Job Discussion Forums

[mandalayroad]

[parrothead]

To the op,
You've lived in China for 14 years, correct? Do you think that the Chinese system specifically has negatively affected your thinking about TEFL as a whole? If so, perhaps a change is in store. Sampling a few random schools' pay scales doesn't necessarily represent an accurate cross-section of the industry. I think we all get down on our host countries every now and then, but I know a lot of TEFLers who left the field having similar sentiments, only to return when their heads cooled.

[Marcoregano]

The OP's main point is generally accurate - in terms of pay and conditions, ESL has been on a downward trajectory for quite a few years, aided by the fact that there is no governing central body to monitor the industry.

The real 'golden years' were back in the 1980s when a native ESL teacher, even with little or no experience, could make a lot of money in a short time in countries like Japan, HK and Saudi. In those days, the host countries thought they had to offer big salaries and terms to attract suitable people. They soon realised that, surprise surprise, there were so many well qualified Brits, Americans, Canadians etc. who were quite happy to leave their homelands for a new life abroad that they could drop the salaries, and as more and more English speakers have jumped on board that process has continued inexorably. Occasional discrepancies occur when ESL 'takes off' in 'new' countries, but the employers soon cotton-on and the pay heads south.

But the ESL industry as a whole survives and expands as newbies arrive en masse with lower and lower expectations - or because increasingly they see it as only a short-term job and soon make way for someone else. Also because the industry generally has such a high turnover rate, and because many disgruntled older TEFLers end up leaving the industry for pastures new. And at the end of the day teaching ESL in a far-flung corner of the planet still beats some monotonous drudgery in the suburbs of Slough. Or Des Moines, or wherever. And the sun also rises.

[Song&Dance]

Every 40 seconds, 120 babies are born in Asia. Half of them will grow up illiterate.

[william wallace]

I think if folks presently in ESL could go back to the mid-1980s ESL they'd see that those salaries were quite close to todays, and in some cases lower,but if adjusted to inflation,perks and currency fluctuation - Still ,higher than today's salaries.The internet ,in my opinion, allowed for greater access to jobs, which in turn allowed employers to either maintain salaries or lower them to offset the jump in applications and save money or increase profit margins.

In 1995-6 Beijing, to get someone to teach at a private language school, you had to go to the foreign language university and go up to a student to ask them if they'd be interested in teaching at your school - and seeing as it was quite a chore to staff the 30-40 positions, the student/prospective employee had some leverage...3 years later, you'd have 50-200 + internet applications for one position;now you could raise the bar on qualifications, and lower the salary, and still count on 100-200 applications per month.

One private school with 10 branches throughout China, would seek the best qualifications, and in the end..
MBA(Harvard!)/LL.B - 500 usd per month -The prospective students paid 20% more for his classes, and only 3 students made up his monthly cost , (housing, insurance,salary etc..) yet he had at times upwards of 60-80 students per month.He was a pis.shead!
Ph.D - 450 usd per month(with numerous publishings)
and for fun- 2 Ph.Ds(5 books, 40 articles) both degrees related to ESL, 53 years of age, and accepted 350 usd per month.He was on a sabbatical !

[Chancellor]