Page 7 - ELG2408 August Issue 491

NEWS

Training • Helping with leafleting; The TEFL industry takes its teachers and we cannot verify its
The IWW offers two main training • Articles for the website, such workers for granted at best and accuracy. Similarly, the question of
sessions: as ‘My pay v. my expenses’; treats them appallingly at worst, the ‘real wage’ will be dependent
• Workplace organising, focusing • Submitting articles for the but the industry simply wouldn’t on how many hours of preparation
on talking to your workmates ‘Labour English’ section of our exist without its teachers, and marking each teacher puts in.
about workplace issues and website; whether we are newly qualified However, we all put in unpaid time
raising those issues with • Helping plan future social or have been teaching for years. and we all know that the wages
management. events; We are the most important advertised by schools never take into
• Union representative training, • Coming to a Tuesday working part of the industry and we account all the hard work we put
which is more legalistic and group to generally help out deserve pay and contracts that into the job.
allows you to accompany with Union tasks. reflect this. If you choose to use this
workmates and fellow Union Language schools love to claim information to demand pay that
members in formal meetings that each school is a family. But reflects the work you actually
with management. The reality is the reality is that TEFL is an do, then join the growing raft of
industry and the problems of teachers who are already fighting
Delegate meetings that TEFL is an low pay and bad conditions cut for this by reaching out to us at
We also hope to set up delegate across it. Activists in the TEFL tefl@iww.org.uk for the wealth of
meetings where active Union industry and the Workers’ Union have worked support and experience the Union
members from schools around together to create the ELT pay can offer.
London can meet on a regular problems of low conditions map so that we can
basis (most likely quarterly). This pay and bad have an honest picture of the
will be an opportunity to get industry—and so that we can Tom Liebewitz is the chair
Union support with any issues at conditions all join together to demand of the TEFL Workers’ Union
your school and coordinate action better. Steering Committee (IWW).
across the city. cut across it I encourage all TEFL workers, He lives in London and has been
whether Union members or teaching English for 15 years.
Help the work along! not, to complete the survey and He wants to do so for another
And, as always, there are lots of Our ultimate aim is to raise contribute to the map. 15 years, so that’s why he’s
other ways that you can be a part standards across the industry so fighting to make TEFL teaching
of the Union. These include: that TEFL can finally be seen as Disclaimer: All the information a viable career.
• Helping out with social media; real teaching. in the map has been contributed by

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editorial@elgazette.com 7