Who has been hit?

The issue of the affect of the financial crisis on TEFL is tied up with exchange rates. I guess I’m less interested in big numbers and the repercussions on organizations than I am in the affect it has on the teachers. For many people working as language teachers in another country, their salary may be devalued by the exchange rates, particularly for those who have to send money home, or who are trying to save money.

ESL Daily carried a series of articles on this matter in a series gloomily titled ‘Economic Woes’. One of the more interesting findings was a summary of which countries have been hit hardest by the financial trouble. It identified Brazil and South Korea as being seriously affected in terms of economy and exchange rates.

Meanwhile, teachers sending money home from Japan have benefited from an exchange rate in their favour. The article also stated that “China’s Yuan has experienced a huge increase…The demand for English teachers is huge and growing on a daily basis, and the extra jump in currency value makes it that much more appealing”.

News from Thailand

The EL Gazette (Electronic Edition) carried an article this month entitled Thai Language Schools Suffer as Recession Bites. The report showed how two ELT companies in Thailand have either had to close or reduce their budgets as a result of the recession.

Other repercussions

The global recession, then, has had several impacts on TEFL:

• Fluctuating exchange rates have altered the worth of teacher’s salaries

• Education budgets have decreased in some cases from governments, schools, and personal spending

• The number of people taking TEFL certificates has increased (as a result of a tight job situation)

• Some language schools and private ELT institutions have been forced to close

The situation is perhaps not as bleak as some have painted it, but I think it’s quite clear that TEFL isn’t the last financial haven in a world recession either. I’d be interested to hear some personal experiences of teachers in different countries if anyone wants to comment!

Not that there’s anything wrong with England. No. I’ve enjoyed the freezing cold weather. And unannounced delays to trains and planes. It’s magical!

The ale, stilton and Christmas pudding has of course hit the spot. But it’s time for me to get back to teaching in Japan. So, what’s been happening in the East?

Back in Japan

ELGazette, the one and only source for necessary news in the world of TEFL, has reported that GEOS, one of Japan’s major English teaching companies, has been rejecting assertions that they’re in financial straits. That would explain why they haven’t been paying their wage bills on time, then.

I wrote previously on the subject of Eikaiwas, and mentioned the trouble GEOS was having financially. The ELGazette reported also that GEOS teachers have been finding themselves in the compromising position of selling services too. I strongly recommend reading the full article on the ELGazette website, but it’s summarised well in the quote from the GU representative who said the atmosphere at GEOS was ‘very nervous’.

GEOS as an employer

GEOS is one of the largest English conversation schools in Japan, with more than 500 schools throughout the country. Personally, I’m not keen on the idea of working for a major corporation, so I try to limit my teaching to more local companies. GEOS does, however, have some good benefits, as well as many opportunities. You can see some of the features of working for GEOS here.

Let’s hope GEOS get things sorted out soon. If you’re teaching for the company, feel free to leave us a comment below.

90%! That’s insane! Many of these attend Korea’s private cram schools, where numerous children continue studying long after the school day is over.

TOEFL in Korea

On top of that, Korean TOEFL test takers made up 20% of the worldwide total last year. That’s a huge market for TEFL. Thankfully, there are standards that have to be met for teachers in Korea. In fact, ETS (Education Testing Service) are planning a new exam for teachers of English to ensure quality.

Teaching in Korea

If all this talk of a ripe market has whet your appetite, check out Dave’s ESL Cafe for some job listings in Korea. The pay is very good in that country, but you should beware that it is hard work.

The downside of Korean life

The TEFLLogue recently published an interesting inside scoop on teaching in Korea, and it’s not all fun and games. The author says he works for 40-50 hours per week. Teaching for that amount time is stressful, so find out the specifics of a job before you take it on.

Let’s hope all that teaching amounts to a lot of learning – Go Korea!

The crunch is good

Leading TEFL paper, EL Gazette, ran the story ‘Crunch is Good for UK TEFL’ on its front page this month (March, 2009). I strongly recommend you subscribe to this excellent paper as it delivers some well-written and insightful articles and news on the worldwide English teaching issues, including this article about the current economy in the UK.

Things are going well

To summarise what they are saying, the UK TEFL industry is incredibly upbeat about the current situation. 90% of employers believe that their business is going strong or even improving, while one employer, the Wimbledon School of English, said that they were finding it difficult to cope with the influx of student applications.

Why the increase?

Possible reasons for this include the weakness of the pound, which has a big effect when you are in the market for international students. The course fees are effectively lowered when the exchange rate is in your favour, and suddenly England’s high cost of living is not so high. Indeed, EL Gazette notes that “much of this surge is from customers in Europe or from Latin American countries linked to the US Dollar.” (EL Gazette, March 2009)

Where’s the money going?

At the same time, English is increasing in importance in international business and trade, which leads to an increase in student numbers. Whether the student numbers are connected to teacher’s wages is another matter.

Celebrating Japanese style

Coming a few days before Christmas, in fact, is the Emperor’s birthday, another reason for celebration in Japan. And, of course, Christmas coincides nicely with New Year, an event that is even bigger than Christmas here in the East.

I asked my Japanese friends why Christmas is so popular here, and the answer was that Japanese people just like to celebrate and give gifts.

A break from teaching

For your average teacher, then, this means time off work. What do you do with yourself when you are 6000 miles away from home, and you don’t have a job to go to? This is something that confronts teachers all around the world.

Some go straight down to the local Irish Pub or German Bar and down pints like they’re going out of fashion. Others brave the crowds and go to famous sightseeing spots – something that they’re heavy work schedule doesn’t normally allow time for.

My winter break

As for me, in traditional winter style, I’m going to watch Jimmy Stewart in It’s a Wonderful Life, and heat up some sake - that classic Yuletide drink. I may occasionally come out of my life hub of warmth to bring you a blog update, so keeping checking My TEFL Journey throughout the festive season!

The changes

Evidently as some sort of effort to curb the influx of unqualified teachers, the new regulations are introducing two teaching qualifications that anyone wishing to teach in Thailand will need to possess. The qualifications are expensive, time-consuming and the reason for their existence is somewhat bewildering – especially when internationally recognized qualifications such as Trinity TESOL or CELTA are standard world wide.

The rules

The basic stipulations are as follows:

1. All teachers in Thailand must have a BA degree and a teaching license.

2. Those without a teaching license are required to take a 20-hour Thai culture course, a one year teaching training course, and the teacher must pass four exams.

More thorough details can be found here.

The why’s

If this improves the quality of teaching in Thailand then I suppose it will have fulfilled its purpose, but you can’t help but think that it’s a bit extreme. These new regulations will cause a lot of headaches and hassle for teachers who have been there for years but who don’t possess the necessary qualifications, and for any prospective teachers the stipulations might just kill off any enthusiasm they have. The full effect remains to be seen.

Are you teaching in Thailand? How will this affect you? Let us know here!

Check the contract

The National Union of General Workers receives as many as 600 complaints a year pertaining to language schools in Japan, although the article does note that the complaints are almost equally divided between larger and smaller institutions. However, it has been noted that some of the larger schools – such as ECC, GEOS and Aeon – create contracts with teachers that protect the company almost to the detriment of the teacher. With smaller businesses, it’s probable that the contract won’t be as convoluted, but the financial certainty of the employer isn’t as secure. In either case, a teacher can do no better than to be fully aware of what the contract contains for him or her, and to find out what protection the law offers.

Two sides

Having spoken to a few teachers about this matter, it seems that there are advantages and disadvantages to both types of employer. You can expect a warmer atmosphere in a smaller company, and perhaps also more responsibility. A larger employer offers greater freedom in some ways, and certainly more security – although last year’s collapse of NOVA calls this into doubt somewhat. The article points out, quite rightly, that there are still many employers who offer virtually problem-free contracts, and although you should take caution when signing a contract to teach English as a foreign language, if your employer is reputable, then there isn’t too much to worry about. Above all, have fun teaching English where ever you are!

Have you been teaching English for one of the major companies? Or do you have experience of a family-run school? Tell us about it!