“Save UK ELT” Number 10 petition
I haven’t yet signed because I know nothing about the law in question (I usually wait for Melanie Butler of EL Gazette to make up my mind for me on things like this). If you want to find out more or sign yourselves, the petition is here. If you want to persuade (or dissuade) me, comments are below.
Tags: bogus schools, politics, visa mills
November 25th, 2009 at 7:20 am
The “Best Educational System in the World”? I think not. Check out today’s Ofsted report that one third of UK schools are failing; or remarks by M&S chairman Stuart Rose that huge numbers of UK students are leaving school without masters of the basic “3 R” skills. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1230668/How-1-3-schools-fails-provide-adequate-teaching.html
November 25th, 2009 at 11:08 am
I think they mean ELT and/or higher education. Not your basic high school.
While it might be argued that ELT in the UK includes some of the best teaching/learning in the world – I don’t think anyone would say that about the British school system in general. In fairness it is not and never was about education – just about keeping kids off the streets and out from under their mother’s feet.
So – what is the point/gist of this new law?? Anyone know?
November 25th, 2009 at 6:30 pm
Hmm, I see that the petition has been submitted by Mr Shane Wilkinson, director of the notorious Bournemouth Business School International – who are well-known for the derisory salaries they offer new recruits!
See my article on them here for an overview of the sort of school he runs:
http://tefltradesman.blogspot.com/2008/11/bournemouth-bullsht-school.html
November 26th, 2009 at 11:53 pm
“In fairness it is not and never was about education – just about keeping kids off the streets and out from under their mother’s feet.”
Isn’t that the point of education in general? ;-P
http://tristanverboven.wordpress.com/2009/10/28/why-does-school-suck-we-teach-it-to-suck/
November 27th, 2009 at 3:00 am
Someone has kindly informed me that clicking on the Melanie Butler link takes you right back to this exact same post, but if you then scroll down the page you will be able to see my other gushing posts on this TEFL Hero
November 27th, 2009 at 5:59 am
Hardly the best university system in the world either, especially if you are an international student and so basically there only to subsidize the British education system. The vast majority of foreign students who study in British universities leave with a less than positive impression, which therefore makes them worse than the much slagged off TEFL schools.
I think it’s all about a visa mill crackdown that will also impact on some other schools. Haven’t heard anything that would make we want to sign it yet
December 3rd, 2009 at 8:01 pm
Alex,
I am a bit saddened by the comments on this page. It seems people are more keen in picking holes in the UK education system or criticizing the person who started the petition.
I’ll give you a brief run down of the actual issue that the petition addresses:
* UK has decided to clamp down on bogus colleges
* UK government has introduced Ozzie-style Points Based System (PBS) visa system which gives the power to school to decide who is a genuine student or not
* So schools must be registered with UKBA to issue student visas.
* Schools are required to do the UKBA’s work in collecting student data and reporting student attendance/non-arrival
So far so good, sounds like a good idea. But…
* Beginners are not allowed to come to UK for more than 6 months
* UKBA have made a complex process even more complex (for students, agents and schools)
* UKBA and UK Embassies abroad do not follow same rules
* UKBA keep changing the rules
* UKBA implemented the PBS visa system to suit Universities which makes many things difficult for EFL schools where students enrol all year round for a few weeks at a time
And now the problem gets worse. The Prime Minister has decided to review the PBS and perhaps:
* Raise minimum English level to CEF B1 (intermediate)
* Require English tests before people apply for visa to study English
* Ban students from working part-time
* Ban work experience programmes
* etc…
So the consequences are:
* Less students > less revenue for schools > less jobs for teachers
PLEASE SIGN THE PETITION!!!
December 5th, 2009 at 1:47 pm
It’s like I said- just when you think private EFL education can’t get any worse, the public sector gets involved…
http://www.tefl.net/alexcase/teaching/tefl/tefl-as-private-education/
December 6th, 2009 at 9:54 am
Thanks to Tony Watt for the information. In our defence, we are mostly living and working abroad so have little or no knowledge of and far less stake in the UK EFL industry.
As for slagging off the UK education industry – please feel free to counter by praising it to the skies if you like.
IMO there is good and bad in it. Some really great schools and teachers, and some total rip off merchants. Hard to say who should be in charge of promoting the good and shutting down the bad. For a long time I thought that’s what the BC was for….how naive I was…
December 11th, 2009 at 12:50 pm
@Andy: I see no need to comment on the quality of UK education – I’ll leave that to its students – that it not really the nature of the issue.
@Alex / Andy / etc: I understand you are abroad and your job might not depend on it, but your future job might if you intend to return to the UK and work in TEFL!
Even one MP said: “If the government adopts these proposals, it could effectively close every language school across the country”.
If you are a Brit with a UK address please sign the petition!
Thanks
December 15th, 2009 at 9:33 pm
Sandy’s done this one for us:
http://tefltradesman.blogspot.com/2009/12/petition.html
December 17th, 2009 at 10:53 am
Yeah, I see his take on it. He has a valid point “why help the employers if they are screwing you?”
I understand but I am VERY sure the teachers’ pockets will be the first to feel any effects of loss of income, not the owners.
Tony