Site Search:
 
Get TEFL Certified & Start Your Adventure Today!
Teach English Abroad and Get Paid to see the World!
Job Discussion Forums Forum Index Job Discussion Forums
"The Internet's Meeting Place for ESL/EFL Students and Teachers from Around the World!"
 
 FAQFAQ   SearchSearch   MemberlistMemberlist   UsergroupsUsergroups   RegisterRegister 
 ProfileProfile   Log in to check your private messagesLog in to check your private messages   Log inLog in 

EAP goes mainstream in Oz

 
Post new topic   Reply to topic    Job Discussion Forums Forum Index -> Australia/New Zealand
View previous topic :: View next topic  
Author Message
nomad soul



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

PostPosted: Fri Apr 15, 2016 12:02 am    Post subject: EAP goes mainstream in Oz Reply with quote

EAP goes mainstream in Oz
By Angela Snelgrove, EL Gazette | April 2016
Source: http://www.elgazette.com/

Australia continues to experience growth in the international student market, with 11,336 new students in January 2016 – an increase of 3.8 per cent from 2015, which was itself a record-breaking year in terms of international student enrolments. There are currently 319,892 international students enrolled on courses in Australia, with 29 per cent of these (nearly 100,000) from China. Of this total number, 15 per cent (47,211 students) are enrolled in Elicos (English language intensive courses for overseas students, shorter intensive EFL programmes).

Brett Blacker, chief executive officer of accredited ELT providers’ association English Australia, said, ‘2015 set a new record for international students in Australia, surpassing the previous peak reached in 2009. There were more students undertaking Elicos courses in Australia than ever before.’ Australia’s biggest market for students in the last decade has been China, and this trend continues – with almost one quarter of new commencements in 2016 from there. However, students from other markets are returning. ‘It is positive to see continued growth from Colombia, Brazil and Thailand, as well as a return to growth from Korea,’ says Blacker, ‘as these countries provide students to all English Australia member colleges across the sector.’

With international education worth over AU$9 billion annually in Australia, the government’s first ever national strategy for international education – AIE2025 – aims to double this number by 2025 through a ten-year market development plan. As part of the strategy, the government is focusing on the ‘competitive advantage’ of many of Australia’s universities, which offer courses related to water management, international health and agriculture, subjects which will be increasingly in demand. There are also plans to attract more students from Sub-Saharan Africa. Working with the Department of Education and Training, English Australia is currently completing a survey of major regional Elicos markets, which will supply the vital information government and education providers need to ensure that the provision of language and further education programmes in Australia aligns with the government’s long-term marketing strategy.

Other changes which have led to growth include the easing of entry requirements for international students into Elicos programmes, the new simplified student visa framework (SSVF) which has reduced student visa subclasses from eight to two, and the introduction of a single immigration risk framework for all international students. Blacker also points out that the variety of programmes offered to international students has improved, with English for academic purposes courses now working more closely with faculty members to ensure students are as fully prepared as possible for the rigours of academic studies.

With the high demand for academic English courses in recent years, EAP can no longer be considered a teaching specialisation, as many of the major English language centres scramble to recruit dozens of teachers on a casual basis at the beginning of every new semester to cope with the demand for staff. However, concerns remain as to the standard of English of postgraduate international students, and some universities are even insisting on compulsory bridging (foundation) programmes.

At Monash University College, which has the largest number of international students enrolled in Australia (22,140 in 2014) and in 2015 employed 177 EAP teachers, the Monash English Bridging programme is in place for those who meet academic requirements but have yet to achieve the required standard of English. The University of Melbourne offers credit-bearing EAP courses to all postgraduate international students to undertake concurrently with their degree programmes during the first semester, while the University of Technology Sydney offers Academic English: Communication Fundamentals as an elective for all students who need to develop academic literacy skills. Adelaide University has gone one step further with its Integrative Bridging Programme Research, which is now a compulsory course for international students prior to doctoral higher degree studies. This programme has been streamed into coursework and research strands and into discipline-specific components, and is unique within Australian universities.

(End of article)
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
bagua8



Joined: 22 Mar 2012
Posts: 57

PostPosted: Sat Dec 09, 2017 4:56 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

EAP is worth 9 billion and all the 5eaching positions are casual. WTF!
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
Songbird



Joined: 09 Jan 2005
Posts: 630
Location: State of Chaos, Panic & Disorder...

PostPosted: Tue Dec 19, 2017 11:10 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Yep. Would love to get back into teaching again, instead of the mind numbing customer complaints that I do day in day out....casual is not going to work for me!
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
Insubordination



Joined: 07 Nov 2007
Posts: 394
Location: Sydney

PostPosted: Tue Feb 20, 2018 11:16 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

I got a permanent job at one of these unis after working there for a while as a casual. It can happen, but it is more likely not to. Full-time positions don't come up too often and there is a lot of competition. I was really surprised when I got it. The salary is really high with paid holidays/sick days. I earn almost 40% more than full-time casual on the highest step at private ELICOS schools, but it is harder work with many more hours required. I am not in a 'foundation' program - just EAP. It feels strange to finally have permanency after so many years as a casual.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
Display posts from previous:   
Post new topic   Reply to topic    Job Discussion Forums Forum Index -> Australia/New Zealand All times are GMT
Page 1 of 1

 
Jump to:  
You cannot post new topics in this forum
You cannot reply to topics in this forum
You cannot edit your posts in this forum
You cannot delete your posts in this forum
You cannot vote in polls in this forum


This page is maintained by the one and only Dave Sperling.
Contact Dave's ESL Cafe
Copyright © 2018 Dave Sperling. All Rights Reserved.

Powered by phpBB © 2001, 2002 phpBB Group

Teaching Jobs in China
Teaching Jobs in China