How can we increase TEFL pay?
The question in the last blog post ”Does better pay lead to better teaching?” seems more or less agreed on- maybe, but probably less so than other ways of investing that money and anyway we can never prove it well enough that companies will pay any attention to that conclusion (please continue that discussion there rather than here if you want to dispute that). The obvious next question is therefore one that is posted there some way down the comments section- how else can we make general TEFL pay go up then? Here is my brainstorm on the matter (mainly concentrating on private language schools- working on another whole post explaining why!):
- 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
- Embarrass or in other ways ruin the business of schools that pay badly
- 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
- Persuade TEFL course providers to think more carefully about pay when recommending jobs to their “graduates”
- 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
- 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)
- Persuade governments or accrediting agencies to set national minimum wages for teachers in private language schools
- Persuade governments or accrediting agencies to set higher minimum qualifications etc for teachers in private language schools- preferably making those qualifications difficult and expensive to obtain to make as few people as possible get them
- Keeping and expanding any other restictions on teachers getting visas and being allowed to teach, e.g. by age, first language, country where degree is from, degree subjects (that’s me out of a job!), or need to speak the local language
- All decamp to the best paying countries or jobs, or persuade new teachers to do so, e.g. by ignoring schools which are good for self development but crap for pay packet (e.g. many IH schools)
- Advertise how bad really badly paid jobs are and what better options are available, so teachers (especially new teachers) don’t take badly paid jobs due to ignorance and therefore undercut the rest of us
- Develop a kind of teacher training that makes fully trained teachers more financially valuable to their schools (no idea what that could be as yet)
- Do or fund research that proves that better paid teachers more than make back the money they cost their schools
- Persuade even more people to learn English
- Persuade people to take more classes that they are likely to pay more for, e.g. exam classes and business classes
- Invest our wages in the shares of the companies we work for
Like I said, purely 10 minutes of brainstorming rather than a recommendation of any of those ideas. That being the case, probably better to start off with more ideas and shoot these down later, but frankly I’ll take all the comments I can get!
Tags: Professionalism
September 17th, 2009 at 3:04 pm
Is there any chance you could categorise these into ones you believe are viable, semi-viable and entering the realm of the surreal!! As you said brainstorming is good, but some of these suggestions seem to involve law enforcement agencies or ELT standard setters setting up (even more) gatekeeping mechanisms – don’t feel good about that personally. How ’bout you? Personally I wouldn’t want to see a rise in my wages by excluding other people who are not as qualified, especially when we all know that it is the individual who has to foot the bill for self-development paperwork in ELT as those opportunities generate from yet more private businesses on the whole. Two things there…..level….playing field. BTW there is plenty of research out there which shows that trained and educated teachers perform better (I hesitate to say qualified here, as there are other ways of being trained than getting one of the officially recognised bits of paper). But now amount of research will convince those who don’t want to be convinced cos of the dancing dollar signs in their eyes (just look at the swine flu fiasco). I put my money (if I had some to put) on the unions (knowing btw how difficult that is in practice), the locally agreed collective bargaining, and teachers sharing crucial information and developing better networks for this information to circulate through various means including more coverage in professional development settings and organisations, publications and web 2.0 initiatives. I definitely wouldn’t want to be involved in encouraging more expenditure on exams etc. to keep teachers in business. I wish that we could set up an alternative school – actually I wish we could set up an alternative world really – one that could exist alongside this one but only contained nice people with collective principles who do things for the right reasons. Some people have tried to set up their own schools but this needs capital (not available to all), a really good team of people who share the same basic beliefs (a bit like living in a communal house in that respect) and a strong mindset not to be easily swayed into becoming the very living incarnation of the school owners we all hate…..eventually. I’ve seen really excellent people turn into….well different versions of themselves once they are tasked with paying teachers and working out how much more than those teachers they should get. Gotta have strong ethics to make that work. And the common denominator was…none of them realised *how* much they had changed and still thought they were doing everything for all the right reasons. People and their complex perceptions of themselves : )
September 17th, 2009 at 8:37 pm
And another for Alex’s list:
- Persuade governments and employers to pay the same wage for part-time as they do for full-time (equal pay for equal work).
September 18th, 2009 at 3:38 am
“I’ve seen really excellent people turn into….well different versions of themselves once they are tasked with paying teachers and working out how much more than those teachers they should get.”
This is very true. Once one is put in the position of management, they tend to put their own interest (eg. helping the owner to make profits) before others, forgetting what it was like being a teacher before.
September 18th, 2009 at 4:44 am
Good one TEFLista – a lot of women are discriminated against in this respect esp. when they have kids. Plus men and women who are not offered full-time hours and have to work in several institutions to make ends meet – they end up getting a bad deal in all their workplaces. Equal pay for equal work. Do you have a blog TEFLista?
September 18th, 2009 at 5:17 am
Thanks for visiting Chwa, I’m a great fan of your blog. I guess the problem is that conscientious teachers turn into hard working managers, which means doing the things they think they should. What we need is another idea of what a manager should be.
Agreed that a TEFLista blog is also needed, in fact have suggested it many times before!
September 18th, 2009 at 8:12 am
Thanks. I don’t have the time to keep up with a blog of my own, but I do occasionally write guest pieces. Alex has a good audience and does such a great job with everything here that I’m happy to contribute when I can. To date, most of my pieces have been about teacher education and consumer advocacy:
6 Ways TEFL Certificate Courses Try to Rip You Off
http://www.tefl.net/alexcase/teaching/teaching-abroad/tefl-certificate-rip-offs-part-1/
What to Do If You’ve Been Had by Your TEFL Course
http://www.tefl.net/alexcase/teaching/teaching-abroad/what-to-do-if-youve-been-had-by-your-tefl-course/
Yes, part-timers are definitely an issue when it comes to pay. I once worked in a city in the states that had three universities with very big ESL programs. All of the lecturers spent a third of their time at each university, yet only a handful had full-time positions. It was scandalous, really, and IMO, should have been illegal.
September 18th, 2009 at 12:23 pm
“Is there any chance you could categorise these into ones you believe are viable, semi-viable and entering the realm of the surreal!!”
Not with my presently available brain power I’m afraid, but that may well be a future post depending on where this conversation and my notoriously short attention span go.
“Personally I wouldn’t want to see a rise in my wages by excluding other people who are not as qualified, especially when we all know that it is the individual who has to foot the bill for self-development paperwork in ELT”
Like it or hate it, that is precisely what all well paid professions do, e.g. chartered accountants, barristers, and closer to home, the “pay universities to take an MA so that you can work in a university” system.
Maybe a TEFL vow of poverty is the only way to go…
September 18th, 2009 at 12:24 pm
Re: the part timers thing, it is of course true but in no way specific to TEFL and if any improvement comes on that it’ll probably be through the EU, just like the holidays for part time workers thing
September 18th, 2009 at 12:39 pm
Hi Alex,
You said “Persuade governments or accrediting agencies to set higher minimum qualifications etc for teachers in private language schools- preferably making those qualifications difficult and expensive to obtain to make as few people as possible get them”
There are two separate but not unconnected thoughts here. My comment was rejecting the idea of setting up a formal structure to control that when linked with making access to teaching qualifications more difficult by increasing prices (in order to cut the numbers applying for good jobs down). Can of worms springs to mind, as well as multiple potential for even more hierarchical outcome. We all have to jump through hoops, but those hoops need to be (at least in theory) jumpable for a decent section of the community. I wouldn’t like to see ‘standards’ being tied to increasing prices to make things unreachable. To my knowledge (at least in theory) those other professions you mention are not forced into the private sector of CELTAs and DELTAs in quite the same way are they?? Or relegated to the “let’s make a lot of money quickly” world of distance Master’s (these are not comments on their necessity or quality, more on their mode of delivery and cost on the whole).
A vow of poverty well perhaps no – but if I thought my income would stay at a particular level and not rise much more than that I would be happy for the surplus to go towards widening the net of our profession. Of course it never does, but that is another story.
I wouldn’t hold out too much hope with the EU – I think they are encouraging as much movement as possible in the labour market, and contracts that don’t quite fulfil the right to be called full time (therefore just falling short of employer commitment to honour worker rights) are emerging across the board. This suits the economies of most countries that rely on a migrant workforce, including teachers of English.
September 18th, 2009 at 3:41 pm
The only way I can think of is for a large number of teachers to go freelance fairly quickly.
To do that means a lot of teachers will need a system to a) make contact with many students ready to pay and b) schedule and facilitate classes happening smoothly in multiple locations and online. It is possible. With current technology and is starting to happen (www.wiziq.com and http://www.edufire and http://Www.italki and http://www.meetup.com). The main problem is that the industry is designed to fracture, fragment and keep people arguing in quasi academic way when language and language acquisition is more a science than an art now (and I might get harangued for saying that). The debate and discord enables the status quo to remain.
September 18th, 2009 at 8:01 pm
Hi Alex (and fellow commenters),
In brief, I feel uncomfortable about a ‘solution’ which excludes anyone from teaching EFL. That means, yes, there’s even a place for the completely untrained and even the unskilled.
Let’s face it, a good number of us started of in one of the two categories (if not both).
We’re not doctors, and it’s unlikely that anyone will die if a misguided student screws up the present perfect (OK, yes, so maybe if they happen to be air traffic controllers…)
As an occasional teacher trainer, I’m also loath to discourage would-be TEFL’rs, as that would actually reduce my income, at least in the short term.
The other thing which comes to mind: Anyone who doesn’t like the pay should get another job.
No-one’s twisting our arms, are they?
It’s basic supply and demand.
TEFL’rs are badly paid, in the main, because it’s a pretty damn cool job which lets native English speakers live wherever they like in the world without speaking the local language. Loads of people want to do it.
Lawyers are well-paid because being a lawyer sucks. You have to study loads, work really long hours, and defend serial killers.
I have a good friend who’s a dentist, and I don’t for one second begrudge him the money he makes. He’s welcome to it.
Demand is high, but there’s plenty supply to meet it, because those demanding aren’t very demanding (if you get my meaning) in terms of experience and qualifications.
I think the best idea is the one about raising awareness amongst the learners, however that might be achieved.
Say a school was to advertise, in detail, the experience, qualifications and achievements of its teaching staff.
What would happen?
At first, I imagine, learners wouldn’t know their CELTA from their M.A. in Applied Linguistics, but, if the differences were highlighted… I think this is doable. We are educators, aren’t we?
Might this put pressure on other schools to do likewise? Would students start wondering “Why doesn’t my school advertise its teachers’ qualifications? Something to hide, perhaps?”
Might this eventually lead learners, when considering signing up, to ask questions such as, “Do your teachers have the DELTA?”, as well as, “How much per hour?”
The answer to this last question could be as follows: “Well, it depends. For a local teenager who’s just passed FC, it’s X an hour; for a CELTA-graduate with a smattering of the local lingo, it’s Y”, and so on up through the ranks.
So, to summarise, make ‘em care, then make ‘em pay for the privilege.
Did I actually start this comment with the words, “in brief”?
Cheers
September 18th, 2009 at 9:23 pm
“The main problem is that the industry is designed to fracture, fragment and keep people arguing in quasi academic way when language and language acquisition is more a science than an art now (and I might get harangued for saying that)”
Jason it wouldn’t be fair for anyone to harangue you till they’ve understood what you mean here. Can you explain please. Thanx.
September 18th, 2009 at 11:04 pm
I second Mark, I started out with nothing but a BA in history. I met a lot of teachers who were in the same position who were doing sterling work helping their students improve. To muddy the waters, haven’t you ever met a lousy teacher with qualifications up the wazoo?
Isn’t it an untameable industry? With so many different providers, even within one country, and with such an attractive allure for the young and adventurous, the lowest common denominator will out. Here in Japan, wages seem to be dropping. And I’m certainly not sitting pretty in my ivory tower with the demographic forecast…
We mustn’t forget the non-natives, who have problems of their own….
September 19th, 2009 at 4:50 am
We mustn’t also forget that non-native English teachers, no matter how experienced, qualified and good they are, are forever discriminated in job opportunities, pay etc. by the TEFL industry.
Thanks, Alex. I’m really honoured. I wish to have these many comments from readers for my blog.
Welcome to check out my new post – Teach the chain of business texts
September 19th, 2009 at 4:57 am
“We mustn’t also forget that non-native English teachers, no matter how experienced, qualified and good they are, are forever discriminated in job opportunities, pay etc. by the TEFL industry”
that isn’t always true. Teachers from abroad are often excluded from being full time state school teachers or full professors, therefore putting them at a disadvantage when compared to people from that country. Will do this whole topic of different kinds of teachers and how much we can generalise and work together or not soon(ish)
September 19th, 2009 at 7:11 am
Thanks to you all for these clarifications. I just assume when we consider these issues that we are also including non-NEST teachers as those are the teachers I have the most contact with and who make up the majority of my teaching team (which is partly my choice, rather than demand driven). I think the most effective teams are mixed as the strengths of both compliment each other, but the majority should surely represent those in whose country you are residing. Non-NESTs are also the majority at the chalkface globally so that means they are always part of the dialogue, even if it is in excluding their presence. Alex, you are right up to a point about NESTs being marginalised in some contexts, but TBH I don’t have a problem too much with those kind of issues as I consider it to be part of levelling the playing field. What I would like to see is a better organisation of the quotas in a sort of positive discrimination drive, in different EL contexts. The teaching teams should reflect the populaces which of course includes immigrant teachers of all nationalities (as populations become more mixed). However, that should also include work in the UK – and it doesn’t – as even the most highly qualified non-NEST EL teachers struggle to get jobs teaching English there. It is certainly the case when looked at globally that NEST teachers have a far better time of it overall – that doesn’t mean there are exceptions to that rule, but they are often given chances based purely on passport, whereas a non-NEST will be considered inferior by virtue of their English. I am a bit disturbed that some in the blogging community also post stuff which interrogates non-NEST teachers English use in a negative way and makes jokes about it which doesn’t help matters at all. I would like to see that change and the discussion start to look at what we have in common, rather than what separates us. I certainly don’t agree NESTs should be paid more, and think pay should be assessed in terms of a combination of qualifications and experience only. I agree with Darren that qualifications certainly aren’t all – they can make people rigid and over-bearing with the students (over-planned) and snotty and superior with their colleauges (oh yes have met a few of those in my time). I’ve spent half a life time getting qualified and now have almost all the bits of paper there are but I am still bowled over by NQTs I see who can show me how to do something better in the classroom I had long ago forgotten. There is a need in these sorts of discussion to separate out the issue that relates to teaching skill and formal assessment of teachers via qualifications, the latter of which is tied to opportunity and access. They are not the same in my experience.
September 19th, 2009 at 11:17 am
All good points, if getting off the topic of better pay a little. You are right that they are linked, but I think NEST/ NNEST is not the main split here, which is actual more along the foreign teachers/ teachers from that country split, with teachers from that country who have taken the CELTA-equivalent and then private language school route often falling more on the foreign teachers’ side of the pay divide. Most NNESTs from the country they teach in, and hence as you say the largest single group of EFL teachers in the world, are state primary and secondary school teachers. It seems pointless to include them in a general discussion of TEFL pay as their pay is identical to primary and secondary school teachers of other subjects and has little or no connection to pay in the private sector, universities, or freelance conversation teachers (e.g. teaching in cafes), all three of which do seem to affect the pay in the other two sectors or at least how happy or pissed off people are to be paid that much. As we are a much smaller group than primary and secondary school teachers and usually have no vote in the countries we live in, we are also unlikely to have any influence on what they are paid (we have little enough incident on what we are paid!) We are fairly likely to be pushing in the same direction when in comes to education reform etc in the countries we live in, but that is a whole nother post or 10.
So, in summary, the question is “How can we increase the pay of foreign teachers and other private language school teaching staff?” That includes teachers of other languages (who I also forgot), other Europeans etc passing themselves off as native speakers in Asia (really!), Filipinos, Indians etc etc, and people from that country who are basically doing the same jobs in the same schools.
The post I was working on that I have possibly just made pointless was called “Who do you feel solidarity with?” btw
September 19th, 2009 at 11:32 am
Good question for your next blog – they are definitely defintely linked if we accept collectivising is necessary. BTW – in some countries teachers of languages get paid less than other subject teachers (in state schools) as languages have been relegated to the cateory of “skills” rather than subjects. This is being led by universities, and I think you will find that in the UK, for example, the English unit often comes under student support services rather than an academic discipline such as education or linguistics. The reflects in teacher pay. So perhaps we have more in common with state school teachers than we realise!
I have a lot to say on solidarity, but will wait for your next post!
September 21st, 2009 at 4:45 am
I don’t think we can increase TEFL pay across the board. It is low because of the issues so well explained already – high supply of new applicants, governement collusion with dodgy employers, low customer understanding and expectations…
For individuals wanting to stay in TEFL they face a hard choice. I think it would be great if teachers formed cooperatives or started their own businesses. Many do this in Japan but it is difficult if not impossible in Korea.
I don’t think we can realistically unionise. The Union in Japan doesn’t seem to achieve very much and it’s illegal in Korea to form a union of foreign workers.
I think we have to live with the low pay and learn to live accordingly – or move to one of the hotspots were pay is high but there are other issues that put people off. The middle east has never appealed to me culturally and I heard from several people that it’s very boring to live there.
TEFL teachers do not and IMO cannot live a ‘normal’ life. That is half the appeal of the lifestyle but it does mean we cannot enjoy the benefits of a normal life.
In the end it’s a choice we have to make.
September 21st, 2009 at 8:09 am
You heard from several people that the Middle East is boring-then that is all the proof you need.
September 22nd, 2009 at 11:37 am
A very relevant piece on TEFL pay, with a promise of more to come:
http://blog.esldaily.org/2009/09/15/esl-recession–study-one-teachers-are-on-the-rise.aspx
Sandy has also done a piece on the topic recently
October 14th, 2009 at 8:46 am
I’ve added my 25 Kuruş worth and will continue with the rest of your points zoon…
http://www.eltworld.net/2009/10/tefl-catch-22-and-how-we-can-escape-it-1/
October 14th, 2009 at 11:19 pm
Great post. I think – Persuade / lobby the British Council into recognising teachers’ conditions into their set of standards. I personally think this is the way to go. The British Council are very on the ball when it comes to student welfare but not at all when it’s a matter of things like teacher pay.
It’s arguable that a lack of regard for a decent wage can be a influence detrimentally, student welfare but personally i think that it should be argued on the grounds that teachers are valuable and without which, there would be no students, no private schools and no British Council. The current of regard for those delivering / facilitating (or whatever you want to call it) can only be sending out the message to those who look up to the BC of…. you don’t give a shit about teachers, why should we?
October 16th, 2009 at 8:27 am
I highly recommend David’s piece