Unfortunately since it's pretty easy to get a
job teaching English these days, employers are at an advantage and can pay teacher very little. With promises of a low cost of living they often lure teachers into working for slave wages.
When you work out how much a TEFL teacher gets per hour and take into account that it's not only teaching, but also lesson planning, and going to meetings, it's often less than you'd get if you'd work at McDonald's. Though, at McDonald's at least you'd get benefits.
Employers complain that the teachers aren't working hard enough, don't show up on time, or don't dress appropriately. I'm not sure what employers expect: after all, you get what you pay for.
TEFL teachers don't help the problem either by not taking their job seriously.
One month intensive TEFL courses are good, but they just provide the basic foundation a teacher needs to teach ESL or EFL. Teachers need to do more. Researching on their own, further study towards a
teaching diploma or masters degree, attending conferences, and talking with other teachers.
It's a two way street. If teachers want to get more recognition, higher pay and better benefits, then they need to put more effort into teaching. If employers want serious teachers, then they need to
pay them more.
What do you think?
Are salaries way to low in the TEFL industry even when you take cost of living into account? Or do you think TEFL teachers are getting what they deserve?
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Disclaimer:
Using English has lots of resources for ESL and EFL teachers and students. Their reference section has items such as idioms, phrasal verbs, and irregular verbs. They've also got a neat teacher resource section with things such as worksheets, lesson plans, and forums.
