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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“Wait staff positions available November 1st for restaurant at intimate and remote hotel in Mexico (nearest city: Puerto Vallarta).

Verana’s reputation and quality is based on our high standards and focus on first class service, eclectic styling and decor. Our staff deals with our upscale clients on a very personal level and needs to be committed to going the extra mile to deliver outstanding and excellent service on a daily basis. Without keeping this as a priority, we will not be able to compete and maintain our place as one of the best small boutique hotels.

Position requires applicants to have at least three years of food serving experience. Basic wine knowledge a plus. Bilingual preferred (English and Spanish). Applicants have to be available Oct 23, 2006 for a minimum of one season, until June 2007.

Each applicant has to be aware of our remote and somewhat isolated location from the civilized world. They need to be willing to live in the jungle (housing provided) and work mostly outdoors. Prior experience with that kind of environment will definitely help. Applicants must also be in good physical shape to walk to our hilltop location (15 minute hike)…..

That’s right, ladies and gentlemen, Dave Sperling accepted money to put that load of old tripe in his jobs section. We can do without this kind of crap polluting our profession. I hope to go some way to offering those searching for a job a better service with the new ELT World TEFL Jobs site:

Please drop by and take a look, it’s free to register and use.

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I haven’t had a go at Dave Sperling for a while and perhaps don’t need to thanks to Gary’s excellent piece on the ESL Cafe on his Mexile blog.

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I’m not sure who the chap in the ad is but he dosen’t look like a TEFL teacher, does he? In case you forgot that this is a TEFL related site (based in the same part of California as dear old Dave Sperling as I discovered from my extensive research), register now and be in with a chance to win a whopping great big $10 (!) prize as the person who refers the most new site members.

Let’s give it a chance and see what happens.

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The topic of ESL or EFL job sites as the cause of the tefl world’s woes comes up every now and again. Should job sites take responsibility for screening job ads? Should they remove them if there are complaints? And are they responsible for the proliferation of “lemon” EFL jobs if they don’t?

The moral of this post, I suppose, is that I don’t agree that job sites somehow play an accomplice role to schools from the dark side – keep your wits about you when searching and use more than one site. Think hard about accepting a job in any form other than in person, and check out the questions to ask at an interview while you’re at it.
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Given the recent tragic events in Korea, I felt this was a pertinent time to revisit this issue. A lot of you who read the blog also frequent the forums and are therefore are familiar with the reasons why I set up the forums. Basically, I was disgusted with the way that another forum, Dave’s ESL Cafe, conducted its business. Let me explain…

While I agree with certain points that Katie raised, namely that 1) it’s impossible to screen schools effectively if you‘re accepting paid adverts from all around the world, and 2) any complaints made by teachers are always going to be purely subjective (yes, sometimes teachers ARE in the wrong) and not entirely reliable, I believe that TEFL jobs sites could raise the bar significantly and easily and indeed become more profitable in the process.

Let me return to the dear old ESL Cafe; the main culprit in this sorry business. Dave’s ESL Cafe remains an incredibly popular resource among the TEFL community, indeed, it was suggested to me as a source for finding job openings way back when I did my CELTA. The number of job openings advertised on the site is remarkable and a huge source of income for those running the site (I’ve heard rumours that Dave Sperling no longer runs things – please confirm). What disgusted me, eventually causing me to set up ELT World, was (and continues to be) the practice of censoring any information about bad schools that were paying advertisers. Katie made a good point about bad schools merely slithering around attempts to name and shame them, but when you’re actively promoting a policy of denying people who use your website access to information that would enable them to make a better decision about whether or not to take a job, you’re effectively working in partnership with the cowboys: by condoning their practices, you are to blame for their behaviour. Are other sites as shoddy in their approach as the ESL Café? Maybe. What’s for sure is that this isn’t helping to improve our industry/profession and is, sadly as we’ve recently seen, may be putting people’s lives at risk.

I don’t know the details of Bill Kapoun’s contract, who arranged his accommodation or how he got his job, but this case highlights the fact that too many places are not treating TEFL teachers with the respect that should be accorded to any human being.

So, are ESL job sites to blame for unsavory schools? No, these places wil exist as long as human greed remains. However, the blatant, greed-fueled encouragement that unscrupulous businesses receive from the likes of Dave’s ESL café definitely ain’t helping matters.

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I will of course, give my response.

Firstly, I feel one of the key problems with the ESL Cafe is the lack of interaction between the mod team and the regular Joes. This, among others, is an issue that was picked up on in a recent TEFL Logue post. This is something myself and my moderators have tried to avoid thus far on the ELT World Forums. Mr. K alludes to the fact that the mod team at the Cafe are privileged to be able to help the members who require their assistance. I never felt ‘the love’ unfortunately.

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I was particularly intrigued to read Mr. K’s thoughts on the troll issue. While his comments make a lot of sense, it’s sad that the policy seems to have alienated so many who have had genuine contributions to make over the years. He is right when he says that modding a forum is hard work, but there are so many people who can help you out as regular forum members, whose voices I feel are ignored at the Cafe.

I also like some of his ideas for developing the café. A tech forum you say? That seems like a novel idea! But seriously, I’m glad he’s learned something from all that time spent browsing ELT World. Furthermore, the fact there’s no blog of any kind goes to show how far back in the dark ages Dave’s now is when compared to its contemporaries. How can this possibly not have occurred to anyone involved in the site? How? Hang on a minute, why am I agreeing with so much of what Mr. K says? Well, to an extent I agree, because I don’t particularly feel that what has been said is what actually occurs. Over the past few months, I’ve learned just how tricky it can be to run a TEFL discussion forum, so I have some respect for the man for having entrenched himself in the job for more than five years. I certainly don’t agree with the policies of the café, I don’t even agree that Mr. K does much of what he claims in the interview, but to mire yourself in the negativity that the ESL Café forums have created for so long takes some doing.

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I will of course, give my response.

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Visit my forums at David’s English Teaching Forums.

Unlike other popular ELT forums, I won’t be censoring comments that offend people paying me to advertise on my site. Wish me luck.

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