Hot Topic: What Schools Are Requiring In Order to Renew You

From amwc.wordpress.com

Schools are getting pickier and the competition is getting fierce as far as renewal goes. Many schools out there simply want the best teacher they can get while giving out as few benefits and as low a salary as they possibly can.

Here are some things schools ask for when deciding to renew you or not. It's pretty easy for the admin to get rid of teachers they don't like, making the renewal process similar to student evals: a popularity contest.


Administrative Duties

• Keeping office hours: you should sign something to prove that you've kept office hours.
• English corners / help desk: you should sign something to prove that you've done these hours.
• Meeting with students: during office hours or outside of class
• Presenting at workshops: they might not give you points for if they don't like the workshop topic.
• Presenting at meetings: they won't let you do if they don't like you.

Grades

• X% from student evals: Although research has proven that student evals are pretty useless, schools still use them. (I have a copy of the full article. If you want it email me at naturegirl321@yahoo.com)
• X% from admin evals: which they will happily fudge if they don't like you.

Material

• Quality of teaching material: easily fudged if they don't like you
• Recording your classes: sometimes they require you to record classes and upload them.
• Publishing: they might not give you points for if they don't like the topic. Or let you go for publishing even though they hadn't told you that you needed to publish.
• Developing new material, i.e. books: they won't let you do if they don't like you.

Teaching

• Teaching X number of hours: if they don't like you, they will make sure your classes get cancelled so you can't fulfill your contractual hours.
• Teaching overtime: forget it if they don't like you.
• Teaching make-up classes: you should sign something to prove that you've done these hours.

Disclaimer:

• Please join my Patreon page
• I use affiliate links. I may earn a commission if you make a purchase after clicking on links. Read more at my FTC Disclosure and Privacy Policy Statement

Quick Tip: Repeat Your Students' Questions

From keywordpicture.com

Students usually listen to the teacher more than others. Any time a student asks a question you should repeat what is said. This serves two purposes.

1. You're clarifying the question to make sure you understand what is being asked.
2. You're speaking loudly so that everyone can hear. 

Disclaimer:

• Please join my Patreon page
• I use affiliate links. I may earn a commission if you make a purchase after clicking on links. Read more at my FTC Disclosure and Privacy Policy Statement

TEFL Teachers Need to Look Out for #1

From tx.english-ch.com

Loyalty to employers can be a touchy subject. If you want to quit or finish your contract early you might be penalized. Likewise, future employers may be wary of hiring someone who has left their job early, even if it was because of a dodgy employer. While most people in hiring understand about leaving a bad job, they might not look to kindly on teachers who leave a decent job for a better job.

It's a fine line. Very few TEFL employers offer stability and many teachers sign year to year contracts. At the end of each contract there's no guarantee that they'll keep their job. After all, if the employer finds a teacher who is willing to work more hours and for less they may lose their job. So how come that's ok but it's not ok for a teacher to keep their best interests at heart and to look out for themselves?

I think that if employers expect TEFL teachers to be loyal then they need to offer more perks, benefits, and stability, like Google. This will help out both the employer and the teacher in the long run. Happier teachers mean happier students. And employers will also save costs on recruitment and training. Until then, teachers are going to look out for themselves, especially if they have a family to support.

Disclaimer:

• Please join my Patreon page
• I use affiliate links. I may earn a commission if you make a purchase after clicking on links. Read more at my FTC Disclosure and Privacy Policy Statement

Signing a Confidentiality Agreement With Your School

From rainsellingpros.com

I had never heard of confidentiality agreements for schools until I was talking to a friend about salaries at her school. TEFL teachers are usually very open about things. Living in a foreign country where you might not speak the language makes you that way. You need to know about prices and salaries to make sure you don't get screwed over or get the special foreign price.

Imagine my surprise when she told me she couldn't tell me. Usually people will give you a range of salaries, but she said her school had made her sign a confidentiality agreement and she wasn't supposed to say anything about the school.

That's a bit hard. Talking about your work is a way to make small talk. Now I'm not sure if she couldn't say anything at all or she just couldn't talk about certain issues, such as students, other teachers, or salaries.

Fast forward a few years and I was asked to sign a confidentiality agreement as well. It was about half a page and not in English and I was only given a brief oral summary of what it was in English. I didn't really have a choice; I had to sign. When I asked the head teacher what exactly I had signed he told me that it basically said you weren't supposed to talk about the school. I'm pretty sure when they say that they mean you shouldn't reveal company secrets or talk badly about the school. I can't imagine they wouldn't want you to brag about what a great job you have.

Another friend of mine said it was common to sign documents in a foreign language when she lived in Europe. Like me she was only give a brief oral summary and sometimes the documents were pages long. What she did, and still does, is write the name of the person who gave her the translation, what they said the document contained, and the date. Only then will she sign. I think it's a good idea since you never know exactly what you could be signing.

Disclaimer:

• Please join my Patreon page
• I use affiliate links. I may earn a commission if you make a purchase after clicking on links. Read more at my FTC Disclosure and Privacy Policy Statement

Teaching / Working in the US or Canada

America and Canada have a lot to offer. It is possible to teach there even if you don't have a US or Canadian passport. There are many immigrants and they have become a melting pot of cultures around the world.

Some of the info below was taken from a book written by Susan Griffith called Teaching English Abroad. You might also want to take a look at Teaching at International Schools and Teaching Exchanges and Fellowships.

United States
The US offers an Exchange Visitors Programme and provides successful applicants with J-1 visas. Here are just a few programmes that offer this.

• AMIDEAST has scholarship and exchange programmes.
• Amity has an intern and teacher programme.
• BUNAC gets work visas for its participants.
• DECS places teachers in the US.
• EPI places teachers in K-12 schools.
• Humphrey Fellowship offers mid-career professionals 10 months of work and study.
• ITES places teachers in K-12 schools.
• LASPAU has research and scholarship programmes.
• NCUSCR offers exchanges between the US and China.
• The US State Department has a list of more exchange programmes as well.
• VIF places teachers in K-12 schools.
• World Class Schools places UK teachers in US schools.

Canada

• BUNAC gets work visas for its participants.
• CEEF places teachers in Canada and has exchanges for Candian teachers to go to other countries.
• DECS places teachers in Canada.
• LECT offers exchanges between Canada and Australia.

International Schools Jobs

• Look at teaching at international schools for more info.

Short-term and Working Holiday Visas

• You can find more information in short-term jobs and working holida visas.

Volunteer

• You can find more info in Volunteer Opportunities for Teachers.

World

• You can find more info in Worldwide Opportunities for Teachers. 

Disclaimer:

• Please join my Patreon page
• I use affiliate links. I may earn a commission if you make a purchase after clicking on links. Read more at my FTC Disclosure and Privacy Policy Statement