Alex’s suggestions are italicized:

- Form a union and go on strike, first making sure that the school can’t just sack you all and replace you with another boatload of even cheaper teachers.

For my degree I majored in tourism management and consequently spent a lot of time looking at the hospitality and tourism industry, which shares a number of key characteristics with TEFL teaching, namely there are literally a plethora of small and not so small organizations operating in the sector in practically every country of the world; the pay is generally low; staff turnover is high compared to other industries; there is little if any trade union representation; there are many transient workers trying to pick up casual work literally wherever they can find it. If that paints an unkind picture of our profession, I think you’ll agree it’s not far from the truth. The problems of having low pay and no union representation coupled with a burgeoning workforce willing to take whatever work they can find leads to a catch 22: Why improve conditions if you don’t have to? If one teacher isn’t happy, get rid of them and hire another. What we have at the language school level of the industry (I like to separate the words industry and profession and will further make the distinction as I continue) is a proliferation of poor standards brought on as much by the teachers willing to take poorly paid jobs as those running schools who offer such rates of pay.

So, how to form a union and begin the end of this? Would this union operate in one country? Would it cross international barriers and somehow overcome the myriad differences in local employment laws across the world? Which government departments would be involved in fighting for the rights of a largely foreign group of workers, many of whom have been employed illegally with unenforceable contracts? How would you get the large, transient element, who are merely looking for a little pocket money while traveling from country to country with no intention of staying in TEFL in the long run, to adhere to the policies that would help solve the problem? As with the hospitality industry, there are many barriers to overcome before a union can even be envisaged.

- Embarrass or in other ways ruin the business of schools that pay badly.

In the same way that Tony Soprano and his mafia buddies wouldn’t have taken kindly to a group of strippers trying to mess with his strip club, the undesirables that own language schools will not take kindly to such behaviour. There is an incredible amount of money to be made from teaching English and where there’s an incredible amount of money to be made you’ll have characters who like making an incredible amount of money. If you intend to take this course of action, try to find out exactly who you’re dealing with and who they’re connected to. This can be an effective short-term strategy, but do not end up as part of a motorway overpass as a result of your actions, nor assume that the authorities will back you up. Where there’s an incredible amount of money to be made, there are also people being paid to look the other way by a bunch of evil bastards.

- Cut down on the supply of TEFL teachers going to private language schools, e.g. by using TEFL forums and articles in newspapers back home to persuade as many people as possible (especially underqualified ones who will really undercut us) to think again, by refusing to be a teacher trainer for new teachers, by setting up an organisation to help TEFL teachers find other jobs, or by all becoming freelance.

I heartily agree with this one. Word of mouth is the one weapon we have at our disposal that could truly make a difference. My loathing of the Dave’s ESL café job discussion forums is well documented and stems from the fact that the bugger had the golden opportunity to use his heavily trafficked forums for the greater good of the TEFL profession. He didn’t: he censored the forums beyond belief to the point that no one can share any useful information or offer advice. I’m not alone in trying to redress the balance. As far as freelancing goes, I’ve recently written on the subject and will address it again zoon as it is the preeminent way to make big money in this profession.

- Persuade TEFL course providers to think more carefully about pay when recommending jobs to their “graduates”.

This is a point that could be immediately resolved. I was flat out told that I would be living the life of a pauper when I did my CELTA. This is basically one small but complicit link in the chain. Is it wrong to hope that course providers could offer more support in this way?

- Set up schools based on the principle of well paid teachers being worth the investment (as a partnership, cooperative etc if you prefer) in the hope that it works and puts the badly paid schools out of business or makes them try to steal your business model.

What if it doesn’t work? Whose income, future and livelihood are we ruining here? If we’re talking about teachers setting up schools, it can work and I’ve seen some very successful examples. I’ve also seen people hounded out of business and been the recipients of death threats from the mafia who don’t want a better school cutting into the profits of their cowboy operation.

- Persuade our students and prospective students that well paid teachers (usually meaning more expensive lessons) are worth it and teach them how to find the right ones, e.g. by writing newspaper articles on the topic (probably in their L1).

A lot of students would really go for this and the lessons wouldn’t have to necessarily be more expensive. It would mean language school owners, I include the big guns like Berlitz and IT here, seeing the value of guaranteeing repeat custom from satisfaction gained from having a good, motivated teacher. What I’ve seen happen too often is the introduction of a pay scale based on experience and qualifications, followed by the non-renewal of contract / firing under flimsy pretences of the most experienced teachers. Believe me, I’ve worked in places where no one in the history of the organization has come anywhere near reaching the top of the pay scale. Bloody sneaky if you ask me.

- Persuade governments or accrediting agencies to set national minimum wages for teachers in private language schools.

This sounds great in theory, but if they aren’t even able to make sure that the people working in these schools have the proper work visas, resident permits, etc., how are they going to guarantee minimum wage?

I’m not finished yet and will be adding my two-penneth worth to the rest of Alex’s suggestions in the coming days, and explaining why there’s light at the end of the tunnel. Stay tuned.

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Avoid eating out on holidays and ‘Saturday’ nights

You might think it’s great to get out on a public holiday and experience the fervour created by the joy of a national celebration. That sounds nice in theory, but bear in mind that everyone else thinks the same and, consequently, the sheer volume of customers guarantees that most kitchens will be pushed beyond their ability to produce a high-quality dish. Also, work out which night is the nation’s Saturday, i.e. when everyone is off work; in the Gulf, for example, the weekend isn’t necessarily the same as you’re used to. This night will be busy and food preparation will be more rushed.

There are pretty much no sick days in the restaurant business

A busboy with a rent to pay and a child to support isn’t going to stay at home and miss out on a day’s earnings because he’s got a cold. I did this job and there’s a lot of pressure for you to show up however ill you are. These are the people handling your food. Don’t think eating in the restaurant of a Western chain hotel to play it safe when you’re newly arrived will help; these places may have 5 stars but they won’t have much of a health plan for such members of staff.

Don’t swear at the waiter

When a customer’s displeasure devolves into a personal attack, adulterating food or drink is a convenient way for the server to exact clandestine vengeance. Waiters can and do spit in people’s food. The way people knew when I’d done it was when I was overly nice to the bugger who’d complained. Also, bear in mind that I was fairly conservative with regard to exacting revenge; I had friends who would spice up dishes with any, and I mean any, bodily fluid they could muster up. A little respect will go a long way.

Don’t snap your fingers to get a waiter’s attention

Alternatively, do… Well, that’s if you want them to go out of their way to ignore you. Look at how other people attract the attention of a waiter and you’ll soon find out what’s appropriate. This may seem like a long way off swearing at the waiter but it isn’t. I don’t care if you’re just ordering a toasted sandwich, do not do this. I would take the maximum time possible in dealing with anyone who snapped fingers at me and every other waiter on the planet will do the same.

Don’t order stuff that ain’t on the menu

You’re forcing the person doing the cooking to do something they don’t make on a regular basis. If they make the same meal thousands of times a month, the odds are good that the dish will be a good every time. If you want something that’s a bit like what you’d get back home and expect them to make it either taste good or be cooked proficiently, then good luck to you. You do have good health insurance, don’t you?

If you find a waiter you like, always ask to be served by them

Tell all your friends so they’ll start asking for that server as well. You’ve just made that waiter feel valued and look indispensable to the owner. Don’t forget this: In many countries waiting is a career. The server will be grateful, keep an eye out for you, tell you when something has been burned by the cook and generally take good care of you.

If you can’t afford to leave a tip, you can’t afford to eat in the restaurant

Waiters remember people who don’t tip. I did, even months later when the buggers next dared to show their faces. Look back at what I said about swearing at the waiter for what fate awaits you should you try this. However, if your bill is 10 units of local money and all you have in your pocket is a 10 or a 100, it’s OK to tell the waiter that their tip depends on being able to give you change from the 100, and that giving you a 5 as the smallest note won’t do it. This is typical waiter manipulation and is not on. I learned this through experience.

Always examine the check

If you look like you’ve just got off the plane, some waiters will treat you as such. Sometimes large parties in particular are unaware that a gratuity has been added to the bill, so they tip on top of it. Waiters facilitate this error. It’s dishonest, it’s wrong-and I did it all the time. Consequently, I know when it’s being done to me. Pay up, ask to compliment the manager on the quality of the food, then tell them that you’re the new BBC correspondent for the city and that you’ll be warning people about their establishment and watch him squirm.

Never, ever come in 15 minutes before closing time

It might be 10:00 in the evening and you’re still hyped after your evening classes, but remember that the cook has just finished a long and hard shift. The cooks are tired and will cook your dinner right away; I certainly did with no qualms whatsoever. So while you’re chatting over your salad, your entrées will be languishing under the heat lamp while the dishwasher is spraying industrial-strength cleaning liquids in their immediate vicinity. If you really must, ask the waiter to see what the cook and get ready quickly and with the minimum of inconvenience. Believe me, it’ll be worth it when you’re not writhing around with food poisoning.

Basically, treat others as you want to be treated. Respect the people doing your cooking and serving for you, even though you’re paying for the privilege. Having said that, don’t put up with anyone trying to screw you over. Kick up a fuss: no restaurant will want to risk losing the expat community of teachers which will happen if you let enough people know about a poor experience.

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1. Misspelling a name

A person’s name is one of the most important belongings, so bloody well make sure to spell it right. This is doubly important in our situation when we’re dealing with many names that are undoubtedly, well, foreign to us. There really is nothing that signifies a lack a professionalism more than misspelling a person’s name. Here’s how to solve the problem: when in doubt, ask. Most people won’t find your query annoying. In fact, they’ll be flattered that you thought spelling their name was important enough to check with them directly. Also, misspelling need not involve only a personal name, either. It could even be a key term used in your organisation, profession, or industry, even a company’s name is among these.

2. Mispronouncing a name

The same reasoning regarding spelling applies to pronunciation, only more so as it is going to be difficult for you to pronounce foreign names correctly, especially if the language uses a different alphabet or phonemes. As before, when in doubt, ask the person directly. If you have to, to be frightened to make a phonetic representation of the name and even practice it with the person. For example, in Turkish the letter ‘c’ is pronounced like an English ‘j’ and a lot of names begin with a ‘c’. Again, people really won’t mind your taking up their time this way; they’ll be thrilled that you care about saying their name correctly, well, as long as they don’t have to have the same conversation with you more that once.

3. Referring improperly to your boss

Different cultures have different ways of perceiving formality and this is particularly an issue in the work environment. In Turkey, for example, you wouldn’t refer to your boss by using their surname; this would be considered a bit weird to say the least. Rather you say the Turkish equivalent of Mr. Dave or Mrs. Anne. Again, people won’t mind you asking what the conventions are, they’ll be glad that you’re considerate enough to find out.

4. Failing to reset your voicemail or e-mail auto-reply

When you return from time off work, undo any absence greeting or auto-replies you’ve setup. Few things make you look more idiotic than having a greeting that references your return to work date from three months ago. I’ve had colleagues who have failed to do this and you wouldn’t believe the amount of ill feeling it can generate. If you think you’re going to forget, try placing a note on your phone or computer monitor, or adding your email to outgoing mailing lists, that way you’ll also receive your outdated ‘on vacation’ message.

5. Leaving a ‘departed’ employee in the contacts list

When an employee leaves your school, remove that person from voicemail and any online directories or Web pages that you may have. Leaving a person in place can make the company look foolish. I have a colleague, who I’ve worked with since he left his last job seven years ago, who is still on the contacts page of the university’s English program website of his former employers. We were running a bet as to when they would get around to removing him, but the choice of year made by even the least optimistic among us has long since passed. Also, you might create the opportunity for an unaware caller to still leave a message for that departed employee, leaving the message to get missed.

6. Commenting on a personal or family photo

Don’t, just don’t, OK? If you really must, simply stick to, ‘that’s a nice photo.’ If you see a personal or family photo on a person’s desk, avoid commenting on relationships. That young boy you thought was a grandson may possibly just be a son. Similarly, if you know the photo is an earlier one of the person you’re meeting with, avoid comments like, ‘You looked great back then.’

7. Asking about pregnancy

The next two are just general all round good advice, not solely issues affecting teachers working abroad. This is just something that is going to end badly if you bring it up in conversation. Please, please, no matter how much a woman looks like she’s showing, keep your mouth shut until she actually brings the subject up herself. If you ask, and the answer is ‘no’, you will have no elegant retreat. What’s more, if you’re conducting an interview, you have also opened the door wide open to a discrimination lawsuit.

8. Asking about an unseen or absent spouse

Like pregnancy, this is not a good subject to broach. Suppose last year you were at a school social and saw your colleague and their spouse. This year, you only see the colleague. As with the pregnancy situation, just keep our mouth shut. Don’t be in the position; asking about the spouse only to be told, ‘we’re divorced.’

9. Correcting the boss

Doing this anywhere in the world is likely to incur wrath, but in some cultures this is absolutely unforgivable. Correcting your boss will rarely, if ever, endear you to that person. If he or she made a mistake, try to correct it in as low-profile a way as possible. Perhaps you can talk to your boss discretely in their office, away from prying ears? Tread very carefully on this subject as incidents will not be forgotten, or forgiven.

10. Displaying lack of unity in public

If you have disagreements with another teacher or member of the admin staff, resolve them privately. Don’t air dirty laundry to outsiders. Doing so makes your whole organisation look bad. If this happens in front of paying customers, it may cost the organisation money. Let’s face it, this is only going to end one way, and it won’t be in your favour.

None of these are particularly difficult to avoid but they could, singularly or collectively, cause you a world of suffering if you fail to consider them. If you’re interested in looking at how cultural differences can impact on the workplace, you could do a lot worse than reading up on the ideas of Geert Hofstede and Fons Trompenaars.

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Disk Space

Disk space is the amount of storage room that your server will allow for your site. It basically means that, with unlimited disk space, your site can be as big as you want it to be. Having enough space makes it possible for you to upload picture files, sound files, and many other types of files, without having to worry about overloading your host. If you are using more space than your plan allows, your host can charge you extra for the excess space, so you may want to require unlimited disk space.

Sub-Domains

Furthermore, the best cheap web hosting will provide unlimited sub-domains for your site and this allows you to make your site as large as you wish. You can also make many different sites using these sub-domains.

Up time

You want your website hosting provider to give you the comfort of knowing you are going to be online all the time. If your webhosting can’t guarantee you that your site will be up at least 99.9 percent of the time, you really should be looking elsewhere. Your site will not make you money during any down time but you will still have to pay your host. Does that seem fair?

Twenty Four Hour Support

You need to be sure that the web host you choose will provide you with 24-hour support, seven days a week, because your site never has days off, so neither should your web host.

Price

Naturally, the bottom line of the best cheap website hosting is having a monthly fee that stresses the low cost. There’s no reason, under modern circumstances, that you shouldn’t be able to get all of the above features for less than $7.00 a month. If you’re paying more than that for your webhosting, you probably need look elsewhere, as you are paying too much.

A great place to research all of these issues is Web Hosting Geeks, featuring web hosting reviews, ratings and awards since 2004.

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An ever increasingly popular way of getting your blog to work for you is enabling online businesses to promote their services on your blog via third party service providers. Paying Post is one of those at the forefront of the get paid to post arena. Basically, Paying Post operates with a system of putting bloggers in touch with paying advertisers, with the view to writing informative, opinionated posts with links back to the company’s website. As the blogger, you are able to choose the opportunities you feel best fit the profile of what your blog is about, thus enabling you to incorporate the ads in a natural way onto your site while still giving your readers what they want: great relevant content.

I’ve tried numerous such blog advertising providers and love the way that Paying Post is set up, in terms of both the clarity of the website, the extreme ease of navigation and the way that the blogger gets to choose appropriate tasks for their readership. If you’re looking into ways to getting paid to blog, this is one opportunity you really need to investigate.

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More and more I find myself suggesting to teachers of English that they think of ways to broaden their horizons in the job market. Instead of getting stuck on a career path which too many fail to find fulfilling, we all need to look for ways of increasing the opportunities open to us. Even those of us who are happy need to think about what the future holds for us, given the changing nature of the global workplace. A lot of us have probably never considered medical assistant training as an option, although it’s something worth thinking about, especially as the move towards online teaching and learning gathers pace. If you’re thinking about getting out of English teaching or, as is possible, updating your skills, then getting qualified via medical assistant schools such as the St. Augustine School of Medical Assistants is something that’s worth considering.

The St. Augustine School of Medical Assistants website seems to offer numerous options that would suit the hard working TEFLer, both in terms of courses available and in terms of time management.

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‘Lincolnshire Police force has been spending more than £300,000 a year on translation services covering 49 different languages. The force must provide translation services to anyone arrested or questioned who either cannot speak or needs helping understanding English. Some of the languages services offered include Bulgarian and Vietnamese. Translations have cost the force more than £190,000 since April this year – an average of £900 a day. The force spent a total of £317,421 between April 2007 and 2008.’

So, all those of you panicking about being out on the streets should you ever return to Britain, get out of the bar next to the language school and start mixing with the locals, it could pay off big time.

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Changing careers after a number of years is no easy feat and takes a lot of courage. Is it any easier or more difficult for TEFLers than those in other jobs though? A poll ran on the blog and on the forum discussing this issue.

The first obvious theme in the responses given by forum members focused on the concept of time. Obviously, any substantial length of time spent in one line of work makes it more difficult to leave and start something new. Gaijinalways notes, ‘ any post held for a longer period of time will possibly make it more difficult to change gears and careers. Returning to your home country after many years abroad can cause an additional strain. So I really think there is no limit, only what limits you place on yourself.’ MELEE reiterates this theme, ‘like others have said, at this point I’m not interested in getting out of TEFL. But like others have said I also think a long time in any field makes it hard to change to something else.’

While this concept of being established after a number of years seems obvious, it appears that, generally, maybe it isn’t something that is necessarily only connected to TEFL. Markle suggests that, ‘I think you could apply it to any career path, I mean when is it too late to get out of the military, IT, insurance, banking, prostitution? Any reasonably specialised job is going to leave you less equipped to enter into another line of work.’

Another factor mentioned regarding having done a job for a number of years is that you might well have financial reasons for sticking with it. Sheikh Inal Ovar describes:

‘for me, it became too late to get out when I started a well paid job… but now I’m stuck in TEFL until I’ve filled my boots with enough cash to be (semi) financially independent … Why? Because I don’t think I could guarantee the same sort of savings if I were to try my arm at something else… so I’m in the absurd position that I cannot afford to quit TEFLing … at least not for the next few years.’

Another theme that became evident, clearly related to spending years going in one direction, is that of developing a skill set specific to your profession. Are you equipped to move into a different career? Chimp Guevara states, ‘I don’t think it’s possible for it to be “too late” to get out of ELT, but don’t expect the career switch to be massive – ELT to Investment Banking is a bit of a stretch for someone with a French Lit degree and a DELTA, for example.’ So, if you want to change careers, where can you go? Chimp Guevara continues, ‘education administration or even retraining within the education profession is clearly a possibility. The most important thing is the qualifications you hold and the transferable skills you have.’

Having noted that many of the factors TEFLers would become faced with are also faced by anyone trying to change careers after a number of years, some comments indicated that there may be additional factors affecting English teachers. For example, Sherri asks, ‘I think a question that many ask is when is: When is it too late to start over in a new country/ home country?’ In addition to starting over in terms of work, many involved in TEFL would also have to start over in a new country. Sherri further develops this notion, ‘for me at least, my standards have changed since I was in my 20s. Then I would be happy with one bag and sharing a room. Now I would never dream of sharing and I have a family to think of. If you stay too long in one place, you can get “stuck” and like it or not, you have to stay because your options become limited. This is especially true if you have not upgraded your qualifications or you have not broadened your skill set.’ Jerry takes a somewhat different stance, suggesting other motivations for remaining in TEFL, ‘It’s never too late to do anything in your life….. if you genuinely think something will be better, go for it. However, if you are kicking the arse out of something (like many TEFLers) you will have few choices in anything you want to do in life, and TEFL offers an easy life for a limited period of time for the shyster.’ 31 notes the long-term effects, indicating why it may become more difficult to leave TEFL than certain other professions, ‘TEFL makes you bitter, alcoholic, unemployable and a joke back home.’

It’s not all doom and gloom, however. che1959 hints at why one or two respondents possibly indicated that one year might be too late:

‘I don’t think you can ever really get out of it. TEFL changes you. As much as I hate to admit it, there is adventure in TEFL. Some of us are literally living the lives that many people dream about, think about it for a second.’

Many people considered this to be quite a negative poll to run on a website related to TEFL. My intention when asking this question, however, was for people to consider whether or not they could leave TEFL if they wanted to. I’m pleased that so many of you seem to agree with the sentiments of che1959.

Use and distribution of this article is permitted subject to no changes being made to the content and appropriate hyperlinks/URL references in place.

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More and more I find myself advising teachers of English to think of ways to broaden their horizons in the job market. Rather than getting stuck in a career that many fail to find fulfilling, we all need to look for ways of expanding our opportunities. Even those of us who are happy need to think about what the future holds for us, given the changing nature of the global workplace. A lot of us have probably never considered IT training as an option, although it’s something worth thinking about, especially as the move towards online teaching and learning gathers pace. If you’re thinking about getting out of English teaching or, as is possible, updating your skills, then getting qualified via a technical school is something that’s worth considering.

The Tech Training schools website seems to offer numerous options that would suit the hard working TEFLer, both in terms of courses available, such as IT and network and database design, and locations including hundreds of tech schools across North America as well as online.

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