requirements have changed. Besides, a 2013 personal blog and a write up from 4 years ago on the website of a company that offers TEFL courses are irrelevant in regard to TEFL trends from 2016 and beyond. (Bloggers and TEFL cert providers, in general, aren't the best sources for information, especially about legal employment.)
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kona



Joined: 17 Sep 2011
Posts: 188
Location: USA

PostPosted: Wed Mar 02, 2016 9:53 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

nomad soul wrote:
kona wrote:
For what it's worth, there's still plenty of people, both bloggers and recruiters, saying you can teach English in China without a degree (and with either fake documents or without a work visa), some as recently as 2013.
....

Recruiters and private TEFL organizations are taking cues from buzz feed.

Visa regs and/or employer requirements have changed. Besides, a 2013 personal blog and a write up from 4 years ago on the website of a company that offers TEFL courses are irrelevant in regard to TEFL trends from 2016 and beyond. (Bloggers and TEFL cert providers, in general, aren't the best sources for information, especially about legal employment.)


Sorry, I was talking how things have changed from back then, to today.

Visa regs have definitely changed, and so has enforcement, or so I hear. I have a few friends in China that have told me there's an ongoing ramp up in the enforcement of visa regulations by checking folks visa statuses at schools at random. I think a few teachers on here might agree.

The reason why I posted those links is that I can see why people get the impression that going to China and teaching without a visa or degree is a viable option for them to go overseas. People in 2003 were saying that China is going to have more backpackers and people on fake documents or working on the wrong visas. I don't know if there are more or less people in China working without the proper visa or on fake documents, but there's definitely still plenty of people on blogs and recruiter websites trying to convince people that's the way to go. This doesn't seem to be the case for more mature markets like Japan and Korea.

Korea went through massive changes to it's immigration requirements and how they pertain to English teachers over the last 15 years, becoming more strict (and more streamlined and efficient) to ensure people have the credentials they say they have. I think China is in the middle of similar massive reforms like this.

Anyways, as far as the future: I think there are still going to be plenty of people wanting to learn English. It's not going to be as easy as it use to be (i.e. parents might not pay you $50 an hour anymore to play video games with little Minsu), but, if you continuously up your quals and maintain a good social/work network, you should still be able to find decent gigs.
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scot47



Joined: 10 Jan 2003
Posts: 15343

PostPosted: Wed Mar 02, 2016 8:47 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Reflect on how the business of Latin as a Foreign Language must have been around 700AD. Gloomy !
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adventious



Joined: 23 Nov 2015
Posts: 237
Location: In the wide

PostPosted: Thu Mar 03, 2016 1:05 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

scot47 wrote:
Reflect on how the business of Latin...
While one genuflects as well...
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nomad soul



Joined: 31 Jan 2010
Posts: 11454
Location: The real world

PostPosted: Sat Feb 18, 2017 6:57 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

This thread was started 14 years ago with the OP stating that the general theme among TEFLers was that "The EFL bubble has burst!" and "Jobs are becoming harder to come by, pay is getting lower!" The following 2014 opinion piece offers further food for thought about where TEFL is heading:

The Future of English Language Teaching and Learning Locally and Globally
By Deena Boraie, PhD | 12 February 2014
Source: http://blog.tesol.org/the-future-of-english-language-teaching-and-learning-locally-and-globally/

(Excerpt)
I think that English will remain the lingua franca of the world for the next 20 years at least, but the number of people learning English as a foreign language will not continue to increase at the current rate and will eventually plateau. In many countries, English is taught early, from Grade 1 or a higher grade in the primary stage of schooling, and so over time the need and numbers of adults learning EFL will lose its current momentum.

Another important change is that English will not continue to dominate the new forms of computer-mediated communication such as Twitter or Facebook. There are world languages that are emerging such as Chinese, Hindi/Urdu, Spanish, and Arabic, and technology can support these languages much better than in the past. The changing statuses of these languages will result in a different hierarchy of languages used globally. While English is the dominant language globally currently, this may not necessarily be the case in the future.

Ideologically, there is a growing movement that advocates that the best way to educate children is through their mother tongue, and within this movement this is seen as a basic human right. This is also associated with fears at the local level in some countries that English may overtake the L1. Therefore, I believe that the position of English is changing in status at the local level.

I don’t think that learning English will stop, but the focus will be on bilingualism or even multilingualism. Furthermore, English will most likely take on the local color of the context where it is taught and used, especially if English is taught by nonnative English–speaking teachers. For me, the key questions that need to be researched and answered are, “what is the future of English language teaching and learning in specific contexts?” and “what kind of English is needed in each of your contexts?”

What are your thoughts on the future of English language teaching and learning?

(End of opinion)
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dragonpiwo



Joined: 04 Mar 2013
Posts: 1650
Location: Berlin

PostPosted: Sat Feb 18, 2017 10:19 am    Post subject: erm Reply with quote

My thoughts:

1.) Many more non-native teachers who are good.
2.) Children learning English much earlier.
3.) Too many native speakers.
4.) Emerging educational platforms which negate the need for guided learning/face to face teaching.
5.) Less being spent on training budgets for languages in the squeeze.
6.) Tightening of visa reguations.
7.) Wage stagnation and decline.

All in all, a perfect storm.
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scot47



Joined: 10 Jan 2003
Posts: 15343

PostPosted: Sat Feb 18, 2017 12:16 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Advise your sons and daughters to pursue careers as plumbers or electricians. Forget TEFL !
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danshengou



Joined: 17 Feb 2016
Posts: 434
Location: A bizarre overcrowded hole

PostPosted: Sat Feb 18, 2017 12:48 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Even a burger flipper has more options and in many instances has better pay too... Cool
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danshengou



Joined: 17 Feb 2016
Posts: 434
Location: A bizarre overcrowded hole

PostPosted: Sat Feb 18, 2017 12:55 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

scot47 wrote:
Reflect on how the business of Latin as a Foreign Language must have been around 700AD. Gloomy !


Laughing Laughing Rolling Eyes
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bograt



Joined: 12 Nov 2014
Posts: 331

PostPosted: Sat Feb 18, 2017 1:15 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

danshengou wrote:
scot47 wrote:
Reflect on how the business of Latin as a Foreign Language must have been around 700AD. Gloomy !


Laughing Laughing Rolling Eyes


Actually people are still making a decent living out of teaching Latin in the UK 1400 years later.

e.g.

https://www.eteach.com/microsite/jobdetails.aspx?vacno=740801&Page=211
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dragonpiwo



Joined: 04 Mar 2013
Posts: 1650
Location: Berlin

PostPosted: Sat Feb 18, 2017 2:55 pm    Post subject: erm Reply with quote

I already have Scot47.

When my current job goes and it surely will, I think that's it re the top earnings in TEFL. The oil gigs are over more or less. Pesky wars and low oil prices.

Only Aramco seems to be hiring and contractors are starting to shred that contract too.

As my dad always said;'Son, it's a holiday job. No-one will take you seriously.'

And no-one does. Ha
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danshengou



Joined: 17 Feb 2016
Posts: 434
Location: A bizarre overcrowded hole

PostPosted: Sat Feb 18, 2017 2:57 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Now if I could teach Latin on the beach...!
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nomad soul



Joined: 31 Jan 2010
Posts: 11454
Location: The real world

PostPosted: Fri Feb 24, 2017 8:59 pm    Post subject: Re: erm Reply with quote

dragonpiwo wrote:
1.) Many more non-native teachers who are good.
2.) Children learning English much earlier.
3.) Too many native speakers.
4.) Emerging educational platforms which negate the need for guided learning/face to face teaching.
5.) Less being spent on training budgets for languages in the squeeze.
6.) Tightening of visa reguations.
7.) Wage stagnation and decline.

Add shifting economies (up and downturns) and a growing trend in ESP. Plus, some of the factors listed contribute directly to declining wages.
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Jmbf



Joined: 29 Jun 2014
Posts: 663

PostPosted: Sat Feb 25, 2017 11:25 am    Post subject: Re: erm Reply with quote

dragonpiwo wrote:
I already have Scot47.

When my current job goes and it surely will, I think that's it re the top earnings in TEFL. The oil gigs are over more or less.


The oil and gas gigs are the only decent paying TEFL jobs left??
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dragonpiwo



Joined: 04 Mar 2013
Posts: 1650
Location: Berlin

PostPosted: Sat Feb 25, 2017 12:44 pm    Post subject: erm Reply with quote

The oil gigs generally had the best pay and conditions but 'difficult' trainees.
Libya's a no go zone, the UAE companies are offloading their teachers, the Kazak gig died, Qatar is sewn up by a recruiter, so the pay isn't so good, Kuwait was always bad, the Iraqi gigs have gone, which leaves Saudi, where the dosh is going down and recruiters are more the norm. The direct-hire stuff is largely no more.
I'll be heading home when this is done. Good job my wife is well-qualified as TEFL in Poland is a joke.
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