I was hoping that life would be better in BC - but that will not happen.
The notorious international school scam artists that are defrauding thousands of international students and providing Canada with the worst international criminal reputation will be allowed to continue.
BC's Advanced Education Minister Murray Coell had the opportunity to create
mandatory quality-assurance programs and the re-regulation of English as a Second Language (ESL) schools and he failed to deliver anything of value.
Of course the BC politicians are using excuses - it will be difficult to write regulations - it creates competitive dis-advantages for the ESL schools - we need more inspectors - there are only a few bad apples in the industry.
What the BC politicians are not telling the BC voters is that the illegal ESL school operators are acting as visa mills for illegal workers. By the way have you ever heard of the sex trade or human trafficing. There are rumours that some are selling fake Canadian University degrees and some are fronts for money laundering. We get complaints about the small petty criminals that just do not pay their Canadian teachers, their Canadian homestay fees, do not pay Canadian taxes etc. etc..
What is even worse is that many students have their registration and tuition money stolen before they even get to Canada. Many students that get to Canada and are ripped off do not complain because they do not speak English, are afraid of the police and they have been threatened by the criminals.
The BC politicians know that the international ESL student complaints are like the iceberg with 95% of them hidden and never seen. It really looks like the BC politicians have done nothing to help the international ESL students because they are not BC voters and after they had their money stolen they do not have money. When have you ever seen a BC politician help someone that is not a voter and has no money?
Read some more from the Vancouver Sun
Vancouver Sun Story
Vancouver Sun Story
Our advice - spend a little more money come to Toronto, Boston or even New York - go to a good ESL school with real teachers and real programs.
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Blog URL
http://eslincanada.blogspot.com/
ESL in Canada Directory lists: Canadian ESL English schools university colleges high schools teachers tutors, English as a second language programs classes lessons seminars workshops
Monday, March 17, 2008
Saturday, March 15, 2008
Mixed News for Canadians teaching ESL Abroad
I was looking for additional statistics about the overseas teaching industry and how the changes will affect Canadian ESL English teachers.
I read a Guardian article dated December 2007 and it has provided some intersting numbers.
The Guardin article stated
"South Korea responds to fears about bogus foreign teachers with draconian visa rules ...
The rules will affect an estimated 17,000 foreign English instructors...
teachers... will be required to provide an affidavit of any criminal convictions, undergo a medical and drug test, provide sealed academic transcripts and have their university diplomas inspected.
...English teachers residing outside Korea will have to have an interview at a Korean embassy or consulate before they take up their teaching posts...
...a report from the ministry of education stating that more than 106 foreign English teachers in Korea's public school system are working illegally ... between 2001 and August 2007, 1,481 foreign language teachers have been caught for a range of offences including forged degrees, visa violations and general lawbreaking."
And a quote "Many teachers are wondering if the experience of working in South Korea will be worth the burden of the paper-work and increasing restrictions."
You can read the entire article here:
http://education.guardian.co.uk/tefl/story/0,,2228821,00.html
Our opinion is that this is a mixed benefit and problem situation.
Getting rid of the perverts, fakes and frauds is great.
Locking teachers into single employers contracts is very bad.
Having less civil rights than ordinary Korean citizens is very very bad. The middle east provides no rights to foreign teachers but pay twice the salary. Good teachers will go to Korea at the low salaries offered only if they have their civil rights.
Having an interview and providing documentation is manditory for all North American teaching jobs - its no big deal for an international teaching position.
I did not see any numbers for illegal education and recruiting agents or illegal school owners going to jail. These criminals will go out and hire another 1000 illegal teachers and bring them into Korea causing more trouble unless they are shut down and put into prison. Getting rid of the current illegal teachers is only one-third of the problem.
If you have current news - send us and email.
**********
ESL in Canada NEWS Blog URL
http://eslincanada.blogspot.com/
ESL in Canada Directory of ESL English information articles, reports, opinions, observations, warnings about ESL schools, English programs, classes, ESL teaching jobs, teacher resources and teaching materials.
I read a Guardian article dated December 2007 and it has provided some intersting numbers.
The Guardin article stated
"South Korea responds to fears about bogus foreign teachers with draconian visa rules ...
The rules will affect an estimated 17,000 foreign English instructors...
teachers... will be required to provide an affidavit of any criminal convictions, undergo a medical and drug test, provide sealed academic transcripts and have their university diplomas inspected.
...English teachers residing outside Korea will have to have an interview at a Korean embassy or consulate before they take up their teaching posts...
...a report from the ministry of education stating that more than 106 foreign English teachers in Korea's public school system are working illegally ... between 2001 and August 2007, 1,481 foreign language teachers have been caught for a range of offences including forged degrees, visa violations and general lawbreaking."
And a quote "Many teachers are wondering if the experience of working in South Korea will be worth the burden of the paper-work and increasing restrictions."
You can read the entire article here:
http://education.guardian.co.uk/tefl/story/0,,2228821,00.html
Our opinion is that this is a mixed benefit and problem situation.
Getting rid of the perverts, fakes and frauds is great.
Locking teachers into single employers contracts is very bad.
Having less civil rights than ordinary Korean citizens is very very bad. The middle east provides no rights to foreign teachers but pay twice the salary. Good teachers will go to Korea at the low salaries offered only if they have their civil rights.
Having an interview and providing documentation is manditory for all North American teaching jobs - its no big deal for an international teaching position.
I did not see any numbers for illegal education and recruiting agents or illegal school owners going to jail. These criminals will go out and hire another 1000 illegal teachers and bring them into Korea causing more trouble unless they are shut down and put into prison. Getting rid of the current illegal teachers is only one-third of the problem.
If you have current news - send us and email.
**********
ESL in Canada NEWS Blog URL
http://eslincanada.blogspot.com/
ESL in Canada Directory of ESL English information articles, reports, opinions, observations, warnings about ESL schools, English programs, classes, ESL teaching jobs, teacher resources and teaching materials.
Tuesday, March 11, 2008
ESL in Canada News
Some interesting "2008" facts for ESL English teachers, schools and students. The world has definitely changed since September 11, 2001. Overseas travel is still down 20% (7 years later). Teachers interested in Middle East positions has declined 75%.
Good News for ESL Teachers
Worldwide demand for English language training has increased by over 15%.
Samsung uses English as the head office language in Korea
China needs another 200,000 English speakers for the 2008 Olympics
China announced "Bad English" is no longer acceptable in Beijing especially during the Olympics.
China wants 300,000,000 English speakers by the year 2020.
Worldwide requests for overseas teachers up 300%.
Teachers' salary in China - 2001 was $2500 RMB now is $7,500 RMB up 300%.
Bad News for the ESL Industry
Estimated % of individuals using fake certificates to get overseas jobs 70%
Best estimate for fake certificates sold in Asia to native English speakers since 1980: 142,000 and non-native English teachers 1,500,000.
Number of Asian agents selling fake University certificates and degrees charged: 3. Yes finally in Canada the OPP raided a very large scale Chinese forgery operation that specialized in Canadian University and College Degree sales to foreigners.
Unfortunately Canadians who have worked years to obtain a coveted Canadian University degree will have their hard work diminished by the lazy, incompetent, screw-ups who get jobs using fake Canadian credentials and then mess up.
As the value of University degrees plummets because of fake degrees - This makes life very difficult for real university degree holders to prove they are a university graduate, took the listed courses and can perform.
Most real Canadian University graduates have over $20,000 in student loan debt and having their investment in a university education diminished by criminals is a double blow.
Cost of fake degree, TESL certificate, transcripts and special university hotline phone number to "verify fake degrees": $600.
Estimated % of worldwide illegal ESL language schools that are not properly registered, licensed or operating will illegal teachers: 65%.
In the mad rush to get a good TOEFL score before the speaking section becomes mandatory - the cost for a Korean pro test writer to create fake ID and write a 600 score: $1,500 USA. The cost to bribe a Chinese TOEFL test proctor to complete your test (increasing your score) after the exam: $10,000 RMB.
Most obvious nonsense ESL school ads: good looking English teachers to teach older gentlemen English at their home during the evenings.
Most brutal stories of Middle East ESL teacher mistreatment include: locked up in apartments with no food, water or heat, strip searches, robbery, assaults, death threats.
Most evil fraud: using J1 program to send underage prostitutes to the USA.
During 2007 two big sex pervert cases were splashed all over the Media. One was a Canadian ESL teacher arrested in Thailand for sex crimes. The second was a BC man (one of 37 the other 36 were Americans) in another child porn sweep and the only one featured on the USA national news.
Again ESL teachers involved in international sex crimes creates real problems for the honest hard working dedicated teachers and casts an extra cloud of suspicion and distrust.
Original Post; ESL in Canada News
**********
Blog URL
http://eslincanada.blogspot.com/
Good News for ESL Teachers
Worldwide demand for English language training has increased by over 15%.
Samsung uses English as the head office language in Korea
China needs another 200,000 English speakers for the 2008 Olympics
China announced "Bad English" is no longer acceptable in Beijing especially during the Olympics.
China wants 300,000,000 English speakers by the year 2020.
Worldwide requests for overseas teachers up 300%.
Teachers' salary in China - 2001 was $2500 RMB now is $7,500 RMB up 300%.
Bad News for the ESL Industry
Estimated % of individuals using fake certificates to get overseas jobs 70%
Best estimate for fake certificates sold in Asia to native English speakers since 1980: 142,000 and non-native English teachers 1,500,000.
Number of Asian agents selling fake University certificates and degrees charged: 3. Yes finally in Canada the OPP raided a very large scale Chinese forgery operation that specialized in Canadian University and College Degree sales to foreigners.
Unfortunately Canadians who have worked years to obtain a coveted Canadian University degree will have their hard work diminished by the lazy, incompetent, screw-ups who get jobs using fake Canadian credentials and then mess up.
As the value of University degrees plummets because of fake degrees - This makes life very difficult for real university degree holders to prove they are a university graduate, took the listed courses and can perform.
Most real Canadian University graduates have over $20,000 in student loan debt and having their investment in a university education diminished by criminals is a double blow.
Cost of fake degree, TESL certificate, transcripts and special university hotline phone number to "verify fake degrees": $600.
Estimated % of worldwide illegal ESL language schools that are not properly registered, licensed or operating will illegal teachers: 65%.
In the mad rush to get a good TOEFL score before the speaking section becomes mandatory - the cost for a Korean pro test writer to create fake ID and write a 600 score: $1,500 USA. The cost to bribe a Chinese TOEFL test proctor to complete your test (increasing your score) after the exam: $10,000 RMB.
Most obvious nonsense ESL school ads: good looking English teachers to teach older gentlemen English at their home during the evenings.
Most brutal stories of Middle East ESL teacher mistreatment include: locked up in apartments with no food, water or heat, strip searches, robbery, assaults, death threats.
Most evil fraud: using J1 program to send underage prostitutes to the USA.
During 2007 two big sex pervert cases were splashed all over the Media. One was a Canadian ESL teacher arrested in Thailand for sex crimes. The second was a BC man (one of 37 the other 36 were Americans) in another child porn sweep and the only one featured on the USA national news.
Again ESL teachers involved in international sex crimes creates real problems for the honest hard working dedicated teachers and casts an extra cloud of suspicion and distrust.
Original Post; ESL in Canada News
**********
Blog URL
http://eslincanada.blogspot.com/
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