• 26% of candidates were over 40, 10% of these were over 50 and 2.5% over 60
• 68% of candidates had English as their first language and this means for 32% English is not their first language
• 20% were qualified to teach English in their own country, 43% had previous experience of teaching English; 20% had more than two years’ experience
• 42% planned to teach EAP after the course
• 38% planned to teach Business English after the course
• 22% planned to teach 5–11 year olds
• 28% planned to teach 11–16 year olds
• And 52.5% found out about CELTA through personal recommendation. 21% though ‘other’ means – probably websites.

As we all know, there are lies, damned lies and then there are statistics, so you can read into these figures whatever you wish. A couple of things stood out for me, though. Half of those taking the course intend to go on to teach kids. When I did my CELTA, more than ten years ago admittedly, there was precious little about the course that would have prepared me for teaching young learners. The same goes for the more than a third who would be heading for either EAP or business English. This really suggests to me that a) there need to be more starter courses catering for specific strands such as EAP, and b) the CELTYL isn’t widely available or people just don’t know about it.

Read what others have been saying on the forum here.

I also recommend Martin’s EAP podcasts, a fabulous resource.

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A bit OTT if you ask me

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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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The four-week TEFL course, a starting point for so many of us in our careers as English teachers. But is it really worth it?

What do we really gain from these short, intensive courses that can’t possibly hope to adequately prepare us for a career in teaching? A great deal, it would seem, according to the poll that ran on the blog and the forum.

Firstly, and most importantly judging by how many suggested this, the initial teacher training course provides a good foundation on which to build.

I started the ball rolling, stating the following:

‘It didn’t in any way prepare me for a full-time teaching position, but I can’t imagine having had to go into a classroom for the first time without having done it.’

Emma, a forum member currently embroiled in her initial training course, perceptively notes, ‘I imagine it’s like passing your driving test. You only really learn to drive properly afterwards.’ Spiral78 adds, ‘a good course is a pretty essential starter – not that certified teachers are professionals, but that they’ve got a decent idea of how to start. The course got me started on a stronger foot than I’d have had without it.’ Denise further reiterates:

‘It alone would not have gotten me to where I am now, but it was a crucial first step. It taught me the basics and I went on from there. I can’t imagine how my first teaching job would have gone without a certificate (if they would even have hired me without one). I learned a lot about how to plan, organize, and deliver a lesson.’

Canuck is another who shares the notion, ‘that the one month courses offer a foundation to build upon, maybe provide information about what someone currently does in their class now and reinforces good techniques.’ GueroPaz and Mishmumkin further exemplify, GueroPaz noting, ‘it helped me immensely; I would have been lost without it,’ while Mishmumkin adds, ‘I had been teaching a year before doing it, but it really taught me a lot about lesson planning, what to expect, how to talk less/listen more.’ Guy Courchesne reinforces the idea that 4 week courses should be seen as a foundation and that development is required after:

‘I took it without having any serious or immediate expectations of going abroad… I eventually did, about 6 months later. I completed my course in Canada and as it was geared towards teaching in Korea, I found I had to study further and learn ‘on the fly’ when I started teaching in Mexico.

Increased opportunity in the local job market is another advantage that was mentioned. Chimp Guevara asserts that, ‘it opened the door to better jobs for me in Japan, and gave me a good grounding in the basics so that I continue learning when I got back.’

Another potential advantage of the four-week training course is that it will effectively indicate those who are clearly not up to it. spiral78 exemplifies, ‘I think the courses can also be useful for weeding out people who genuinely aren’t cut out for the job – for example, if a trainee can’t show up on time every day, looking reputable, he/she’s going to crash and burn early in a contract anyway.’

It would seem, therefore, that these initial teacher training courses hold a lot of value. Never the less, Jerry was one who, validly, raised issue with an inadequate learning environment as reason for a course not being worth what was paid:

‘I would say it wasn’t worth the money. I say this because the course was delivered on a shoestring in less than acceptable premises with virtually no frills (coffee, water, working computers). The (course provider’s) websites are very misleading with respect to training environment.’

So, certain courses may be lacking in areas outside the experience you’ll gain in terms of teacher training. These are definitely things to consider when choosing a course, an issue we’ll return to later. Despite this feeling of dissatisfaction, Jerry goes on to note, ‘the course content was delivered well by the trainer and was comprehensive so in that respect it was “worthwhile“.’

Another factor relating to whether or not a particular course is worth the investment is related to what you gain from being in a particular location. This particular aspect caused some disagreement, with suggestions made in support of doing the course in an exotic foreign locale or at a location in your home country. Spiral78 led the cry for taking the course in the country where you’re thinking of teaching, listing the following benefits:

-You can get your feet wet in the country/culture while you still have a support system
- training centers will usually arrange for your housing during the course, pick you up at the airport, and generally offer you some kind of local orientation.
-Your practice teaching students will be representative of those you’ll be working with when you start.
-A good training centre can give you invaluable info regarding reputable employers in a region.
-You can be sure that your cert will be recognized by regional employers.

Jerry, in contrast, notes the benefits of doing the course in your home country:

-When you set up a course online in the country you will work in can you be sure of the provider?
-Is their course moderated?
-Can you have your certificate notarized in that country?
-What’s the validity of the certificate?
-What’s the local reputation of the course provider?
-What’s the training environment like?
-Will you be picked up at the airport? I wasn’t, a pre-course orientation meeting was convened and conducted by a previous student who felt it was her moral duty to make sure new students were not left out on a limb as she had been.
-Long term, is the certificate any use in another country or region?

Jerry also notes that this won’t necessarily help you in getting used to the type of student you’ll be teaching, suggesting, ‘As for getting to know the type of student, the lessons are so heavily teacher orientated and regimented you don’t get near to learning about them or understanding them.’

In terms of it being worthwhile, there was more agreement when it came to the notion of finding out about your course in advance, with spiral78 suggesting the following checklist:

-How long has the course been operating
- under current management?
-What qualifications do the trainers have?
-What support will the centre guarantee?
-Will the centre allow you to contact current trainees?
-I’d also send a very brief email to several employers in the area asking whether certification from course X is well-looked-upon.

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Spiral78 further exemplifies the disparity between courses, noting, ‘there are a couple of 60-hour courses without teaching practice which are given as seminars using classrooms at universities – but which are NOT considered to be basic level certifications in many parts of the world.’ Indeed, deciding on whether or not a course will be worth it, finding out what the course will include seems to be vital, Canuck asserting that, ‘the only 4 week course someone should take is one that is 120 hours with a practical teaching component. The CELTA and 120 hour TEFL have this. I don’t think an online course can measure up. I also believe that the ‘every weekend’ CELTA isn’t as valuable as the one month all at once type.’

So, generally such courses are seen by the majority as being a good thing, providing as good a foundation in teaching as possible in a short space of time. The experience you gain will open doors in terms of job opportunities and will give you a pretty clear indication if you’re not up to the task.

There are also clear benefits to the location at which you take the course, depending on what your needs may be. Having said that, it’s clear that there are major disparities between the quality of such courses and doing some research before hand will pay dividends.

One final thing to consider if you’re thinking of doing such a course is the group you’re likely to end up teaching. For example, in many countries this might end up being primarily children. Leprofdanglais comments, ‘the only thing is it trains you to teach adults, but where I was working in Spain, new staff always got lumbered with kids’ classes.’ GueroPaz reiterates, ‘here in Thailand and in most places in the world, you teach lots of kids. That’s my main complaint against any adult-oriented course.’ So, even at the initial, four-week starter course stage, think about how specifically the course is going to meet your potential needs.

Comments on this issue are greatly appreciated.

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Many of us in this fascinating profession of teaching English as a foreign language love travel and getting to see as many different parts of the world as possible. However, one aspect of traveling I don’t like is arriving at a big international airport only to be confronted by the prospect of having to deal with the problem of getting from the airport to wherever you planned to stay. I really must say, even traveling to cities such as New York, which give us the benefit of speaking the same language as many of the locals, the car service jfk experience is something that I wish to get over and done with quickly and painlessly and now I can.

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‘The aviation English training market potential is massive in China given the country’s fast growing commercial aviation market.’

That quote is attributed to a Finian Connolly, CEO of Edgewater College, founded over 15 years ago in Ireland, specialising in aviation English language teaching, as featured in China Daily. If you’re initially as surprised as me to know that there’s a college specialising in aviation English language teaching, you may be dismayed at the sheer number of terms you’ll have to brush up on if you want to branch out into this field of language teaching. If you think you’re already there, click here for a nasty surprise.

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IOC includes a variety of ways to connect with and learn from colleagues. Each day of the conference features several live online sessions during which you interact with panelists and peers. All sessions are recorded and posted immediately for those who cannot attend live. Asynchronous discussion forums and resource sharing areas — for the collaborative collection of practical teaching ideas, links, handouts and learning objects — are a vital part of this very community-oriented event. The emphasis during IOC is on sharing, networking and generating a universe of ideas that everyone can use immediately in their practice.

The IOC was created seven years ago to bring together a community of education and training professionals at all levels – from classroom instructors, to instructional designers and technology support staff, media specialists, librarians, academic administrators, and professional development trainers. This year’s program promises to deliver yet again with timely topics and engaging speakers sure to have an immediate impact on the work you do every day.

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- Find out if the presenter is sponsored by a publisher. If they are, they’re probably selling you a book.

- If someone is presenting research they’ve conducted, it will be very, very boring. You have been warned and only have yourself to blame.

- Plan on attending a workshop at least one in every two sessions. Time tends to pass quicker and you generally come away with something you can use in class.

- People from the most exotic locations give the crappest sessions. I have no idea why this is.

- Jeremy Harmer is quite entertaining, as is Scott Thornbury. Hugh Dellar, despite his ‘Innovations’ being worth a mere 67.1% by ELT Journal is another who has the whole presentation thing down to a fine art, as is Michael Swan.

- I avoid ‘conference dinners’ like the plague so can’t comment, but can suggest that avoiding them like the plague has always done me fine.

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Please add any advice to this list below. Also read forum legend Golightly’s account of attending a conference in Issue 2 of the ELT World Journal.

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That’s right folks, ELT oligarchs TESOL are offering a fairly comprehensive range of free six-week online teacher training courses. You don’t even have to be a member of TESOL to participate, although lunch is not included, apparently. Seriously though, all those organising and running the online courses are giving their time and expertise freely in order to ’serve the profession.’ How noble.

There are a quite stunning number of courses open; here are details of some of them. ‘Becoming a Webhead’ proposes to be a hands-on workshop where participants explore Web 2.0 tools and share the best ways of using them in their teaching practices. ‘Blog-based Lesson & e-Portfolios’ will provide basic notions like planning a lesson and put into practice what you might have learned about blogs to design a lesson supported with e-portfolios to collect students’ activities for evaluation. In the ‘Collaborative Writing’ session, the most popular computer-mediated communication tools for collaborative writing, blogs and wikis, will be introduced and some activities with word processors will be carried out. Discussions and exchanging of points of view will be provided by WiZiQ sessions in this comprehensive workshop. The interestingly titled ‘Conflict Resolutions for English’ is designed around a curriculum guide for teaching conflict resolution with English language learners. Participants will engage in conversations on prejudice awareness and reduction, communication, and conflict management and will discuss challenges and opportunities to bringing these conversations into their classroom. The ‘Designing Interactive Activities for the Young learner EFL Classroom’ session, meanwhile, will enable participants to learn how to use Hot Potatoes to create activities for the young learner EFL classroom. The ‘Digifolios and Personal Learning Spaces’ workshop aims at providing awareness of the way the web can empower the individual not only to learn, but also to present what, how and with whom he/she learns, while ‘Digital Storytelling in ELT Classrooms’ will show how to use Windows Movie Maker software while creating and editing videos; and at the end of the session participants will have the chance to create their own videos and publish them online. In ‘Enhancing Lessons with Web 2.0’, participants will create their own blogs and Web 2.0 instructional items, participate in asynchronous and live discussions, complete topic-specific readings, and develop a lesson plan applying web tools to a relevant teaching/learning context, while the ‘Planning Video Projects’ session will help teachers of EFL/ESL develop lesson plans for video projects to use with their students of various levels. The ‘Exploring Images in the 21st Century Classroom’ online workshop introduces participants to various online image manipulation tools and will learn how to effectively incorporate these resources into their teaching practices. The promisingly named ‘Internet for Beginners’ is designed to help inexperienced Internet users learn how to develop and use the Web in their classes either as bridging activities (like homework, but beyond fill in the blank), as class projects or even in the computer lab as a class activity, while ‘Mentor2Mentor’ is for those interested in mentoring new or struggling ESOL teachers. Basic mentoring skills will be explored and online resources will be identified. Extremely long-winded title it may have, but ‘Multiliteracies for Social Networking and Collaborative Learning Environments’ will basically focus on the fact that multiliterate individuals are aware of the pitfalls inherent in technology while striving for empowerment through effective strategies for first discerning and then taking advantage of those aspects of changing technologies most appropriate to their situations. These strategies include managing, processing, and interpreting a constant influx of information, filtering what is useful, and then enhancing the learning environment with the most appropriate applications. This course seeks to heighten awareness of these considerations, and to enable participants to explore ways of dealing with them in professional and interpersonal development as well as work with students.

Believe it or not, that isn’t the full list, which means that there’s probably something for everyone. However, you’d better get a shift on as registration finishes on 12th January. Click here for more details.

Didn’t like this? Continue your search!

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