By My Blue Heart on Wednesday, 29 of July , 2009 at 12:04 am
By Philip Tubeza
MANILA, Philippines—The exodus of Filipino teachers to other countries is expected to continue in the coming years, according to a labor group.
The Public Services Labor Independent Confederation (PSLINK) said on Wednesday two places were the likely magnets for Filipino teachers—the United States, which would need two million teachers in the coming decade, and Arab countries, which would need at least 450,000 teachers.
The group said teacher shortages, growing populations, and expanding educational systems in many other countries coupled with the dismal work conditions and salaries at home could push local teachers to go abroad.
“Demand for teachers across the United States continues to remain high even if the North American country’s economy is in a deep recession,” said Annie Enriquez-Geron, PSLINK general secretary.
“There are estimates that the United States will need to employ an additional two million teachers in the coming decade to maintain its current educational standards and closer to three million if it strives to improve them in order to stay globally competitive,” she added.
Geron said more than 10,000 foreign teachers are recruited by the United States every year to fill its demand.
“There is also very high demand for new science and math teachers in the US with estimates by the Business-Higher Education Forum in Washington putting the figure at 200,000 at the least,” she added.
In the last 10 years, around 4,000 Filipino teachers—mostly math, science, English, and special education teachers—left the country. This figure included only new hires for teaching jobs and did not include those who left the country for work other than teaching, the paper said.
The top destinations were the United States, Saudi Arabia, Japan, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates, the paper added.
According to a UN Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (Unesco) study, Geron said, the Arab states will face “the greatest teacher shortage in the drive to provide every child with a primary education by 2015 as the region will need to raise the current stock by 26 percent and create another 450,000 teaching posts in less than a decade.”
“As more developed countries face a graying workforce, they are increasingly resorting to the recruitment of skilled teachers from less developed countries. This phenomenon had already been foreseen by (European) countries since the ’90s, warning that aging teaching forces may eventually lead to shortages,” Geron said.
“For instance, more than 60 percent of all primary teachers are over 40 years of age in Canada, Italy, and the Netherlands; and more than 40 percent are over 50 years old in Germany and Sweden,” she said.
Geron said another factor contributing to teacher shortages in more developed countries was the declining interest of their nationals in entering the teaching profession.
According to a survey conducted by the temporary staffing agency Manpower Inc., teaching is the second hardest job to fill in the US. Many of their nationals, the study said, would rather pursue other more financially rewarding careers than become a teacher. Low salary and unattractive working conditions were often cited as reasons not to enter the teaching profession, Geron said. (But for a teacher from a developing nation, salaries would still be significantly more than what they earn at home.)
“Unfortunately, instead of addressing employment conditions of the teaching sector, governments of more developed countries are finding it more convenient and economical to recruit migrant workers, many of whom are offered lower pay and contractual jobs that deprived them of their due benefits,” she added.
Geron said the dependence on migrant skilled teachers in developed countries was leading to aggressive recruitment strategies by their governments, recruitment agencies, and the private schools themselves.
“There have even been governments which have created special agencies just to recruit teachers from other countries. Private teacher recruitment agencies in the United Kingdom have mushroomed to more than 100 while there are more or less 70 in the United States,” she added.
By My Blue Heart on Sunday, 22 of March , 2009 at 6:00 am
Do you want to work in Thailand?
In the last few years Thailand has been importing foreign teachers. This is an attempt by the country to augment the need for proficient English speaking teachers in their schools. If you are a teacher, then you may have the chance of moving to Thailand.
Some foreign teachers in Thailand earn upwards of 1500 US dollars monthly, but some are earning less. The salary rate is higher in private institutions compared to government and public schools. Teachers can also work in hotels in Thailand. Most of the top hotels in the country house English language trainers for their staff. This type of job is often easier than teaching in school and the pay is good too.
Having a training certificate in TESL or Teaching English as a Second Language may not be necessary. But it will certainly give the applicant an edge over the competition. Some schools even give applicants a bonus if they have had TESL training before application.
Why English?
With students whose English skills are less than desirable. And with the world being more globally connected – English skills are becoming all the more imperative. That is why other Asian countries now are looking for teachers who can conduct classes in perfect English.
Other Subjects
Other than the pressing need for English teachers in Thailand, the country is also in need of teachers proficient in other subjects. They are hiring English speaking teachers no matter what their base subjects are. This is all part of the plan to allow their younger generation to learn English proficiently.
Finding a Job
Teachers who wish to teach in Thailand can find a job among the many recruitment agencies in the country. They can also try their luck at one of the job hunting sites all over the internet. However, teachers should always be wary of the threat of illegal recruitment. Before investing anything they should always see to it that the processes are legal. They can verify with the Thai Ministry of Education to see if the school they are applying to is legitimate.
By My Blue Heart on Saturday, 21 of March , 2009 at 10:31 am
Work and Live Abroad is reporting that Asian countries such as Japan, China, Indonesia, Taiwan, Thailand and Korea are providing big budget and extra time to learn English. “It’s never too late” may be the principle of these non English speaking countries to learn the universal language used around the world.
Big compensation fees and benefits are granted to the teachers. Some people in Asia and even from the pacific enroll in online teaching. Philippines and other English-speaking countries, open online teaching programs for those who want to learn the language at home. However, Japan, China, Indonesia, Taiwan, Thailand and Korea prefer face to face teaching that’s why they are opening their doors for foreign immigrant teachers.
Chinese parents are now enrolling their children to special English classes. Local governments in China are looking for highly motivated instructors to teach the language.
Benefits and perks are offered to all applicants. Free air fare is included along with a promise of high salary. Big cities in China like Shanghai, Beijing and Guangzhou offers more for English professionals. China does not have plenty of restrictions; qualified applicants must be a graduate in a good university, must provide legal documents and must have an teaching experience.
Earn 8 million rupiah or $900 per month in Indonesia. Indonesia’s economy maintains its good position despite of world crisis. The government is stricter in terms of immigration because of the number of illegal immigrants working in the country. However, Indonesian government is willing to place more money for the addition of English classes on local schools. The offers in teachers here are bigger compared to other Asian countries.
Japan government is serious to train their people English language. Japan Exchange and Training Program are giving out contracts to 6,000 language assistants. The applicant must be under 40 years old and has a degree in Education from a good university. Lucky participants may receive 1 year renewable contract that would allow them to teach in either private or public schools. The salary given is ¥3,600.000 or $29,000 a month aside from the return airfare for those who completed their contract.
Like Japan, Korea is giving out good compensation packages for foreign English teachers. Although the salary is less higher than in Japan, they offer plenty of benefits to qualified applicants. Private recruiters’ offer $1,450-$1,600 with free accommodation, return airfare, medical insurance, bonuses and paid holidays. Interested applicants should be 3-4 year college degree holder and has TEFL certificate.
Ministry Education of Korea runs English in Korean Program that send 1,600 native English speakers in schools. The salary is 1.7-2 million won with return airfare, medical insurance, free accommodation and bonus.
On the other hand, Taiwan and Thailand are also in need of English teachers. In Taiwan, they are paying NT$550 per hour. A medical certificate from Taiwan is also required along with your college transcript of records and diploma.
Major cities in Thailand, especially Bangkok, already established vast number of English schools but they still need plenty of English teachers to teach in other provinces and cities.
Asia are not the only continent that needs English Teachers, even in America where English is the national language is in need of language teachers. The benefits and high wages are overwhelming, plus the opportunity to teach and show your skills and competence abroad.
