Page 7 - ELG1909 Sep Issue 466

NEWS . NEWS

“Leave now,” says lawyer, as China Irish mandate new EFL employment rules

cracks down on foreign teachers By Melanie Butler new act specifies the need to ensure 400 Grafton students. However, differentiate responses between
MEI schools took in more than
“quality standards” of employment.
teachers from the unaccredited
MEI Ireland, which represents the The Irish Minister for Higher press attention became increasingly sector and employees of MEI
By Matt Salusbury but in the three months up to In July, three Chinese illegal teachers, fail to pay them and majority of Irish language schools, Education, Mary Mitchell O’Connor, focused on the teaching staff who schools. However, it notes that, “all
June 2019 they saw a “ten-fold recruitment agents were turn them in to the immigration has ruled itself out of talks on new told the Irish Times on 22 July that were left unpaid and without a job. of the employees [who responded]
“DO NOT teach in China” says increase in prison, visa and sentenced to up to two years in authorities before replacing them employment standards for EFL, she had formally requested the Questions about the teachers’ asked that minimum employment
American lawyer Dan Harris. payment problems” reported by jail, and fined up to £1,000 for with new illegal staff. the Gazette understands. establishment of an employment plight were raised in both houses standards be put in place.”
Writing in his award-winning blog teachers working in China. supplying unqualified teachers to According to Harris, complaints On 23 June, 90 percent of MEI regulation order for the EFL sector. of parliament, prompting the MEI, whose 66 members enrol
https://www.chinalawblog.com/, Harris, whose legal practice does Beijing kindergartens. Bilingual about salary payments are members voted against amending Amendments to the draft bill Minister to appoint a mediator in more than 90 per cent of the
the international law expert not cover immigration, argues that preschools prefer EFL-qualified increasing. He quotes one email the constitution to allow it to enter to include teachers’ working January to investigate employment students studying English in Ireland,
recommends expatriates currently with China’s economy declining staff but often pay too little to from a teacher claiming she and 75 into any discussions which could conditions were prompted by the conditions in the sector. has held throughout that there was
teaching there to “leave now.” and its relations with the West attract Z visa staff. colleagues from schools across her lead to collective bargaining. sudden closure, last December, of The mediator’s report, issued no issue with “pay and working
Shortly after the blog appeared, worsening, “it is open season right But while the authorities city had not been paid for months. Two weeks later, on 11 July, the Grafton College, an MEI member in late June, acknowledges he conditions” or “staff morale” among
19 people, including seven teachers now against foreign teachers.” are cracking down on teachers Harris alleges it’s now “not Irish parliament, the Oireachtas, school. It was the latest in a wave found “little evidence of a desire its members. In May, it launched its
working for EF, were arrested in More than 40 UK nationals and agents, schools found to uncommon” for schools to make passed a bill regulating the provision of closures, predominantly among for statutorily-based minimum own employee’s charter.
the eastern city of Xuzhou. The (not all teachers) were deported be employing teachers illegally up claims about their teachers of international education. The non-MEI schools, to hit Ireland. working conditions” among the With the new act in place,
story hit the headlines nationwide, in the year up to April 2019, generally get away with just a to avoid paying them. Once the 92 providers, including MEI MEI’s inability to represent
with the China Daily running That’s magazine reports. The warning. China watchers say a new teacher is deported they can members, who attended meetings employers in discussions on the
the headline “Keep toxic foreign British Embassy told the magazine business model may be emerging, replace them with another illegal with him. It did note, however, proposed employment regulations
teachers away from kids.” that the current crackdown is not whereby dodgy employers hire teacher. a clear desire, “for a strict order seems unlikely to prevent
EF issued a statement regretting restricted to the bigger cities but is accreditation regime for schools an employment regulation order
the behaviour of its teachers and country-wide. MARY MITCHELL O’CONNOR T.D. with… common standards.” being agreed.
confirming it would dismiss those One major problem involves WIKIMEDIA According to the report, the The new act mandates
involved. teachers who are working on mediator received submissions consultation with representatives
In his blog, Harris had warned tourist visas, which is illegal. Many from over 100 teachers, with most of education and training staff over
of a crackdown on drug users, of these teachers do not qualify for responding to a letter distributed “quality standards”. However, the
reporting stories of language the Z visa needed to teach, which at an ELT Ireland conference. only mention of employers refers
schools suddenly ordering drug since recent reforms, are limited to Some teachers reported good to ensuring their compliance with
tests for foreign teachers. Cannabis graduates with two years’ teaching conditions at their schools, but any criteria, imposing obligations
use – which may have occurred experience, an entry-level TEFL Mary Mitchell O’Connor, second from right, welcomes new the “overwhelming” majority on them “with respect to their
before the teacher arrived in China certificate and a passport from an Education Bill. were critical. The report did not employees.”
– shows up in hair samples for up English-speaking country.
to four months. The surprise tests Unable to recruit qualified
have resulted in teachers being teachers, some unscrupulous US cuts English in shelters Russia US teacher ban row
jailed for at least a month, then agents bring in teachers illegally.
deported, Harris reports. The agents make false promises to By Matt Salusbury A lawyer with the American By Melanie Butler
Harris’ international law firm, underqualified teachers, promising Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) Russia has refused to issue work visas
Harris Bricken, has long received they can begin teaching on a The Trump administration is in Texas, Rochelle Garza, told to 30 American teachers, citing HECTOR SILVA
a steady stream of emails from EFL tourist visa and upgrade their status cancelling English language National Public Radio that federal misuse of their diplomatic visas.
teachers “in trouble” worldwide, later. They can’t. Chinese public security police offi cers. classes, recreational activities contracts for migrant shelters are According to Russian state
and legal aid for unaccompanied conditional on legal compliance media, the foreign ministry
migrant children staying in to “educational and recreational reported that, “Teachers in the
newsinbrief federally-contracted shelters. provisions.” American school are sent to
Russia as embassy employees with
An estimated 13,200 minors,
Children
illegally
found
entering the US are in the federal mostly from El Salvador and diplomatic passports, although the
government’s care until they’re Honduras, are in shelters under school is a commercial enterprise.”
TANZANIA: Tanzania IRAQ: An USA: The US School UAE: A Kiwi TURKEY: A ETHIOPIA: In June, reunited with parents or a sponsor federal contract. As of June, an The State Department
will retain English unintended District of Arlington, EFL teacher notebook from an the South Indian is found. Migrant advocacy groups unprecedented 52,000 immigrants responded in a statement that,
as “the language consequence of Virginia, signed a in Abu Dhabi, English-language State of Karnataka say the cuts to their English (of all ages) were in detention in “The Russian government has a
of instruction in the occupation deal in May with who took time course features opened its fi rst
schools,” Prof Joyce of Iraq’s second the Department off work after as evidence in a English-medium courses are illegal. Garza said that 200 centres across the US. Some long-standing requirement that Ambassador Jon Huntsman Jr.
Ndalichako, minister city by Daesh of Justice to end breaking both Turkish treason ‘sections’ in 973 without access to activities such 11,000 minors were apprehended Anglo-American School teachers
of education for (‘Islamic State’) litigation over its ankles, was recently case. General schools. A surge as football, English language and at the border in May – double the travel to Russia on diplomatic need to reallocate teaching
the East African is that Mosul’s English Language jailed for debt. prosecutors allege in enrolments other classes, children escaping figure for December 2018. visas.” responsibilities and look at the
country, confi rmed. youth have better Learner (ELL) Maria Morehu’s General Albayark’s followed, violence will be “sitting in prison- The Office of Refugee Similarly, teachers at the possible disenrollment of some
The clarifi cation English than the provision. The injuries, sustained notes, which particularly from like conditions.” Resettlement (ORR), responsible Russian Embassy in Washington new and returning students,”
came in answer rest of the country. agreement included in 2014, were appear to contain poorer families. for unaccompanied minors arriving travel to the United States US Ambassador Jon Huntsman
to a Parliamentary The terrorist 33 “requirements,” apparently not only innocuous The Times of India at the US-Mexico border, emailed on diplomatic visas, the State Jr. said in a statement.
question prompted group closed the including the covered by handwritten phrases reports schools have
by speculation schools in 2014, translation of her insurance, so about topics such as more requests for HECTOR SILVA shelters in May and ordered them to Department pointed out. The school is reported to be in
that “other African but young Mosulis ELL’s support, and she took out bank “going to a concert,” English-medium cut back on activities, “not directly The teachers were all scheduled touch with parents and teachers
countries” were clandestinely training for the loans to survive. show evidence of education than they necessary for the protection of life to work at the Anglo-American about future plans.
adopting the studied on the district’s teachers She is awaiting coup preparations. can process, but and safety.” The ORR cited an influx school in Moscow. The school, Russia watchers suggest the visa
Swahili language internet, Mosuli and administrators trial for non- The General faces often no enrolments of migrants straining an already located in a suburb of the Russian row is part of a larger diplomatic
as a medium of journalist Rasha Al in the detail of ELL payment of loans life imprisonment if at all for Kannada depleted budget, a situation Customs capital, is now missing twenty per skirmish. “Children should not
instruction. Aqeedi reports. programmes. of over £21,000. found guilty. language sections. and Border Patrol commissioner cent of its teaching staff. be used as pawns in diplomatic
Immigrants arriving at a US John Sanders described as “a full- “With a reduced number of disputes,” Ambassador Huntsman
detention centre. blown emergency.” teachers, school leadership may commented.
6 September 2019 editorial@elgazette.com 7