How the global recession is affecting/ has affected the ELT
profession
#ELTchat summary for the 2nd chat 11th April
Tonight we were joined by
ELT professionals from around the world, including a couple of new members:
@RebuffetBroadus from France and @MellynEducation from Canada.
It
appears that the recession is having
an effect, although it depends on the sector and the options offered to
students.
@ljp2010,
in Argentina, and @MrChrisJWilson, in Ukraine, said that student numbers were
down. Others are finding that the market has changed. In France, Italy, the
Ukraine and Spain, corporate clients appear jittery and companies are holding
back on supplying language courses for their staff. Part of the problem is
falling training budgets, but increasing prices everywhere else. @vmorgana said
that in the state sector where she works the recession equates to fewer English
courses and no IWBs.
Many
more people are signing up to do TT courses.
Where are the students coming from?
In
Wiktor’s school in the UK some of the students are sponsored, which minimises
the effect of the falling numbers to an extent. In France, the government
allocated training means a number of the unemployed are choosing English
lessons. Steve Muir and Shaun Wilden agreed that many students are using their
redundancy money. It is apparent that a global crisis increases people’s
interest in having qualifications, in which case English is seen as important.
In Canada there seems to be a shift in sectors-fewer international study
vacations, but more immigrants. In Italy there are plenty of individual
students and many of us suggested that numbers are up for the moment, although
not guaranteed long-term. University
student numbers haven’t really been affected- only the funding! @hartle
suggested that some of the students are just looking for the ‘piece of paper’
and are not really motivated.
Do falling prices mean
lessons are cheaper?
Do
students want to pay for quality or make do with a cheap course? It seems, in
many cases, that they want to save money. In the Ukraine the more expensive language
schools are having difficulty enrolling, but the cheaper ones are better off.
Students are going to competitors who don’t offer the same quality. Private or
company classes are demanding reduced fees too.
So does it mean more or less
work for teachers?
Lack
of funds makes it more difficult for teachers to do their jobs. It also means
that they have to fund their own training. The situation differs a little between
teachers who are freelance and those who are salaried. Many new teachers are
being employed on fixed term contracts.
In
the UK ESOL context the pattern is for classes to be cut in accordance with the
government cuts in Further Education.
In
some cases schools are employing well-qualified teachers and paying them less.
In some places there are new schools opening up, increasing the pressure and
competition on the existing providers. In France permanent contracts for
teachers are hard to come by; work is less stable and the teachers have to
canvass for work for themselves, then finding that they are only paid for hours
worked and not given the option of a guaranteed monthly salary . The freelance solution is also common in Switzerland.
Many schools are looking at education as a business and may look for cheap
labour as opposed to qualification. And working patterns are changing…..
How does the online market
affect the results?
Are
online options contributing to fewer ‘bums on seats’? It was argued that online
or blended learning should be included in the numbers overall, but that creates
an inequality for schools who are not able to offer the same facility. One
cause for concern was the possibility of students buying full, but not always
good quality, courses on sites such as Groupon, which can offer massive
discounts. Our new Canadian member teaches online by contract from the
government. Blended courses are helping to cut teachers’ face-to-face time, and
thereby, costs. A well-designed online course, using sound principles, was seen
to be as good as, if not better than, a f2f one. It is also a possible way to
reduce costs and can be used to deliver CPD, such as DELTA modules too. One
problem for students is the sheer wealth of material available online, which
could provide a niche for a consulting service to help them J
Are schools diversifying?
Some
are and some aren’t! @jankenb2 said that her school’s mainstay is training
students to pass university entrance exams- so no change. In Jersey we have
been adding variety to our courses, which is fine as long as we continue to
invest in the CPD of the teachers who deliver them. This gives us a competitive
edge for the moment. Other schools are
delivering blended or online courses. Freelance teachers need to market themselves
with quality/differentiated services to stand out from the crowd. Many of us
are energised by the changes and enjoying mastering new models of delivery. If
it leads to proper competition, investment and innovation, Shaun Wilden is all
for it.
Will the Olympics have any effect
on numbers in the UK this year?
Anecdotal
evidence suggests that many teachers are making projects out of the Olympics theme.
Whether it will translate into increased numbers is less certain as it appears,
to some schools, that fewer students are travelling for their lessons.
How well do TT programs address
tech issues?
@pysproblems81-
love the way teachers on twitter turn any discussion into a reason to use
#edtech. I think that TT programs are slowly beginning to address the issues of
technology in education, some perhaps faster than others. As @jankenb2 says-
tech is no longer a tool, it’s a literacy and is changing teacher education
entirely.
So
apart from a growth in Tech, what else has changed?
- ·
Fewer long term contracts/ less
stability
- ·
Stagnating teacher salaries
- ·
Corporate clients slow to commit
training budgets
- ·
Redundancies
- ·
Longer waiting lists for classes
- ·
Teachers don’t invest as much with
no hope of continued work
- ·
Lack of continuity means lower
quality
- ·
More volatile and less forgiving
environment
- ·
Fees are rising
- ·
Teachers having to pay for own CPD
and buy own materials
- ·
Teachers unable to access
conferences due to cost
- ·
Teachers working more than 1 job to
make ends meet
- ·
Schools going out of business
Does
quality pay during a recession?
Are
the schools which are going out of business the ones which are seen as
providing less quality? So it would seem in a few cases.
Is
quality overlooked for good marketing? It depends on the local market.
Students
with different objectives will have differing ideas about the costs involved.
Students
like a combination of low cost and reasonable quality, ‘the affordable luxury’-
but can they judge?
Schools
need to invest in standards=invest in teachers+ decent pay.
Don’t
compromise!
@patjack67
puts his money on quality winning out, but the catch 22 situation is lower
prices for students=lower returns for providers.
Does
quality mean available for the few rather than the many?
And
I’d like to finish with my favourite quote of the night @RebuffetBroadus-
Teachers
have to learn to adapt and not look for 20th century work models in
the 21st century.
I was still enjoying the VRT and didn't want to be far from my computer, so I made the usual Sunday soup and decided to try my hand at some home-made bread, which I haven't made for ages. I made a carrot and walnut loaf, which tastes fantastic with golden Jersey butter.
This was probably the nicest day of the week. The wind dropped and the temperature rose. Sunday was too wet to go out for the usual flowers, so I picked some up today. All the Spring flowers have finished so I got some pinks. I like to put some in front of the mirror as the reflection helps it look like a much larger bunch:-) They also smell delicious.
Jersey is divided into 12 Parishes, and I live in St Saviour. Each Parish is separated by water, most often the streams are underground these days. A few doors away is the beginning of the Parish of St Helier, which is the island's town..JPG)
Nothing daunted, I went to the local art shop, which I pass everyday and always look in the window at the interesting things they sell. I had always fancied one of their fun clocks and now had the perfect opportunity to buy one. It was more difficult than I had expected, as the choice was large! I finally left with one which had a cat chasing its dinner. I have an interesting collection of cat things, so it was a logical choice really:-)
