Job Discussion Forums

[Isla Guapa]

I've always found this business of asking for XX% English proficiency very strange. I ask myself, "XX% of what?" What is this percentage definition of English proficiency based on? Can anyone enlighten me?

[Professor]

[Professor]

[mejms]

I by no means accept standarized testing as a definitive way of checking someone's ability with a language. I do think however that an industry as unregulated as EFL needs something more than conversation classes to be taken seriously.

The percentage issue is of course difficult to reconcile with language acquisition. When can you really say 100% for a second language? Or 90%? And so on.

But holding students (and their teachers) accountable for visible progress and results is important, and companies and universities need to be able to quantify a skill from an administrative perspective. Reconciling the administrative and educational aspects of education is a HUGE issue for schools. That's why you see so many schools rely heavily on a course book finished in 6 months. They don't know how to manage these two aspects, so they just give way to the administrative needs.

I said that standarized testing is in a way definitive of the market because something's got to be. There have to be benchmarks, however flawed, or all this language business as an industry is a guessing game.

I also said this because I've seen that we as a forum readily spent pages and pages rehashing the same topics on pay, positions, and serious pitfalls of EFL in Mexico, but there isn't much discussed about concrete curriculum development or what's being done to develop professionalism in the market. It's easy to become an EFL teacher in Mexico. No one would say it isn't. But when we're talking about knowledge of standarized testing, knowledge that requires experience, research... namely, the focus of a career, not just anyone will have something to say. If there's another topic in EFL that requires equal attention and experience in terms of a professional career, I'm all ears.

The matter at hand is professionalism. Since teachers are a dime a dozen and pay is about the same, what will separate the haves from the have-nots?

[Professor]

[Professor]

[Professor]

[Professor]

Speaking of professionalism and career development, how could one go about learning how to administer tests like the TOEIC and TOEFL? Buy the books and do a little self study?
Are there any courses in Mexico that train teachers on how to administer such tests? I know there are plenty of teacher training courses but TOEFL and TOEIC?
We spend a lot of time learning how to become teachers, but why no training course for the tests?

[mejms]

Prof,

Limiting yourself to one post would be really helpful in getting your message across. Seeing post after post without any input from anyone else makes it difficult to concentrate on your point. Just a friendly tip.

[Professor]

[Dragonlady]

Sorry this post is so long. I understand that most of us have short attention spans, but I hope you�ll read it through.

[mejms]

All good comments, Dragon. You're right that eslcafe is a comfortable place to come to for feedback but by no means the only one. I get used to seeing the same screen names and am curious about their insight, rather than going to a random forum and reading comments from people who I know simply nothing about.

I didn't find the TOEFL forum that you gave the link for all that helpful. There was no concrete comparison of the different standard exams out there. But I've since taken the initiative, spent some time searching the internet, and am making headway on getting a base of knowledge for myself.

You're also right that it's a long weekend and we've only got a handful of regular posters on this site as opposed to the many, many others in the country who don't post. In fact, of the other responsible, serious teachers I know, I'm the only one who posts here.

Still though, I get the nagging sense that when it comes down to talking about the nitty gritty aspects of career-building and professionalism, not a lot of people have a whole lot to say. So yes, it's a low paid field, but it even gets lower when everyone's just doing their own thing.

[Guy Courchesne]

[laconic]

[Isla Guapa]