Job Discussion Forums

[Mercury Morris]

Hello All,

I've been doing some soul searching about ESL teaching as of late. And, while ESL teaching is a great way to "see the world" and meet folks from far away lands, I think ESL teaching is...er....not a "real job".

Yes--I know many of you have been doing it for years and years here, there and everywhere. Yes--I know some ESL teachers are making OK money ($2,000/month Taiwan, for example, or living in some dreadful compound in Saudi Arabia for even more). But let's face it: ESL teachers are arguably at the low end of the "teacher spectrum": high school teachers, university teachers, college teachers are all generally higher paid, get benefits and are considered "professionals" (ESL teachers aren't professionals in my opinion). I mean, most ESL teachers are youngsters who just finished their undergrad degrees and are doing ESL teaching abroad as a way to goof off for a bit before they get a "real job" back where they came from.

Although nobody likes to overtly say it, there are "little clues" that ESL teaching is still kind of a goof-off job. For example: I've taught at a number of ESL schools in Canada, and the teachers generally could care less about each other. Professionalism is definitely lacking. Morale is low (though nobody says it out loud it is written on their faces). Depreciating jokes are often heard about how one's spouse has "the real job", for example. Or how ESL teachers come and go like the wind at a school, and nobody notices or really cares.

It was the same in Prague: I could not believe some of the ESL teachers at the school I worked at: alcoholics, drifters, transients--anybody barely breathing who was a native speaker was good enough for the school or so it seemed. Yes they had their TESOL certificate or whatever, but they were still *beep*-offs. And the stories over a few pints of beer about these blokes: many of them running from whatever back home where they're from: broken relationships, running from the law, broken lives--hence living in Prague teaching ESL and drinking themselves blind. And how the DOSs at schools screw teachers around, like they are disposable napkins. In all honesty ESL teaching is on par with being an office temp sometimes.

Yes, of course there are exceptions to the rule where somebody is making out well teaching ESL. But let's face it: ESL for most people is a very low paying job with little or no job security, living out of a suitcase and living hand to mouth. These are the facts. I know them from direct experience. YES--it is a GREAT WAY to see the world...but not a way to make a living (unless you are quite unconventional and enjoy living out of a suitcase for years on end). Many ESL teachers I encountered in Prague were complete *beep*-offs, losers who could not hold down steady jobs where they were from, and clearly had issues.

I welcome any comments on this thread. I wish ESL teaching got more respect than it does, and that we all earned more money than we do. It can be a very demanding job at times and deserves better. Getting an undergrad degree and ESL certification of whatever kind was all in all a serious commitment and took a great deal of time and money to acquire. But after all this education and hoop jumping, many of us have no job security, low wages, and have drunks and losers for fellow ESL teachers. This is why I ask: what is ESL teaching? Is it a real job? Or is it a stepping stone until one can figure out their true calling, or whatever? Or will it always be a "goof off" job for youngsters, alcoholics, run aways, etc?

[Glenski]

[RollingStone]

[spiral78]

high school teachers, university teachers, college teachers are all generally higher paid, get benefits and are considered "professionals" (ESL teachers aren't professionals in my opinion). [/i]


I am a university EFL teacher, and have been for eight years now, in two different universities. My colleagues, peers, and I are most definitely 'professionals.' We have decent pay, health care, pensions.

But a BA + TEFL certificate won't get one into the 'real' jobs - it certainly takes more advanced qualifications, just as any higher-level education job does.

[Molson]

[mozzar]

Out of interest: after getting a masters, are there any more qualifications that many ESL teachers get?

[denise]

I work in a university, too. I have an MA. It most definitely is a real job for me. If your experience leads you to believe otherwise, I'd say it's because you haven't been able to find the better jobs. There's a whole world out there beyond the stereotypical (at least, as you have described) conversation schools.

d

[naturegirl321]

I think the bad teachers are the ones with no training. I watched a teacher yesterday and was cringing the entire time. I could't believe the high level of vocab that he was using with a seven year old girl. And then his idea of teaching vocab was to have her look up every word in the dictionary and when it wasn't there, he asked the other teacher for the translation!

[naturegirl321]

[Pikgitina]

[mozzar]

[spanglish]

mozzar - I have some similar observations. The CELTA I took was great. I learned a lot, really enjoyed the process and it made all the difference in my teaching. But now after just 6 months of teaching, I really feel the need for more training. Because of the high quality of the CELTA I took, I want to take DELTA. But that requires at least 2 years experience. I agree that the best way to learn to teach is to teach (with support), but I don't feel CELTA was enough training to launch me into 2 year of teaching. I also am not excited about working the types of jobs you can get with CELTA plus BA for the next 2-3 years.

[spiral78]

To stay teaching for a few years and then get a teaching qualification seems the wrong way to do it. It must also be damaging to the profession because after three years teachers may:

- be reluctant to study for a masters as it's extra work for them to do,
- feel discouraged to study about how to teach when they've already been teaching for a few years
- feel that it's not relevent to getting a good teaching job (admittedly this would be a short sighted view).

I disagree, but I'm biased because I started my MA six years after I started teaching ESL.

However, for what my biased personal observations may be worth -
a good MA is very challenging in terms of requiring the student to really become cognizant of a range of literature in the field.
Without some years of previous experience, it's impossible to link all that theory to real-world teaching contexts, making it much more difficult to assimilate.

Your second point is the one I'd argue with the most - teachers learn and grow constantly - at least good ones do. I'm a FAR better teacher now than I was 12 years ago when I started, and better than I was immediately after the MA as well.

Anyone who feels he/she has it nailed after a couple of years of experience is probably not really cut out for the job anyway, in my biased opinion.

[Pikgitina]

[Mercury Morris]

It is amusing to read replies to my post. Judging from the tone and content of replies, some of you are in denial regarding the realities of ESL employment and found my comments making uncomfortable reading (such as "glenski").

Just so you know I've been teaching at some of the larger schools that have a spectrum of classes (CAE, FCE, TOEFL, etc all taught).

I think its safe to say that most people teaching ESL are recent graduates. I don't need stats to back this claim up. For Glenski to try to claim most ESL teachers are older adults is absurd. It is plainly evident ESL teaching is, by and large, an occupation of folks in their 20s to do for a while before moving on with their lives. A small minority of people continue on teaching ESL in their 30s, 40s, etc. You don't need stats to back this up. Just visit 3 or 4 ESL schools and look around at the staff.

Rolling Stone--very funny: yeah, I got my BA so I could work in TESL
But ironically Rolling Stone's comment only confirms what I'm saying: that ESL teaching is not really a "career", e.g. a field a young person chooses as an occupation. Rolling Stone I don't agree with your comment about getting a BA ("just show up and they give you a grade"--maybe for your school! Not mine.). Again I did not work at "sweat shop schools"--that's just you putting words in my mouth because you find my observations unsettling. I taught at one of the largest, most established ESL schools in Prague.

Spiral 78--thanks for your input. You are the rare exception to the rule and have a great job. Actually I have TESOL and 2 BAs, btw. And many years of experience in the corporate sector.

Denise--like others you assume I've worked at bottom rung conversational schools. I didn't. I think these replies like yours stem from wanting to think I worked at 'conversational schools' because you don't want to face the fact that ESL teaching is largely low pay and transient in nature.

I probably won't make any more comments on this thread as I'm swamped with other things to do, but thanks to all for your replies. I think I hit a nerve of sorts, and that there is a degree of denial amongst folks in the ESL field. Teaching ESL for the most part is a very low paying job (how many ESL professionals are making $40/50/75,000 per year?). How many ESL professionals work at University earning a great salary plus bennies? (fewer than 5% easily I'd say--and yes these folks paid their dues and got the DELTA, masters, whatever).

Most ESL schools are deliberately set up to exploit young people out of college: use them for a few years, then the kids get sick of the low pay and living out of a suitcase, then they move back home. ESL is an extremely high turnover occupation--a sure sign that its a "stepping stone job" or "working holiday job". Which is fine--but it does not make a "career" that a person can actually live on decently, or comfortably and put away some money in the bank. You'll be living hand to mouth for the most part, in most places. ESL schools enjoy highly educated native speakers and pay them very low wages and exploit this arrangement shrewdly.

The comment to this thread by Pikgitina reinforces my observations (nothing wrong with it being a working holiday job!). For the most part, for most people, ESL teaching is a working holiday, or a job for a little while before they move on with their lives and get real jobs. This is perfectly fine. What is so great about ESL is it gives us the chance to live in a far away land and get away from the rat race of America, Canada, etc. I just wish it paid enough to cover my air fare back home