Page 5 - ELG1805 May Issue 457

WELCOME . EDITOR’S LETTER

In it for the money?

Let’s make fair pay and conditions our performance target, says
Melanie Butler
theteam

‘Teachers are the lifeblood of EFL.’ This tweet, emanating from a conference
of European language schools, is stating the bloody obvious. Teachers are the MELANIE
lifeblood of any and all forms of education. BUTLER,
editor-in-chief,
But in commercial EFL you’d be hard-pressed to find many people to admit it. started teaching
In much of the EFL world, as Paul Walsh comments on page 28, schools don’t EFL in Iran in
even see it. He argues that the market model has failed in EFL, leaving teachers 1975, she worked
for the BBC
facing a future of declining pay and worsening conditions. World Service,
Is it time for a social justice model? Pearson/Longman and Modern
In Ireland, the Unions think so. As we report on page 6, a government English teacher magazine before
minister has finally met with them and agreed to help teachers left unpaid and stranded after the taking over at the Gazette in
1987 and also launching Study
closure of their school. Not only that, but the same minister has effectively banned zero hours Travel magazine. Educated in ten
contracts throughout the country. Good news for teachers, agree the Unions, as long as the schools in seven countries she
government enforces it. speaks fluent French and Spanish
and rather rusty Italian.
The British government has also made some inroads on social injustice. Their release of the
figures of the gender pay gap in every company in the country with over 250 employees means we IRENA
BARKER,
Our magazine is payment to men was male colleagues. editor,
can now see how women fare in UK ELT compared to their
commissioning
In all but one chain
As we report on page 12, there is some good news and
studied French
the median bonus
and linguistics at
some bad news.
Durham, UK and
The good news is, when it comes to median hourly pay,
taught English in France for two
three out of the five chains who submitted their figures paid
read men earned twice as women the same, or slightly more than, men. years. Her subsequent 15-year
more than that of
career in UK news journalism
When it comes to bonus payments though, the picture is
includes reporting for local and
women. In one case,
reversed. In all but one chain the median bonus payment to
regional newspapers, a news
agency and a 10 year stint at the
men was more than that of women. In one case, men earned
Times Educational Supplement
twice as much.
Personally, I’ve never had much time for performance-
in more than much related pay. It didn’t work in my time in publishing. It magazine.
FEDERICA
TEDESCHI,

certainly didn’t work for Lehman brothers. And setting
senior reporter, is
targets for British immigration officers probably contributed
a NCTJ qualified
to them illegally deporting British nationals. Not to mention
reporter who
gained journalistic
48,000 international students.
150 countries leads, according to the research, to very small learning gains experience in
As I point out on page 26, performance pay for teachers
Malta, Italy and the UK. She
holds a Masters in International
Relations from the University of
for a very high cost. And as Russ Mayne reports on page 27,
Perugia, Italy as well as a Celta
basing pay on student feedback on teachers has even worse
from Westminster College,
results.
London and has taught languages
It’s not only about the money, it is also about the standard
at a university and schools in
and we have 6,700 Carey reports on page 24. In England, teachers are following the international students north, see ANDREA PÉREZ
London. Federica, who also
of living. Teachers are staying on in the Czech Republic
freelances in video production, is
because they can live well on their meagre salaries, as Declan
a member of a NUJ committee.
page 20, in search of friendly people and affordable housing.
EGIDO, online
And the call from Korea for native speakers in primary schools, on page 8, is likely to attract
online subscribers interest not least because they pay decent money. and production
manager,
Not, as the saying goes, that anyone ever went into EFL for the money.
has a BA in
Journalism from
Except me. In 1975, as a totally unqualified teacher, I earned £13. That’s £105 an hour in today’s
Complutense
money.
University, Madrid and a Masters
I was working in the middle of the Iranian desert, at the time. But these days an unqualified
teacher would be hard-pressed to get £13 an hour in the UK. in Corporate Communications
from Kingston University,
London. She previously worked
on the international desk at the
MELANIE BUTLER, Spanish newspaper La Razón.
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF She joined the Gazette as online
and social media editor in 2015.
*Data from 2017
editorial@elgazette.com 5