Page 23 - ELG1911 Nov Issue 467

El•Gazette 467.qxp_El•Gazette 467 23/10/2019 13:10 Page 23

SPECIAL FEATURE

Will China hoover up the native speakers?

Melanie Butler explores the effect of local markets on English language teaching

he local supply of English language The British Council
providers … is increasing.” So Patrik only opened its first
Pavlacic of market analysts Bonard teaching operation in BRITISH COUNCIL
Ttells us on page 19. But is it? China in 2017. So its
There is notoriously little market evidence enrolment figures not
on global trends in Private Language Schools reflect trends in what
(PLS) operating in local markets because the is almost certainly the
evidence is – well, local. It may be possible to world’s largest PLS
track numbers of new PLS in Vietnam or market. China now has
student enrolment in Spain but, save for those 50,000 registered PLS, British Council, Dubai
optimistic growth forecasts produced by according to
commercial franchise operations, there is little government estimates. recognised’ 120 hour TESOL certificate or two
evidence on multinational trends. China’s PLS sector now employs 400,000 years TEFL experience.
The best proxy for global growth rates comes foreign teachers, at least three times as many as And China is prepared to pay. Salaries for a
from the British Council’s annual reports. The all the PLS in the European Union. contract with 20-hours of teaching a week
2018-2019 figures for student enrolment in Until January 2019, the size of the Chinese average around US $2,000 a month with
Council teaching centres in 50 countries shows market had little effect on the teacher supply accommodation often thrown in free.
growth of up to 5 per cent year-on-year, to to PLS in other local markets, simply because East Asia easily competes with China on
420,000. In contrast, the entire UK accredited it did not insist that foreign teachers were salaries, Europe does not. Polish language
sector enrolled 580,000, according to Bonard. native speakers of English, because schools are offering US$600 per month with
But the Council’s growth is region specific. pedagogically there is barely any evidence that accommodation, Spain around US$1500 net
The annual report does not break down they should be. without.
enrolments by country, but the Council has But bowing to strong consumer demand, “What we want,” one Spanish school owner
long had a policy of axing ‘unviable’ centres, China has now enacted strict visa limits. To told me, “is for teachers to work in China for a
closing schools in mature markets and opening work legally, foreign PLS teachers must now couple of years and then to come and work for us.”
them in all the emerging ones … except hold a passport from a native-speaker country, You can’t always get what you want. Unless
China. a first degree and either an ‘internationally you pay for it!

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