Page 5 - ELG1810 Oct Issue 461

WELCOME .

EDITOR’S LETTER
Fighting fi t at forty years old?

How has EFL changed since 1978, asks Melanie Butler

Forty years ago this month the very first edition of the EFL Gazette rolled
off the presses. Emblazoned across the black and white front page were the theteam
words: ‘A platform for controversy’.
Some things never change. MELANIE
Wall Street English, established in 1972, is still looking for franchisees, BUTLER,
as we report on page 7, where we also find the French are still trying to editor-in-chief,
started teaching
improve the English of the children. EFL in Iran in
Meanwhile, James Dixey, who founded Pilgrims in 1974, is still railing 1975. She worked
against industry complacency. Now working in ELT Mergers and Acquisitions, Dixey launches for the BBC
World Service,
his latest revolution on page 34, calling for UK schools to take back control from their agents. Pearson/Longman and Modern
Even the villains look familiar. When I first wrote for the Gazette, in the early 1980s, British English Teacher magazine before
immigration were always coming up with a new ploy to keep students out of the country. taking over at the Gazette in
1987 and also launching Study
This month, as we report on page 6, they have excelled themselves. Their victim is not a Travel magazine. Educated in ten
foreign student but a foreign teacher applying to come to the UK to attend her own wedding. schools in seven countries, she
The first thing immigration did was lose her passport and her Ielts certificate. Two months later speaks fl uent French and Spanish
and rather rusty Italian.
they refused her entry on the grounds the lost Ielts certificate did not meet regulations.
Ielts did not exist when the Gazette was first launched. RON RAGSDALE,
But just one year later a Liverpudlian researcher was research and
features editor,
40 years ago we busy working on its prototype. I know that because he gained his MA-
inveigled me into checking the sample tasks. His name TESOL at Portland
couldn’t have imagined was Cyril Weir. He was my oldest EFL friend, and he died State University
the internet, still less this month. His obituary can be found on page 12. in Oregon 25
1978 marked the beginning of big changes: the years ago, and has worked in
that teachers would communicative revolution, corpus research, on-line ELT publishing ever since, with
teaching stints in Istanbul and Cairo.
teaching.
supplement their 40 years ago we couldn’t have imagined the internet, In addition to managing teams
at Pearson and Cambridge ELT,
income by uploading still less that teachers would supplement their income by including as Publishing Director,
uploading teaching tips onto YouTube. On page 25 Paul Ron has worked with Ministries and
teaching tips Colto tells us how he has done just that. local partners in over 30 countries.
onto YouTube In 1978 the UK had only just joined the EU. We FEDERICA
TEDESCHI,
wouldn’t have imagined that we would be leaving it.
What does Brexit mean for EFL? We still don’t know. senior reporter, is
a NCTJ-qualifi ed
But we do know that the British government has agreed to underwrite the Erasmus+ course reporter who
fees for teachers in 2019.Turn to Matt Salusbury’s report on page 23 to find out more. gained journalistic
Forty years ago, British and Irish language schools like Pilgrims and Hilderstone College were experience in
already running summer training courses. And the Gazette was listing them. Malta, Italy and the UK. She holds
a masters in international relations
For our latest annual short course listing for state school teachers, turn to pages 18 to 21. from the University of Perugia,
Back then there was no such as a Clil teacher and primary English was rare. Now English is Italy as well as a Celta from
a basic skill like maths and science and more and more countries are looking at teaching it in Westminster College, London
preschools. and has taught languages at a
university and schools in London.
The private sector is already in the nursery business. Pre-schools across Asia are stuffed with Federica, who also freelances in
monolingual native speaker teachers trained to teach verb tenses or noun phrases to adults. video production, is a member of
Why use EFL teachers for tots? One chain said simply: ‘ Tefl teachers are the cheapest an NUJ committee.
western graduates you can buy.’ ANDREA PÉREZ
Forty years ago there were few four week certificates. Initial training was provided free by EGIDO, online
schools. And the money was great, especially for teachers with a Masters or the new-fangled and production
manager,
Diploma. Working in Iran in 1978 they could earn £16,000 per annum – equivalent to £87,000 has a BA in
in today’s money. journalism from
How the world has changed. Complutense
And so has the Gazette. No longer a black and white A4 paper, nor defined by the EFL University, Madrid and a masters
in corporate communications
acronym, we now reach English language specialists across the sectors and around the world. from Kingston University,
And to do that better, we are changing to a bigger bi-monthly magazine with our ever popular London. She previously worked
supplements released early every other month on-line. Let us know what you think. on the international desk at the
Spanish newspaper La Razón.
She joined the Gazette as online
MELANIE BUTLER, EDITOR-IN-CHIEF and social media editor in 2015.

editorial@elgazette.com 5