Job Discussion Forums

[Gregor]

So we've gone from a profession to professionalism.

In that case, never even MIND any qualifications. Can a high school graduate with nothing more than a TEFL cert. be a professional?
Absolutely. It's all up to his or her attitude toward teaching, of course, but there is a LOT that an ESL teacher is bound to learn, if (s)he sticks to it long enough, that makes him/her an expert in grammar, and in what it takes to improve the speaking and communicative abilities of students. A well-experienced, thoughtful and motivated teacher of ESL is very likely to be a better teacher than a recent graduate; even one with a Master's in TESOL.
We see this in China, time and again. Chinese English teachers typically teach as they were TOLD to teach - by rote. Foreign teachers are typically useless when it comes to grammar and teaching English the way it is actually USED; the foreigners tend to know less - LESS! - than the authors of the books used, regardless of the age of the books.
On the rare occasion the students (or their parents) encounter a native English speaking teacher who is actually a TEACHER, who knows the subject and who knows how to teach, those students will just about sell their SOULS to keep that teacher.
Those teachers are professionals. You can see it from the progress the students make and from the loyalty they have to that teacher.
Going back - what credentials do those teachers hold? Are they holders of Master's Degrees? Usually not. Bachelor's degrees, TEFL certificates and a couple years' experience is what we're dealing with here. It's just a matter of the right people going into the right field.
And people in this field are so abused that the best ones can't be faulted for giving it up before they even realize how useful they are to their students.
Why? Because they are so abused. Or else no one is there to cultivate their talents. No one encourages them to continue. maybe they go onto Dave's forums and decide that this is a thankless job (which it tends to be).
My point? I don't know. Maybe just, try to be more supportive. This is worth doing. It IS a profession, and it's one worth pursuing. That's all.

[donfan]

[Aramas]

I once met a chap with a PhD in the physics of football. I suppose that makes him a professional footballer

[Gregor]

Professional footballer! Good one!

But seriously, doesn't anyone agree that "professionalism" - at least what really counts about it - is the behavior and attitude of the person in question? Paper qualifications matter a great deal so far as getting the job or work permit in the first place. But beyond that, education can come from any number of sources. The most important thing to me is how well and responsibly someone does his or her job, and how well that person adapts to unexpected situations and so on. Confidence, self-respect, responsibility...THESE are the things that make someone a professional, in my opinion.

I'm the OP, so what was I talking about in the first place? I don't know. Maybe paper quals AND behavior, because I will admit that by the most important definition of professionalism, you can be a professional dustman. But I believe that, as well. Professionalism makes EVERYONE'S life much more pleasant and easy. That IS the most important.
And anyway, who would you rather have for your kid's (or your own) English (or Chinese or maths or whatever) teacher? The pedophile with a master's degree, a schoolmarmish disciplinarian with a bachelor's, or a natural, responsible teacher who is fun, who you learn from, and who simply learned the subject at hand from a library, MAYBE has a teaching cert? That's a pretty choice for me to make.