This is our 2008 fall summary of ESL Teaching News.
We expect even less teaching positions for Canadian ESL teachers during 2008 - 2009.
The first factors are the economic disasters and fluctuating currencies.
The high Canadian dollar motivated many international students to choose USA destinations. There were only about 5 % of the Canadian ESL schools that enjoyed a small increase of students over last summers numbers. Most USA ESL schools had better than average student enrolements.
We saw a 2-3 % of students from the middle east last summer - this summer it is up another 5 % as visas are being issued to students to study in both Canada and the USA.
We saw more English students from Spain. Many utilized the special overseas study scholarship available to Spanish students. The rise of the Euro against both the Canadian and USA dollars has motivated some Europeans to try North American Schools and the new lower costs via the currency exchanges.
With the recent declines of the Brazilian Real, Korean Won and Chinese RMB we expect less students over the next months.
Less students means less teaching jobs in Canada and the USA.
The second major factor is the over supply of teachers in Canada and several USA districts. The faculties of education are still cranking out too many teachers. The recent graduates usually with huge student debts are littering the various boards of education with a flurry of resumes with no job prospects. The many many recent immigrants with teaching qualifications are reporting that they wait over two years before even being interviewed. These frustrated teachers who can not find employment are taking private ESL teaching jobs at half the pay.
We recommend teaching in a stable economy with established professional teaching pay - Europe and Japan still look good.
Articles for ESL English Teachers
ESL Camp Teachers Wanted in Canada and Asia - ESL teachers with experience and specialties in music, theatre arts, art, sports and recreational activities and camp experience as a counselor are preferred.
ESL Teacher Training programs in Canada - There are a wide variety of certificate programs offered by universities, colleges, private schools, non-profit educational organizations, and fly-by-night paper mills.
True or not - who cares, How many times do we "misjudge" by appearance? A Teacher's story - you can make a difference.
Thinking of ESL Teaching? Questions to ask yourself - Good ESL teachers are patient at explaining things. Being comfortable with explaining content and context to students is an essential skill for teachers.
The World has changed for ESL Teachers - Some interesting "2006-7" facts for new ESL Teachers. The world has definitely changed since September 11, 2001.
Introduction to Accreditation - Accreditation is a validation statement by a group of persons who are, theoretically, impartial experts in higher education, that a given school, or department within a school, has been thoroughly investigated and found worthy of approval.
Introduction to TPR - Teaching Methodology by James Asher PHD - As instructors we give ourselves the advantage of using the right brain when we move about the classroom in our delivery of information. Movement of our body makes information flow from left to right and back again at lightning velocity.
Introduction to Accelerated Learning Strategies - While language is one of the most important products of human evolution, it uses only a few of the many skills and senses available to our minds.
Referral of ESOL learners for LD should NEVER happen! My view is that the referral of ESOL learners for LD should NEVER happen. There are three major reasons for that, the first two of which are deeply intertwined.
ESL Web Resources and Sites for Teachers
English Literature Resources and Sites for Teachers
English Grammar to the Rescue - Grammar has long been regarded as the result of centuries of logical improvements in the systematic organization of language. Grammar has been held up as one of the defining criteria elevating mankind above mere animals.
Teachers as Professional Baseball Players - It always amazes me to hear about "Teacher Performance Ratings" especially when you consider the criteria used, the questions asked, qualifications and or the agendas of the evaluators.
http://teachenglishblog.blogspot.com/
Teaching Overseas 2008
There are a million China teaching jobs - do not take one of the scam jobs where you pay your own airfare and expenses and teach for free - these scams are money making schemes that are taking advantage of well-meaning but naive teachers.
If you want the excitement of travel - an exotic location - the opportunity to do good - and China is your location of choice - go to a real public Chinese university - all the public Chinese universities have community service opportunities for teachers to do volunteer work -
Remember - get your airfare paid - get a real work visa - get paid for your teaching - travel to see exotic sights - do good work - do not be tricked into a scam!!!
More later
ESL in Canada
