Job Discussion Forums

[Capergirl]

I've been wondering if the fact that so many English language teachers are getting (or thinking of getting) Master's and PhD's - not to mention all the TESL/TEFL/CELTA/DELTA certificates and diplomas - will gradually give this "profession" a better reputation in future years. At the moment, it seems that there is a prevailing opinion that this career is nothing more than a hobby, a way for people to travel and avoid real responsibility and a real career. I personally am hoping that when I get my Master's in TESOL (planning to start in 2004, with any luck) that people may then begin to realize that I don't think of my career choice as a joke or a way to pass the time and neither should they.

Currently, many countries still employ native English speakers with any Bachelor's degree and often it is not necessary to have other qualifications, even teaching experience. In the future, however, it may be more common to ask for ELT-specific qualifications, teaching experience, and possibly even graduate degrees and diplomas (some places already do require these things, of course). This may help to eradicate the backpacker image of ELT and will (IMHO) greatly benefit those of us who take this "career" very seriously.

Thoughts?

[leeroy]

Yes, the image of ELT at the moment isn't exactly rosy is it? But an industry that allows scum like me to work in it shouldn't necessarily blame the teachers for the image it has.

I have a feeling there are so many under-qualified "teachers" because that's the way economics has made it. A lot of students aren't too bothered about having qualified professionals - some (shock horror!) may even be bored teenagers who want a westerner to sing and dance for them. Perhaps, for positions like this, a Masters isn't really necessary.

As the world globalises even more, I think the need for English will become a little more "real" - as opposed to the "good idea" as considered by many at the moment. As the need for real communicative competence in English increases, the need for Teachers Who Know What They Are Doing will increase. All of a sudden, the downtrodden academics (who know what "anaphoric referencing" is) can jump out of the shadows into jobs that afford them the pay and professional recognition that they deserve.

Maybe I'm just being over-positive, with my rose-tinted glasses though...

[dyak]

I�m wondering if making ELT harder to get into or it taking longer than 4 weeks will make it more professional. To teach in an English Secondary School you need a degree plus a post graduate (year long CELTA type) course which really is a bench test to see if you�re serious about teaching or not. There�s no real equivalent in ELT, and having this would certainly weed out the backpacker element� <passes rose tinted glasses back to leeroy>

I agree that degrees should be subject specific at least; I�d rather take on someone who�d been studying English or a language for 3 years than someone who hadn�t. However� you can have a suitcase (or backpack) full of degrees, masters�, CELTAs, DELTAs and PhD�s, but can you TEACH? I would love to see more quality control of actual teaching� can you communicate this vast amount of knowledge you�ve acquired?

[SweetOne]

[nomadder]

I think in the old days in Canada(and other places no doubt) all you needed was any degree to teach and it seemed that any unmarried woman could become a teacher or secretary no problem. After marriage they quit. So perhaps it's a supply and demand sort of thing.

[dduck]

[Jess_Laoshi]

I see it as supply and demand. In places like China, there's a huge demand for English teachers. There just simply aren't as many qualified MA/PhD holders willing to pack up and move to another country (and possibly work for a fraction of what they could make at home) as there are positions to be filled. From the school's point of view, if they can't get these people to teach EFL, isn't a less qualified person (who could still possibly be a good teacher after all) better than nothing? Having employers require those degrees doesn't mean that more people with degrees will teach EFL. The low standards of for EFL teachers are a direct result of the huge demand. As long as the demand remains high, the standards will be relatively low.

[Capergirl]