Job Discussion Forums

[madison01]

How low can it go? A lot lower, trust me.

The reason is very very simple, there are thousands of people churned out of the CELTA TESOL machine annually, degree educated and 4 week courses under their belts, they are 10 a penny.

Take a look at the Cambridge University website for the list of UK CELTA providers. There are over 90 of them. Each turning out 150 teachers a year (minimum) that's 13,500 teachers a year coming into the system from the UK alone, that doesn't include TESOL centres nor the teachers taking these certificates in other countries, native or not.

The fact that ELT/EFL or whatever its called in the UK/Europe/Asia etc. is a business, that profit is at the heart of its existence, especially here in the UK, means that the teachers will always end up with the brown smelly end of the stick. Add to all of this the reduction in value against the Euro and Asian currencies, school owners have to squeeze profits out of something, and the tens of thousands of newbie and experienced teachers is the easiest source.

I wouldn't be surpised to see minimum wage schools in the coming years, they'll be rubbish, but they'll be full of people who can't afford BC schools, taught by people whose grasp of English is so-so at best, but they'll make a profit, and there's nothing anyone can do about it.

The only way out of this downward spiral for teachers is that only schools officially credited are allowed to teach English. However, this is never ever going to happen.

[SueH]

The theory may be correct but I would dispute that each CELTA provider is churning out 150 minimum a year. Mine, for example, was an FE college that did 1 part-time course a year - a dozen students. The (very good) trainers did it as part of their other duties; it was probably a welcome bit of variety for them.

I've seen some reference to difficulties of recruitment here in Italy, probably because the pay in the schools is so poor. The other factor mitigating the impact is the short term nature of many a TEFL 'career'. Where the schools in the UK benefit is the need for people to get experience, or to tide themselves over between overseas postings.

[madison01]

[coledavis]

"But what's the difference in lifestyle between 7 and 11 quid an hour?"
If you work 25 hours per week, that's a hundred pounds. Not my idea of chicken's feed. A hundred pounds pays your rent (unless you're in London).

"The students are always much nicer in a 7 quid an hour school - they're as poor as you - even though they think you earn a fortune. Students in an 11 quid school have all been sent by daddy from China and the surrounding area."
I work in an 11 quid school. Most of our students are lovely, day and evening. Evening students are a bit different; e.g. Poles working in the daytime. Of the daytime students, some are Chinese, others are from South America, France, various asian countries, etc. Most seem pretty nice to me. Perhaps I'm not fussy enough!

[TheLongWayHome]

[Phil_b]

We have a new contender:

http://www.talent.ac.uk/jobs_details.asp?JobID=2482

�7.50/hour and you need to be working towards a recognised qualification... Check out their website if you want to get a better idea of the place:
http://www.citizenshiptraining.com/

Apart from that, Talent isn't a terrible site for jobs, most of the jobs pay at least �20/hr

http://www.talent.ac.uk/jobs_results.asp?intPage=2&OrderBy=&action=Prev&PageSize=10&Keywords=&Subjects=&RegionID=&JobTypeID=&Frequency=%25

[BELS]

Whilst some very good teachers accept these low rates, we will continue to have this problem. I went to a Summer school near Oxford, and unfortunately a lot of these teachers were very good. Now if you asked them why they did it, none of them will claim it is to live for an income. They are just for the fun of it. There was even a headmaster , who even took the trouble to take a Trinity to get in there. I said he shouldn't have needed it, but he pointed out to me that this course was f great value to him.

I asked why do you all do it. And basically the answer is just for something to do, or it's fun, and most certainly not for the money, as most of them I found, didn't need the money.

I asked many of them would you take EFL as a long term career?? All of them stated NO WAY! And especially if they ever decide to have a family.

So my point is, as long as we have good teachers accepting these low wages, we've got a problem, and a very big one. After all it comes down to supply and demand.

All I can I can ask is that teachers should not accept anything less than �40 per 45 minutes. That's what I charge, whether it be charged shared with a group or for one individual.

So I request that all teachers, stop accepting the garbage, and the income might start rising. SUPPLY AND DEMAND, that's what it is.
And then it will work. But that will never happen

[slaqdog]

I think cleaners can earn much more than 7pounds an hour if they are suitably qualified and experienced: I am shocked!
The last poster got it spot on-every time you accept a very low wage you add to your own misery-a lot of the time its to do with a lack of self respect, an industry that breaks the spirit and then pays depressed monkeys peanuts-laughing all the way to the bank. I have seen some of the prices students are charged...
Organise and Unionise: stop taking the crap wages-even 11 pound an hour is pitifully low in the UK for a job that expects degree and cert qualifications.

[SueH]

[BELS]

[orangiey]

you can always apply for benefits from the government like tax credits if you work over 16 hours a weeks and income support if you don't! Thsi comes with the added bonus of free prescriptions, eye tests etc....

[Gusss]

Ha ! I have just walked out of a job which paid me �200 a week. This was for working (officially) from 9:30 till 4:45 every day - 3 hours teaching in the morning then accompanying the teenagers through lunch until 4:45.

thats 4 * 7 1/4 hours = 29

200 - 29 - �6.89 per hour

Plus ytou were expected to pay your own busfares to and from the teaching house and to accompany the teachers back into town for activities.
Well down Caroline Seymour international school of Plymouth - the lowest paid English school in the UK 2010 !!!!

[scot47]

Better to train as a bus driver.

[Enchilada Potosina]

I make minimum 10 quid an hour IN MEXICO.

[PattyFlipper]

Wisdom worth repeating: