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Mchristophermsw
Joined: 14 Apr 2005
Posts: 228
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 Posted: Tue Jun 14, 2005 6:37 am Post subject: Treat ESL/EFL as a Profession |
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I would like to say to everyone that ESL/EFL career should be treated unlike any other profession. Most good jobs today need a post-grad to make any decent money. It amazes me how so many people on the forum think that a certificate is enough for them to have a well paying career.
It defies all logic to think that a certificate or BA will give anyone the Golden Key. Counselors, social workers, business professionals, teachers, nurses and thousands of other occupations need more than a certificate to start their careers and most need a post-grad.
Treat ESL as profession, get the appropiate degree and start a career. My MSW has opened so many doors for me that I could have never walked through with a certiificate or even a bachelors degree.
We live in a different world today GUYS.
Last edited by Mchristophermsw on Sat Jun 25, 2005 9:48 pm; edited 1 time in total |
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tedkarma
Joined: 17 May 2004
Posts: 1598
Location: The World is my Oyster
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| Posted: Tue Jun 14, 2005 7:00 am Post subject: |
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Agreed. These days you need a BA/BS to take out the garbage. If one wishes to live a tolerable life in EFL - a grad degree can make all the difference (except for Japan, I can hear them yelping already!).
There are more and more semi-residential programs opening up - and some at quite reasonable prices - worth doing for those who don't wish to work themselves to death at an early age.
I'm not sure that a grad degree always makes much difference money-wise (depending on the country of course) - but there is a big difference between teaching 12 hours a week, four day work weeks and 3-5 months paid vacation time - versus - 30+ hour five day weeks with one or two weeks off a year. Once you get older - it's nice to have to not have to work quite so hard - or have energy left for other projects or interests. |
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Mchristophermsw
Joined: 14 Apr 2005
Posts: 228
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| Posted: Tue Jun 14, 2005 7:02 am Post subject: |
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Ted, your my Hero  |
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Glenski
Joined: 15 Jan 2003
Posts: 12844
Location: Hokkaido, JAPAN
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| Posted: Tue Jun 14, 2005 7:15 am Post subject: |
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Mchristophermsw,
Laudable thoughts, but the EFL market is flooded with employers who demand nothing more than a pulse sometimes. Teaching conversation is not medicine, social services, or rocket science, and the employers who cater to this type of EFL know that, so they are willing to hire just about anyone. I'm not saying this is good, but it looks at the situation from another viewpoint.
Moreover, you also have to consider what it takes to get a work visa vs. other types of visas that allow work. Spouse visa, dependent visa, student visa, cultural visa, and working holiday visa all require NO DEGREE WHATSOEVER, yet these permit people to work as teachers, among other types of jobs.
You are facing a huge battle trying to get people to earn degrees when immigration requirements and certain employers pooh-pooh that notion. |
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Mchristophermsw
Joined: 14 Apr 2005
Posts: 228
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| Posted: Tue Jun 14, 2005 7:26 am Post subject: |
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Gelnski
First I am not advocating people to get a degree but rather that peoples expectations should not be as high if they do not have the proper qualifications to have a well paying career.
But you made some great points and your perspective is well taken.
The obstacles you mentioned does make it more difficult to raise the bar.
Thank you for your response and once agian, great points!  |
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EnglishBrian
Joined: 19 May 2005
Posts: 189
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| Posted: Tue Jun 14, 2005 10:37 am Post subject: |
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I just had a dreadful image of TEFL being staffed by people who decided at age 18 that they were going to be TEFL teachers and took the appropriate degrees.
Personally I think what I like about this trade (a bit controversial there!) is that it aint full of people who followed a fixed professional route, as per doctors, lawyers and regular teachers. You get guys from a huge variety of backgrounds and with a wide range of qualifications and/or experiences. One of the strengths of TEFL is that you do get people going into it in their 30s/40s+. Try doing that with any of the other traditional 'professions'.
TEFL's problem is in one way analagous to working in child care - You'd think the thing most people would value above all others would be their children, and logically they'd pay a fortune for them to be kept safe and looked after by highly trained professionals - er no. Playschool teachers and babysitters aren't the most highly qualified or paid people on Earth, nor would they necessarily be any better at their job if they were.
So with TEFL - in practice it simply isn't necessary to have degrees etc. to be the best TEFL teacher around.
What I would say is that you need to encourage professionalism in the business - continuing professional development, organisations like IATEFL (perhaps), qualifications like diplomas, YL and business English certificates etc.
Some extra food for thought as well. In East Asian universities, maybe the professionals are paid well. In Eastern Europe and former Soviet Union countries, professionals (doctors, teachers, lecturers in universities) are now often paid less than secretaries and brick layers. Perhaps from the perspective of some countries, it would be better for TEFL teachers not to be considered 'in the professions'. |
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Glenski
Joined: 15 Jan 2003
Posts: 12844
Location: Hokkaido, JAPAN
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| Posted: Tue Jun 14, 2005 10:58 am Post subject: |
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| Quote: |
| What I would say is that you need to encourage professionalism in the business - continuing professional development, organisations like IATEFL (perhaps), qualifications like diplomas, YL and business English certificates etc. |
Sadly, here is another story about conversation schools that contradicts this beautiful logic.
The Power of Perceptions: A Look at Professionalism in Private Language Schools in Japan
Alan Bossaer Sapporo Gakuin University January 2004
This article was originally published in 2003 in the JALT Hokkaido Journal, Vol. 7 pp. 13-23.The JHJ welcomes new articles.
Abstract
The level of professionalism within the field of English language teaching in eikaiwas (private language schools) in Japan has often been questioned, both by teachers themselves and the Japanese managers who hire them. In fact, there appears to be much confusion on the part of both groups about the term "professionalism" and what it means to be an ELT professional. This lack of agreement between teachers and managers concerning professionalism in ELT has caused problems within the ELT industry in Japan. This study sought to determine the causes of disparity between the two groups. The viewpoints of two Japanese managers and three teachers on the subject of professionalism and motivational concerns in ELT in Japan formed the basis of this study. The interviews indicate that both groups (teachers and managers) are at odds concerning the concept of professionalism and about teaching English in general.
Background Information
In the book, Teach English in Japan, (Wordell and Gorsuch, 1992), Des Aulier lists ten grievances he feels underscore problems teachers face within the private ELT industry in Japan (p. . The following is an abbreviated list illustrating some of these grievances:
1. Don't ask what the company can do for you, but what you can do for the company.
2. Don't exercise any creative teaching initiative without authorization from the business management.
3. Don't worry too much about teaching (no one is concerned that you were a physical education major); just be popular with the students.
4. Remember: Your Japanese bosses know best about English teaching-and almost everything else.
Though Des Aulier's list is rather sardonic and exudes an us/them mentality, many of the grievances directed at management can be attributed to legitimate concerns. Similarly, if given the chance, Japanese managers, could in all probability, produce their own list of legitimate grievances directed towards teachers. This disparity in viewpoints between ELT teachers and their managers demands further investigation to seek out the root of discontent that exists between the two sides. It has been suggested that many of the problems found in language schools can be attributed to culture conflicts within the organizations. By cultures, I am referring to Handy's description of an organization's set of beliefs and values; of how it exercises authority, controls its employees, carries out its aims, organizes its work, etc. (1993, p. 182). It also refers to sub-groups (i.e. teachers) and their characteristics (i.e. beliefs and values) within an organization. Problems ensue when an organization possessing two or more distinct cultures (i.e. task culture - preferred by teachers with pedagogical agendas, and power or role cultures - preferred by administration/managerial players (Charles, 1993, p. 11)) fails to blend aspects of one culture with the other, (through mutual understanding of each other's viewpoints) (White, et al, 1991, p. 19).
Professionalism In ELT
The question of professionalism in ELT has been the subject of discussion worldwide (Gurr, p.6), and recommendations for improving the status of ELT have been called for (Clayton, 1989; Pennington, 1992; Widdowson, 1992). In his article on professionalism in ELT, Gurr argues for widespread professionalisation through "greater attention to the management functions of communication and staff development" (1995, p.6). He goes on to say that managers should re-evaluate and/or re-define their organizational structures to ensure a positive contribution is being made towards enhancing professionalism:
ELT managers can support the process of professionalization among teachers by providing the opportunities for teachers to assume wider decision-making power and responsibility. The key to wider professionalization lies in providing teachers with the authority to guide their own professional development. The role of ELT managers in this process is to provide for wider communication across organizations and to prioritize staff development as a management function (p. 9).
In his book Understanding Organizations Handy states that an organizational culture is a reflection of the people who work within the organization, that "the length and height of their career aspirations, their status in society, degree of mobility, and level of education" influence the structure of the company (p.182). If we are to go along with this assumption, we begin to realize the problems that can accrue as a result of perceptual differences concerning professionalism as a whole. Consider the following widespread generalizations, regarding the eikaiwa business in Japan: a) most of the private language schools readily employ unqualified foreigners to teach English b) many foreign English language teachers consider ELT a pseudo-profession at best (or have just come for the money) making it difficult to tackle such issues as teacher-development and professionalism. c) few schools provide adequate training to inexperienced teachers in ELT methodology and basic language teaching skills d) many English language schools want teachers to place a priority on care of students, with teaching a distant second e) many eikaiwa teachers are committed for the short term and may not want autonomy or decision-making powers.
The Study
Context
The participants in the study consisted of two Japanese managers and three foreign teachers from five different language schools (see Appendix A for a brief biography of the participants). All the schools are large (i.e. over 1000 students enrolled) and located in Sapporo. Responses were elicited using an oral interview method (See Appendix B), with each interview lasting anywhere from 30 minutes to 2 hours. I chose to use a flexible questioning format, allowing respondents to introduce and explore relevant topics (and also allowing me to develop "unanticipated lines of enquiry" (Weir and Roberts, 1994, p.143)) and later provided structure to the responses through content analysis (Cohen, 1986, p.35). The interviews were conducted in Sapporo, Japan, and all the participants consented to going on record (either recorded or written). The two Japanese managers were interviewed in Japanese and the responses were later translated into English. I was able to record one of the Japanese interviews on audiotape, but the other Japanese manager preferred to have his responses written down, as it made him more comfortable. I was able to record and transcribe all the interviews with the three foreign teachers.
Data Collection
Although the small number of participants prevents generalizing of the data I believe most of the information reported in the study reflects the concerns and assumptions of many in the ELT industry in Japan. Thus, I feel it is up to the reader to weigh the quality of the data against their own experiences in ELT in Japan.
Interview with Two Japanese Managers
The following excerpts are from interviews conducted in Sapporo. They have been translated from Japanese to English. The comments are in response to basic questions revolving around concepts of professionalism, and English teaching in general, in Japan (See Appendix B). Though heavily edited due to length constraints, I tried to include comments I felt represented the greatest disparity between the two groups (teachers and managers).
Manager #1
Foreign teachers often feel an eikaiwa is not school but rather a business; that we (management) aren't concerned with education. It's difficult for many foreigners to understand Japanese business practices because they aren't familiar with our culture. For example, some teachers get angry when we point out the need for friendliness and enjoyment in the classroom. They have a different idea of how students (and we) see teachers. In Japanese junior and senior high schools teachers are not just expected to teach the subject material but to serve as counselors, concerned with each student's well being. Teaching and counseling are equally important... As for the question about hiring qualified teachers, to be honest, we've had difficulty finding professional teachers. When we do interview qualified teachers they usually want to work part-time to supplement their other sources of income (from high schools and colleges)... It's hard to keep qualified teachers because they want a lot of money ...Yes, teachers sometimes want to have more responsibilities and make decisions but the problem we've had in the past is they don't stay long enough at the school. After 1 or 2 years teachers leave and the new teachers want to do things 'their' way... Students don't like it when the system and teaching staff keep changing.
Manager #2
Some foreigners are serious about teaching, but many are here just to make money. They don't want to work hard even though they are paid a lot of money compared to other Japanese employees. Many teachers aren't team oriented and feel the school is trying to control them. In the past we hired real teachers but they were very hard to handle. They wanted to change everything; the curriculum, the number of students in the class, the working hours, and so on. ..I don't think it's so important to have a teaching license. The most important thing is to have a caring attitude. Teachers should try to improve themselves...'trying', is the most important thing... It is very expensive to train teachers. We can't spend the time really necessary because we are a private school... My experience has been that teachers aren't aware of what students need; some qualified teachers are skilled (they have good techniques) but they are not good at giving each student what they need...students want English that is useful for them, specifically. Basically, we'd like the teachers to focus on teaching and not think about sales. Sometimes teachers complain that we (the managers) don't include them in the business side of the company. We don't like to tell teachers a lot about the organization because teachers move from school to school frequently, and, as it is a business, we don't want other schools to know how we operate.
Interview with Three Foreign Teachers
Teacher #1
From a business point of view, Japanese language schools are part of the service, not education industry... Often teachers are made to feel that they are a necessary evil of the enterprise, and are given little feedback on their teaching and/or very little information regarding the company and its organization. Moreover, if teachers are made to feel that they are easily replaceable, and if their level of professionalism toward teaching is not recognized, it is also likely to result in low morale and ill feelings toward management. An example of this is the industry's employment criteria for selecting its teachers. Although many schools contend that they wish to provide the best possible lessons for their students, they are willing to turn away qualified older teachers in favor of young non-qualified people to maintain an image of youthfulness. Furthermore, most schools do not seem to actively seek trained teachers, often relying on their 3 -days to 1-week training programs to transform graduates of other fields into suitable language teachers. To improve the work environment at my present school, the management needs to raise its expectations of the foreign staff; the teaching staff needs to be encouraged to be actively involved in suggesting ways to improve the teaching and student services of the school...In addition, the school needs to actively employ more appropriately qualified teachers. This is not to say that all employees need to be teacher-trained. Rather the more suitably trained professionals they can gather, the more professional the overall teaching will become.
Teacher #2
A comment I often hear from teachers is "they don't care 'what' I teach, only 'how' I teach", in other words friendliness is the most important thing. The whole idea of professionalism is confusing over here. All I get day in and day out are speeches about professionalism - for example, the importance of presentable attire, the importance of friendly hellos, the importance of developing suitable material. Another problem is that they ask me to train but they don't give me the time. They usually give me one day to train a teacher. It's also very difficult to get good teachers. The management just doesn't know anything about education. On the other hand, when it comes right down to it, most foreigners don't know anymore about teaching English then the students they're teaching... The boss [Japanese president of the school] doesn't like the teachers to discuss work problems in the teachers' meetings because he thinks it will lead to more problems [negativity]. Any problems should go through me and then be passed on to him. The president makes most of the decisions and my job is to make the teachers understand his decision.
Teacher #3
When I first got to Japan I knew nothing about teaching English. I just assumed I would pick it up gradually. Only when I started teaching did I realize how difficult teaching a language was. Many of my friends back home have written to me about the possibility of teaching English in Japan for a year or two. Before I came to Japan I was told not to worry too much about teaching skills because the Japanese managers didn't care so much about the quality. I think this is a misconception people have about teaching in Japan. I tell anyone who plans to teach in Japan that they should get some training in EFL before they arrive. That way they'll feel they are actually contributing something.
A summation of major points has been presented in the previous section (i.e. excerpts from the interviews) and thus, a summary of the results is unnecessary.
Discussion
The interviews suggest that both teachers and managers have perspectives on teaching and professionalism the other is not aware of. Thus, it seems vital for both groups to acknowledge each other's aims and objectives, and to share perspectives on teaching and professionalism. The following list of recommendations, while not exhaustive, could perhaps be a starting point for better mutual understanding between the two groups:
1. The term "professionalism" really has to be qualified before one starts a new teaching job. When teachers are being interviewed for a teaching position they should ask questions that give them an idea of how the school perceives and tries to achieve professionalism.
2. Managers should find out what interviewees think about professionalism. They should ask potential teachers how they would carry out their responsibilities if hired?
3. If ELT is going have any kind of credibility as a recognized profession, managers have to make some serious changes in hiring policies. It is in their best interest to hire as many qualified teachers as possible.
4. Teachers without proper ELT qualifications should, (must) strive to improve themselves professionally. It would do well to remember Gurr's words when he says, "professionalism is co-terminous with professional development" (p.6).
5. Teachers must realize that pedagogical issues are not the only concern. There is no separating business and education when it comes to fulfilling students' needs.
6. Managers should involve teachers in the school's marketing scheme in order to make them feel they are part of a "professional team".
7. Teachers must demonstrate commitment to quality teaching. They should ask managers for time to observe other teachers' classes, go to JALT conferences or hold small teaching-training seminars in their own school. They should not expect to be paid for every hour devoted to upgrading themselves. Managers should be aware that some teachers are trying hard to improve themselves and praise these individuals both privately and publicly.
8. Managers should include teachers and their pedagogical concerns into the overall business plans.
Conclusion
This paper argued that problems within the private English language school sector revolve around perceptual differences both groups (teachers and Japanese managers) have of what professionalism means in the ELT industry. Data collected from interviews with two Japanese managers and three English language teachers seem to support this supposition. Though the comments from the two managers and three teachers in this study cannot pretend to be comprehensive, the interviews indicate that there are serious problems afflicting the ELT industry in Japan and that professionalism is as foreign a concept to managers and teachers in Japan, as English is to the students being taught.
References
Charles, D. (1993). The Fronted Organigram: putting management in its rightful place. ELT Management, Newsletter of the IATEFL Management Special Interest Group, 12, 11-15.
Clayton, T. (1989). International teaching of English to speakers of other languages: Where is our profession going? Cross Currents, 16, 55-61.
Cohen, A. (1986). How we get the inf rmation. Learner strategies in language learning.
Wendon, A. and Rubin, J. Hertfordshire, UK: Prentice Hall International.
Gurr, T. (1995). How far can appraisal assist professionalism in ELT? ELT Management Newsletter, 18(6), 6-10.
Handy, C. (1993). Understanding organizations: How understanding the ways organizations actually work can be used to manage them better. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Pennington, M.C. (1992). Second class or economy? The status of the English language teaching profession in tertiary education. Prospect, 7(3), 7-19.
Weir, C. & Roberts, J. (1994). Evaluation in ELT. Oxford: Blackwell Publishers.
White, R., Martin, M., Stimson, M. & Hodge, R. (1991). Management in English Language Teaching. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Widdowson, H. (1992). ELT and EL teachers: matters arising. ELT Journal, 46, 333-339.
Wordell, C. & G. Gorsuch. (1992). Teach English in Japan. Tokyo: The Japan Times, Ltd.
Appendix A
Teachers and Managers Interviewed for the article
Managers
Manager #1: Male, mid-thirties. Has been a senior manager in a large private language school for 9 years.
Manager #2: Male, late thirties. Has been a junior manager in a large private language school for 10 years.
Teachers
Teacher #1: Male, early thirties. Has taught in three medium to large-size private language schools in Japan. Currently teaches at a college full-time. Has accumulated a total of 6 years teaching in Japan. Has a background in education (Australia).
Teacher #2: Male, late-thirties. Has been a teacher and head-teacher for the past 10 years. Has a background in engineering (Canada).
Teacher #3: Male, early thirties. Has been teaching in a private language school for 2 years. Has a background in Chinese language studies (Australia).
Appendix B
Interview Schedule Used For Teachers
Question 1 - Do you have any problems at your current school? If yes, please elaborate.
Question 2 - How much did you know about the school you currently work for before you were employed there? Where did you get your information? How useful or accurate was the information?
Question 3 - What questions did you ask the interviewer (manager) before you were hired?
Question 4 - What do you know about Japanese language schools from a business point of view? What about before you started your first teaching job in a private language school?
Question 5 - Do you think an understanding of Japanese business practices in the ELT industry would help you do your job better or at least make it easier to work in the language school environment? Why or why not?
Question 6 - What advice would you give management at the school you currently work at ( i.e. How could they make the work environment better? - If you had the power to make any changes in your school what would you change? )?
Interview Schedule Used For Managers (translated from Japanese)
Question 1 - Have you encountered any problems involving teachers and management (or other) in your school? If so, what kind of problems have you encountered?
Question 2 - Do you sometimes find it difficult to work with teachers? If so, why?
Question 3 - How do you feel about the fact that many of the teachers don't possess ELT credentials in Japan? Is it a problem?
Question 4 - What seems to be the biggest problem foreign teachers have or face in Japan (as it applies to the ELT industry).
Question 5 - How could some of the problems between Japanese managers and foreign teachers be solved? |
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VanIslander
Joined: 21 Mar 2005
Posts: 67
Location: temp banned from dave's korean boards
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| Posted: Tue Jun 14, 2005 12:32 pm Post subject: |
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ESL teaching is a profession in the sense that journalism or management is a profession.
One needs no prior formal education or training whatsoever as long as one demonstrates the skills required to do the job.
One might benefit from classroom learning midcareer, in terms of specialized diplomas, certificates or degrees; but the benefits of such are not guaranteed to translate into improved skills.
Some of the best managers, reporters and ESL teachers buck the trends and do what works well for them, and what has come to work well for their students.
So, one might not even need a certificate to have a well-paying career.
The key is in ability, and if you have it, it's golden. |
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denise
Joined: 23 Apr 2003
Posts: 3419
Location: finally home-ish
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| Posted: Tue Jun 14, 2005 2:30 pm Post subject: |
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What a nice thread.
People who take themselves and their jobs seriously can expect better jobs with better conditions.
People who treat this as nothing more than a way to travel the globe or who simply don't think of TEFL as serious work can, of course, still find plenty of jobs, but they should not expect the best conditions or the most professional environments. It's perfectly OK and common to do this for a year or so before going home to a "real" job, but people who do that should not b*tch too much about their jobs.
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EFLtrainer
Joined: 04 May 2005
Posts: 30
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| Posted: Wed Jun 15, 2005 9:11 pm Post subject: |
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So many issues here. What does qualified mean? There have been many discussions about the value of a cert vs. a Diploma or MA. If you have no experience and did an MA with no pedagogy component, are you qualified? If you have no EFL experience, no cert, but are a natural in the classroom, are you quailifed? If you have a cert, a little experience no natural feel for teaching but can put together and conduct an effective (though perhaps not great) lesson, are you qualified?
And what about getting qualified? There is no, I repeat NO, legitimate international licensing body for TEFL certs and diplomas. So who knows? Who is overseeing quality of personnel? Who is judging the soundness of the curriculum in the program? Do you need to know acquisition theory to do effective pedagogy, or do you need to know general *teaching* theory? Which is more useful overall if you have to choose? Does a Master's make you a better teacher, or just help you understand WHY your teaching is effective?
Say you want to be a "professional", how does that work in a country like Korea where you legally cannot do any tutoring outside your job? Why can't you help other people besides just *your* students? And what of the (unofficial?) policy of not renewing visas after a certain number of years? How does one build a career when you don't have the opportunity to remain in your job in the first place?
And money! Hmmm... To really make money you have to either hustle to get privates or get very lucky. Is the lifestyle for everyone? Can you be happy on a salary many find laughable? (Ah, but, yes, we all know it's possible to simplify one's life and do quite well.)
What about the age issue? How many jobs are there for the over forty set? Hard to make a career out of a job that ends at forty or fifty for many.
Then there are those expectations/tensions between employers and employees. There are cultural issues, financial issues, trust issues, immigration issues... There are a lot of untrustworthy people in this field.
Etc., etc.
This could turn into quite a looooooong thread.
Great thread. Hope it dies no time soon.
EFLtrainer |
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Mchristophermsw
Joined: 14 Apr 2005
Posts: 228
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| Posted: Wed Jun 15, 2005 10:31 pm Post subject: |
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EFL trainer,
You also bring up some good points.
So let me step back and try to clearify what a professional is.
I think I am strictly talking from a Human Resource perspective.
What salary one is often hired at is usually determined by degree and then experience. These Jobs/careers usually have a step salary system.
It is true that ESL has many different levels, groups and places that one can work with little experience or mucho experience and qualifications outside the West. And they can all be called professionals.
I know in my own area ( San Francisco Bay Area ) You need a Masters Degree in TESOL to work at a community college or state college, which allow you to teach not only ESL classes but also remedial or LLD coursed.
K-12 you need to have a firt degree and a credential.
But overseas theres much more oppertunity for those who do not have a first or second degree. My main point is that for those that have a Post Grad in their field and have a college or University job should do well. |
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moonraven
Joined: 24 Mar 2004
Posts: 3094
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| Posted: Thu Jun 16, 2005 12:53 am Post subject: |
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I would like to respond to the question about jobs for over 40 folks:
I have been based in Mexico for more than 12 years--and Mexico is a country where the local folks over 40 DO have trouble getting jobs. I know, because I have hired some of them when no one else would.
I was over 40 when I first came here. I am 60 now. I have never had trouble--have changed jobs fairly frequently, in fact. I am highly educated, highly experienced, and according to my students, the best teacher they have ever had. I guess that's what would be called being a professional. |
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Glenski
Joined: 15 Jan 2003
Posts: 12844
Location: Hokkaido, JAPAN
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| Posted: Thu Jun 16, 2005 1:19 am Post subject: |
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| Quote: |
It is true that ESL has many different levels, groups and places that one can work with little experience or mucho experience and qualifications outside the West. And they can all be called professionals.
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I really hate to pick nits here, but I feel I must. Do you know much about the JET programme here in Japan? The only real credential that is needed is a bachelor's degree (any field). For that, you get visa sponsorship, airfare paid, some training thrown in, and an assignment as an ALT in one or more public schools for 1-3 years, all with pay higher than someone with similar (or less) qualifications working at a conversation school. JET ALTs don't get much respect, but according to your definition, they are "professionals". Read www.bigdaikon.com forums a little to see how many of those people are.
Look at the conversation schools themselves. As I wrote, you don't even need a degree to work at them. That's the glory of things like working holiday visas, dependent visas, and spouse visas. So, you have someone providing the EFL service in a classroom every week and getting paid for it, but the quality of the "teachers" often leaves a lot to be desired. I'm not picking on those without degrees, either. I can show you plenty of PhDs who were total screwups in a conversation school. But, my main point is that to call conversation school teachers "professionals" is stretching it, here in Japan anyway.
| Quote: |
| My main point is that for those that have a Post Grad in their field and have a college or University job should do well. |
Depends on the country.
Here in Japan, tenure at universities is rare for foreigners. They usually get 3-year contracts and are then forced to change employers. I don't call that "doing well". |
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Mchristophermsw
Joined: 14 Apr 2005
Posts: 228
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| Posted: Thu Jun 16, 2005 5:44 am Post subject: |
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Glenski
First, Good points and well taken.
I guess what I am trying to do is shoot a little life into the forum.
It so many people look at the glass half empty in ESL. And it could be a real downer. |
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sigmoid
Joined: 21 Jan 2003
Posts: 1276
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| Posted: Thu Jun 16, 2005 6:54 am Post subject: |
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The main qualification for an EFL job in Asia and perhaps some other regions is a willingness to fly thousands of kilometers around the world [often at your own expense] and to be able to live and work in a foreign country for an extended period of time. Without this qualification you simply DON'T get the job. And schools that are unable to attract people with this willingness, DON'T get teachers.
There is a rather limited and ever fluctuating pool of people with this qualification. Thus, there is a chronic shortage of teachers in most places. Unfortunately many schools seem to have no clue as how to attract people with this all-important qualification.
Second, is teaching experience. Without experience you won't teach well. Ironically, the best way to get teaching experience is to teach. A certificate is a poor substitute for experience. |
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