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 

EFL classes in decline in the UK?
Goto page 1, 2, 3  Next
 
Post new topic   Reply to topic    Job Discussion Forums Forum Index -> United Kingdom
View previous topic :: View next topic  
Author Message
Gamajorba



Joined: 03 May 2015
Posts: 357

PostPosted: Mon Jun 29, 2015 8:48 am    Post subject: EFL classes in decline in the UK? Reply with quote

I've been doing some scouting around for teaching positions in the UK (the West Midlands to be more exact), and it seems the situation of EFL is getting worse and worse.

In Birmingham, where I currently live, it seems most community centres and colleges have scrapped ESOL courses or anything similar, language schools are making drastic cutbacks or they just never hire anyone anyway. One school even dismissed its teachers for Ramadan, it seems! The only realiable positions that seem to be open are sessionals at universities or summer camps.

Even in the schools with branches in other places are experiencing cutbacks across the board, so it's unlikely it's a West Midlands only thing. What does anyone else think?
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
Dedicated



Joined: 18 May 2007
Posts: 972
Location: UK

PostPosted: Mon Jun 29, 2015 12:08 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

This is certainly not the case here in London, which is positively heaving with hoards of teenagers and adults all sporting EF, IH and similar T-shirts and going for 3 or 4 week courses.

Universities seem to be packing in the students on pre-sessional courses and they are predominantly Chinese, Russian, Arabs and Kazakhs.

So EFL/EAP are thriving here.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
Gamajorba



Joined: 03 May 2015
Posts: 357

PostPosted: Mon Jun 29, 2015 2:53 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Funny, because one school that I am aware of is actually losing students for reasons unknown to me.

Maybe I've just looked in the wrong places. OK I know Birmingham is hardly the most popular of places for anyone to do anything, but at least it's a very cosmopolitan place to be!
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
slapntickle



Joined: 07 Sep 2010
Posts: 270

PostPosted: Wed Jul 01, 2015 8:03 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Dedicated wrote:
This is certainly not the case here in London . . .


London is about all England has to offer international students. They all want to study here because they are in easy access of Oxford Street for shopping expeditions.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
Mr. Bourenmouth



Joined: 03 Feb 2011
Posts: 21

PostPosted: Wed Jul 01, 2015 9:40 pm    Post subject: Re: EFL classes in decline in the UK? Reply with quote

It's had it. End of an era, schools are all competing on price and it's the end of the road. Time to pick up a new skill.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
Gamajorba



Joined: 03 May 2015
Posts: 357

PostPosted: Thu Jul 02, 2015 7:26 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

I would say visas and prices are 2 huge factors.

There are 2 very prominent schools in Birmingham for example - one is a government school which is subsidised and therefore cheaper, but from what I understand is less willing to take on sponsored students (e.g. from Saudi Arabia with government scholarships etc) and thus tends to have a lot more European students, and a private school which takes on sponsored students, but compared to the other institution, is a lot more expensive and thus Europeans TEND to not go there.

Then of course the visa requirements for various nationalities make life even more difficult.

Having said all that, a lot of my students in Birmingham do tell me they're not so keen on Birmingham for various reasons, despite being incredibly multicultural and not as bad as people make it out to be.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
nwtefl



Joined: 20 May 2015
Posts: 148
Location: England

PostPosted: Thu Jul 02, 2015 6:41 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Yeah EFL is dying in the U.K.

I work in the main FE college in Liverpool and, due to factors outside my department's control, we have lost HTS and so EFL is dead here. There is still ESOL, but even that is limited to about 9 hours a week for students and each year the restrictions tighten and the government alter the rules.

Now there are the changes to the SELT and where you can do it, and CAS allocations. If you look at the English UK forums, those language schools who can issue T4 and SVVs are closing all the time, due to all the mess.

This will not change either unless the government stop including students in the immigration figure. However, as they are twats, this won't happen.

If you are a teacher it's equally shit - you can work for a language school for £13 per hour (maybe £14 if you have a higher qualifcation ! Wow !) or try and find sessional work.

Abroad seems the logical choice (un)fortunately.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
Gamajorba



Joined: 03 May 2015
Posts: 357

PostPosted: Fri Jul 03, 2015 11:15 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

The most abundant work I've come across so far seems to be summer camp work. Hardly sustainable...!
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
nwtefl



Joined: 20 May 2015
Posts: 148
Location: England

PostPosted: Fri Jul 03, 2015 12:24 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

yeah summer school - "teaching" loads of Italian teenagers sent here by their parents who want to get rid of them over the season ; who don't want to be in the UK. It's 90% babysitting. All for £13 an hour ?

I'd rather boil my head.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
Gamajorba



Joined: 03 May 2015
Posts: 357

PostPosted: Fri Jul 03, 2015 12:37 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

nwtefl wrote:
yeah summer school - "teaching" loads of Italian teenagers sent here by their parents who want to get rid of them over the season ; who don't want to be in the UK. It's 90% babysitting. All for £13 an hour ?

I'd rather boil my head.


I think I know EXACTLY who you work for then Very Happy
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
nwtefl



Joined: 20 May 2015
Posts: 148
Location: England

PostPosted: Fri Jul 03, 2015 12:56 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Ha ha ! No you don't !
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
sprightly



Joined: 07 May 2003
Posts: 136
Location: England

PostPosted: Sat Aug 08, 2015 4:26 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

i have a celta and MA tesl and work freelance. i get 22/ teaching hour with local language schools. i get about 1/3 that teaching online from home, but it's gradually going up.
i could get a full time job, but i'm not keen on going back to that.

independent schools teaching a-levels, marketing abroad = lots of ESL teaching, mostly ielts prep + academic english.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
CANDLES



Joined: 01 Nov 2011
Posts: 605
Location: Wandering aimlessly.....

PostPosted: Tue Aug 11, 2015 2:36 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I have qualifications and experience, but still no job, perhaps it might be something to do with my 'foreign' name?

That's what I think...... Rolling Eyes There are Language schools crying out for teachers in London, but for some reason not replying to me. What's happening?
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
dragonpiwo



Joined: 04 Mar 2013
Posts: 1650
Location: Berlin

PostPosted: Sat Apr 09, 2016 8:11 am    Post subject: go abroad Reply with quote

I've been an EFL teacher for 20 years. It's getting harder and harder. I work in the Middle East, used to work in Eastern Europe and have worked in the UK at language schools and an FE college.
The thing is, to get the fewer and fewer 'good' jobs, you need to 'invest' in more and more expensive qualifications. It's a bit of a trap because even then there's no guarantee. The well-paid jobs are on the slide in the ME due to the low price of oil. I went back to Eastern Europe last year in between jobs and was offered entry-level pay, split-level shifts and thought screw that. The UK regs mean schools are closing.
If I were younger, I'd get straight out of EFL. It's a duff job these days with no prospects.
There was always the Middle East bolt-hole but that is closing.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
johncoan



Joined: 02 Jul 2010
Posts: 115

PostPosted: Sat Apr 09, 2016 8:37 am    Post subject: Re: go abroad Reply with quote

Dedicated wrote:
This is certainly not the case here in London, which is positively heaving with hoards of teenagers and adults all sporting EF, IH and similar T-shirts and going for 3 or 4 week courses.

Universities seem to be packing in the students on pre-sessional courses and they are predominantly Chinese, Russian, Arabs and Kazakhs.

So EFL/EAP are thriving here.


In summer, for sure. Year round? You'd struggle outside of London (and perhaps a handful of places in the far south/south coast such as Brighton). And it's not easy to live on a TEFLer's salary in those places anyway. Folk I know teaching in London have a really hard time.


dragonpiwo wrote:
I've been an EFL teacher for 20 years. It's getting harder and harder. I work in the Middle East, used to work in Eastern Europe and have worked in the UK at language schools and an FE college.
The thing is, to get the fewer and fewer 'good' jobs, you need to 'invest' in more and more expensive qualifications.


I'd agree with that.


dragonpiwo wrote:

If I were younger, I'd get straight out of EFL. It's a duff job these days with no prospects.


And much as it pains me, I'd agree with that too.

I'm mad keen to return to the UK, and I wanted 2016 to be the year when it finally happened, but sadly it looks like I'm going to have to go abroad again after summer, another year in some so-so language school in Spain teaching wild kids and boring business folk or some tiresome bollocks.

Ho hum.
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 -> United Kingdom All times are GMT
Goto page 1, 2, 3  Next
Page 1 of 3

 
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