ELT World Discussion

otterman ollie · Posted: Fri Feb 08, 2008 10:43 am Post subject: Are you a professional?

Went to a talk the other day and this was the topic. We could have had the time off like the rest of the worn out teaching classes but this was one of those must attend gigs .Get the picture?
To cut a long story short, the presenters went on to say that just because you work in a profession ,does not make you professional. Enlightning stuff eh!
They then listed the virtues that professionals demonstrate, you know I'm sure , attitude,appearance, personal development etc,etc. About 125 people were present who most of the time seemed to have trouble staying awake.
My question is if we go down this road to be more professional,does it mean our employers might stop treating us less like a commodity to be used and abused then discarded or more like valuable assets and rescources to be treated with a bit more respect?
Is professionalism in this environment worth the reward?
It needs to be said that the presenters had no handouts to give or ideas or strategies about how this master plan could be implemented. So do you think they were just filling in some of our so called free time?
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David · Posted: Fri Feb 08, 2008 12:59 pm Post subject:

This thread has been moved here from the Turkey forum.

GlasgowRangers · Posted: Fri Feb 08, 2008 4:40 pm Post subject: Whit a joke

What a pants topic. There are no professionals in the TEFL industry as you should well know by now. Only people who try to pass themselves off as such. Tired-out old tossers who try to relight a spark during a mid-life crisis or what have you and the degenerates who can't cut it in their home countries.

No professionals here pal only people who try to pull the wool over the eyes of others.

Fact. TEFL isn't even an industry and as such those who work in the 'industry' will never gain the respect of their employers as the employers know only too well what kind of people work in the circuit. Even the students don't take the 'teachers' seriously. How many of you have been asked the question 'What is your real job?' Ask anyone outside of the TEFL circle what the initials stand for and they won't have a clue.

TEFL is and always will be the vocation of choice for losers.

Do a bit of traveling instead of signing on eh? Idea

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Emma · Captain Joined: 03 Jan 2008 Posts: 487 Location: Devon, UK

spiral78 · Posted: Sun Feb 10, 2008 7:25 pm Post subject:

I still think the issue is the (roughly) two-tiered world of TEFL/TESL.

There's the vast TEFL market of private language schools in the world, where basic qualifications are the standard. Sure, it's where the deadbeats land, but it's ALSO the stomping grounds of sincere newbies + those with a bit of experience, who provide a very useful service for the millions of language learners to whom the private school providers are accessible.

This first tier is also the place where lots of newbies test the waters, find them congenial, and then go on to earn more significant qualifications.

There are plenty of us out here with post grad degrees in Applied Linguistics, TESL/TEFL, and other closely related fields, plus significant experience, working in the other sector (usually universities or international schools) - and I think (admittedly I may be biased Smile

) that we are indisputably 'professionals.'

Both sectors of the field are entirely justified, useful, and provide needed services to language learners. The newbies who demonstrate professional attributes are a real benefit to the field as a whole.

There are bad apples in every field, professional or not. The presence of bad apples in our field is no justification to claim that there is no such thing as a professional TEFL/TESL teacher.

GlasgowRangers · Posted: Mon Feb 11, 2008 3:12 pm Post subject:

I'm not whinging. Merely stating what I believe to be true.

It is the most Mickey Mouse and shambolic of all trades. How can anybody say that being a TEFL 'teacher' is a profession? If you were to state that your previous job was chief toilet attendant in a local lav in the U.K. or wherever, I may just be inclined to believe you because these are just the kind of people whom the TEFL industry usually attracts. Just because some internet or second-rate university qualifications are thrown into the fold does not mean that TEFL is a 'profession'. Having been in God knows how many countries and after having met God knows how many TEFLers, I have yet to meet one who strikes me as a professional...only folk who THINK they are. There is a big difference.

The only professionals are the folk selling the overpriced crap courses, qualifications, books etc. Credit to them.

TEFLing is the 'profession' of the modern lower-classes who can't cut it in any other field.
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How huv ye no hud yer hole yet?

jiji · Posted: Mon Feb 11, 2008 4:15 pm Post subject:

denise · Posted: Mon Feb 11, 2008 4:49 pm Post subject:

I am not a loser, whinger, socially incompetent buffoon, misfit, or anything else of the sort. I can cope perfectly well in my home country and still, in fact, consider it "home". And yet, I am an EFL teacher. By choice.

Yes, I consider myself a professional, and yes, I believe that for people with the right attitude, TEFL/TESL is a profession. But then, after only 8 years in the field, maybe I'm just not jaded enough yet.

d

gaijinalways · Captain Joined: 23 Sep 2007 Posts: 218

I think the problem is, that in many countries this industry is not treated as a a serious profession, even though there are exceptions here and there. I hope I'm working in one of them, though to be honest, Japan is not the best place at times for serious teachers.

Guy Courchesne · Posted: Mon Feb 11, 2008 5:05 pm Post subject:

denise · Posted: Tue Feb 12, 2008 2:39 am Post subject:

JimDunlop · ELT General Joined: 17 Sep 2007 Posts: 542

If one is so jaded that he cannot see beyond the "tired-out old tossers" and degenerates to see that there is an entire flip-side to the industry, then that's pretty sad. (And yes, I said "industry." Someone prove to me, beyond their own bias and opinion that TEFL is not an "industry" and I'll gladly stop using the word).

I can think of more than a fair share of people who have made teaching English their lifelong career. Mind you, most of those people (not all -- but most) have done so in their country of origin, where TEFL is an unknown term, but ESL is the nom de guerre. I know people who have spent 25 years or more working as teachers, program directors, curriculum developers and deans of faculty at universities and colleges. To call these people tossers or degenerates only makes yourself look like an ass. They are indeed professionals, and are well-respected and well-paid for what they do.

Just like any other job in the world, it is what you make it. Just like there's a world of difference between the weekly campus rag and the New York Times, any industry has its share of hacks, wannabes and part-time hobbyists and enthusiasts. When I was still at uni, there were plenty of students who would get taken on as house painters during the summer -- but there's a world of difference between that and an actual painting company who does it commercially and represents their livelihood.