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manxmanuae
Joined: 03 Jul 2007
Posts: 26
Location: Mother Russia
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 Posted: Sun Jan 18, 2009 6:39 pm Post subject: |
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Ditto for me, Anospi.
I had a DoS position in Russia, and 12 of us lost our jobs in December. I then had a similar position offered to me by another company in Kazakhstan, only to have the offer withdrawn at the 11th hour.
I can't speak for Asia, but Europe is going to be especially shafted on this, and a lot of teachers will be scratching around for work worldwide come the summer and September.
The only reason that some folk think that it hasn't happened in EFL yet is that most schools have year-long contracts with companies/parents that started last year when the situation wasn't so bad. |
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Madame J
Joined: 15 Feb 2007
Posts: 239
Location: Oxford, United Kingdom
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| Posted: Sun Jan 18, 2009 8:19 pm Post subject: |
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| manxmanuae wrote: |
| The only reason that some folk think that it hasn't happened in EFL yet is that most schools have year-long contracts with companies/parents that started last year when the situation wasn't so bad. |
I wonder if this will also apply for public/state school positions with children. I've always been under the impression that public sector jobs tend to be fairly recession proof, especially so within schools who are hardly going to be altering their key curriculum due to a recession...are they?!  |
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manxmanuae
Joined: 03 Jul 2007
Posts: 26
Location: Mother Russia
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| Posted: Sun Jan 18, 2009 10:13 pm Post subject: |
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| Local teachers are generally much cheaper than native speakers, and probably more politically & socially acceptable given the current climate. |
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jpvanderwerf2001
Joined: 02 Oct 2003
Posts: 1117
Location: New York
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| Posted: Mon Jan 19, 2009 1:51 am Post subject: |
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| manxmanuae wrote: |
Ditto for me, Anospi.
I had a DoS position in Russia, and 12 of us lost our jobs in December. I then had a similar position offered to me by another company in Kazakhstan, only to have the offer withdrawn at the 11th hour.
I can't speak for Asia, but Europe is going to be especially shafted on this, and a lot of teachers will be scratching around for work worldwide come the summer and September.
The only reason that some folk think that it hasn't happened in EFL yet is that most schools have year-long contracts with companies/parents that started last year when the situation wasn't so bad. |
D'oh, there goes my theory! Sorry to hear that, you guys. Now I'm getting a bit nervous! |
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Marcoregano
Joined: 19 May 2003
Posts: 872
Location: Hong Kong
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| Posted: Mon Jan 19, 2009 2:11 am Post subject: |
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| More bad news...last week one of HK's longest-established private language centres, Linguaphone, closed, blaming the economic slowdown, with 30 staff and 500 students affected. Maybe the TEFL sector won't be providing jobs for unemployed bankers after all. |
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jonniboy
Joined: 18 Jun 2006
Posts: 751
Location: Panama City, Panama
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| Posted: Mon Jan 19, 2009 7:45 am Post subject: |
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| jpvanderwerf2001 wrote: |
One theory I have is that the ESL industry won't be adversely affected by the crisis. Workers who are concerned about keeping their present positions--or looking for new ones, attempt to separate themselves from their colleagues/competition by upping their skills. Therefore, since English is valuable for many job-seekers, more and more people will take English lessons (viewing it as a necessary expenditure for future career success). Also, as the economies in non-English speaking countries dwindle, professionals will be looking towards other countries to live, work or study in--and need English to do so. (For instance, as an indirect result of the crisis, I have three executive-level private students who want to go to Canada or Australia for an MBA and need IELTS.) This is not to say, of course, that English-speaking countries haven't been affected, but I surmise that many are much more bullish longer-term on the US and the Commonwealth countries to weather this.
Whaddya think? Wishful thinking?  |
Not at all, that has been exactly my experience I'm happy to say. I keep exact records of how much I earn on a spreadsheet which goes back to October 2007 (anoraky I know but it lets me keep track of who comes, how often etc) October 2008 was up 40% on the previous year, November up 33%, December up 50%, January is looking like a 100% increase on this time last year which was a quiet month due to one government institution pulling out after the government cut their training budget.
Where it has affected me is that I've been working ridiculous hours: 33.5 last week and about 30 most weeks in order to save up in case the worst does come to the worst. However this week I felt confident enough to book a holiday in Asia in the summer for a month so I'm not so worried.
In one language centre where I do work they told me that demand for IELTS is really up. Normally they have 4/5 people on the group but the current one has ten students with five people already registered for the next course starting mid February so that would indicate that many are looking at moving to English speaking countries. |
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fluffyhamster
Joined: 13 Mar 2005
Posts: 3292
Location: UK > China > Japan > UK again
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| Posted: Tue Jan 20, 2009 8:05 pm Post subject: |
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| Madame J wrote: |
| manxmanuae wrote: |
| The only reason that some folk think that it hasn't happened in EFL yet is that most schools have year-long contracts with companies/parents that started last year when the situation wasn't so bad. |
I wonder if this will also apply for public/state school positions with children. I've always been under the impression that public sector jobs tend to be fairly recession proof, especially so within schools who are hardly going to be altering their key curriculum due to a recession...are they?! |
http://uk.news.yahoo.com/22/20090119/tuk-life-us-britain-teaching-fa6b408.html ('Crunch prompts Britons to consider teaching career') |
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Madame J
Joined: 15 Feb 2007
Posts: 239
Location: Oxford, United Kingdom
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| Posted: Wed Jan 21, 2009 2:41 pm Post subject: |
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| fluffyhamster wrote: |
| Madame J wrote: |
| manxmanuae wrote: |
| The only reason that some folk think that it hasn't happened in EFL yet is that most schools have year-long contracts with companies/parents that started last year when the situation wasn't so bad. |
I wonder if this will also apply for public/state school positions with children. I've always been under the impression that public sector jobs tend to be fairly recession proof, especially so within schools who are hardly going to be altering their key curriculum due to a recession...are they?! |
http://uk.news.yahoo.com/22/20090119/tuk-life-us-britain-teaching-fa6b408.html ('Crunch prompts Britons to consider teaching career') |
Yep, that sounds about right. I'm sure the public sector as a whole has never been so swamped with applications. If you work in the dole office especially, your business is positively booming! |
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Justin Trullinger
Joined: 28 Jan 2005
Posts: 3110
Location: Seoul, South Korea and Myanmar for a bit
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| Posted: Wed Jan 21, 2009 3:09 pm Post subject: |
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But for the first time ever, sane people may want to work in the dole office!!!
There's competition for everything now...
mmble grumble...
Justin |
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Marcoregano
Joined: 19 May 2003
Posts: 872
Location: Hong Kong
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| Posted: Thu Jan 22, 2009 1:51 am Post subject: |
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| Jonniboy's post is positive, but it seems no such upturn is happening in HK. A few private schools have already gone under, and I heard from a friend that at the British Council (probably the biggest 'private' ESL provider in HK) student numbers are currently down 30%. |
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william wallace
Joined: 14 May 2003
Posts: 2869
Location: in between
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| Posted: Thu Jan 22, 2009 4:18 pm Post subject: |
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| I wonder how many folks do the "On the Beach" kind of response to this particular economic climate ? Meaning how many folks are just burying their heads in the sand ? |
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manxmanuae
Joined: 03 Jul 2007
Posts: 26
Location: Mother Russia
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| Posted: Sat Jan 24, 2009 1:46 am Post subject: |
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I honestly believe that a lot of teachers will get a very nasty shock at the end of their current contracts.
I'm not doom-mongering, just speaking as an experienced and accomplished teacher who found himself out of a job because of the crisis that's hitting our industry. In the last 14 years I've been able to switch between teaching gigs seamlessly. This time it's taken two months to cut a deal, with several offers withdrawn as the crisis got deeper & commitments cut.
Perhaps this will hit Business English teachers like myself more than those who teach kids, as the first things to go in any corporate cutbacks are usually training and marketing.
I've just signed up on a three year deal in the Gulf. Not my number one destination, but a bunker to ride out the storm.
If you're offered a renewal on your current deal, then take it. But keep looking for other posts and accept everything that comes your way. A storm is headed and who knows how hard the cold winds of depression will blow. |
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Never Ceased To Be Amazed
Joined: 22 Oct 2004
Posts: 3500
Location: Shhh...don't talk to me...I'm playin' dead...
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| Posted: Sat Jan 24, 2009 3:15 am Post subject: |
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You should be safe in the Gulf...dependent on which country chose you...
NCTBA |
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william wallace
Joined: 14 May 2003
Posts: 2869
Location: in between
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| Posted: Wed Jan 28, 2009 5:26 am Post subject: |
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"Do you think that their will be an unprecedented flood of people coming into ESL/EFL due to the collapsing global economy ?"
Do you think there will be an unprecedented flood of people coming into ESL, due to the collapsing global economy ?  |
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GambateBingBangBOOM
Joined: 04 Nov 2003
Posts: 2021
Location: Japan
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| Posted: Wed Jan 28, 2009 7:33 am Post subject: Re: ESL and the failing global economy |
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| william wallace wrote: |
Do you think that their will be an unprecedented flood of people coming into ESL/EFL due to the collapsing global economy ?
Will global ESL shrink marginally or as dramatic as other sectors of the economy ? A hiring freeze in major ESL markets ?
Cheers,
William Wallace |
Just to clarify...
You do mean the major EFL markets...right?
The major ESL markets are the US, UK, Canada and Australia. And I think they will almost immediately dry up, probably faster than other areas, because they rely on travellers (less people will be travelling) as well as immigrants (less people will immigrate because usually people emmigrate for work, and basically there won't be as much available in the major ESL markets because of jobs disappearing and competition for the jobs that are left), and so with very few people left to teach, the jobs teaching English language in English medium countries (outside of colleges and universities, because there will still be jobs there, but probably fewer students) jobs will dry up and they will rely even more heavily on volunteer services (already a big chunk of the English teaching done in Canada is done by volunteers).
In EFL, entry-level conversation school types of jobs will also be hit hard because people will spend less money on non-necessary things. This will create more competition for jobs in high schools, where salaries are dropping (at least in Japan, one of the major EFL markets), and less people are willing to leave because going back to their home country in all probability now means joblessness (there are still people leaving to go to graduate school, of course). |
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