ESL teachers in demand
07 December 2010
The demand for ESL teachers within the Australian Government
Volunteer Program at AVI has never been higher, writes recruiter
Ian McDonald.
Left: AVI volunteer Ian Parry teaching English in Guangxi
Province, China.
The demand for ESL (English as a Second Language) teachers
within the Australian Volunteers Program at AVI has never been
higher.
A recent analysis of roles in the education sector that were
advertised over the past two years shows that 30% of all roles
advertised were in ESL.
This figure is potentially even greater when considering the
crossover with ESL in other subsectors such as Teacher Training,
Special Education, Educational Management and Tertiary Teaching.
and also includes EFL (English as a Foreign Language), ELT (English
Language Teaching), TEFL (Teaching English as a Foreign Language),
TESL (Teaching English as a Second Language), and ESP (English for
Special Purposes).
But where does this demand come from?
The focus of the Volunteer Program in each country is driven by
a Country Program Strategy.
This in turn is shaped by:
- The need for the Volunteer Program to align with the host
country government's development needs;
- The need for the Volunteer Program to complement the Australian
government's aid program in that country;
- The strategic operational focus adopted by AVI's Board and
Senior Executive.
Two of the five possible development priorities that shape these
Country Program Strategies are;
- improving education outcomes, and;
- supporting sustainable livelihoods.
Almost all of the countries where we work have one or more of
these priorities incorporated into their Country Program
Strategy.
Demand-driven volunteering
A Volunteer position must, of course, start with an
employer-driven request.
A fundamental plank of AVI's approach to sending international
volunteers has always been that there has to be a demonstrable need
for a role to be filled and that the role identified could not be
filled locally.
Whilst nothing remains static in the world of international
volunteering, perhaps except the positives that accrue to all
involved when one lives and works in another culture for an
extended period, it is most likely that this high demand for
experts with appropriate skills and experience in Teaching English
as a Second Language (and all its variations) will continue for
some time. Most recently, the demand has been highest in the
Asian countries: China, Viet Nam and Indonesia.
However, recent ESL-based assignments in other regions have
included Kiribati, Solomon Islands, Ethiopia and Lebanon.
As noted above, volunteer placements with an ESL focus can cover
a multitude of vital skill areas and professional expertise
including: Curriculum Development, Policy and Planning, Training
and Mentoring, and Program Management.
One exciting recent development in Western China has seen the
evolution of roles entitled Community Empowerment through ESL. In
these roles the volunteers have been developing the English
language skills of their students of an ethnic minority (usually
university undergraduates or teachers in training) and fostering
their skills in managing community-based projects which can often
lead to the development of new community based organisations, often
with a focus on linguistic and cultural preservation.
So many stories to tell
A graduate of one such program writes:
I am from Yulshul Prefecture, Qinghai Province. Now I am among
the few people here who speak English and the even fewer people in
Western China who want to be a filmmaker. Filmmaking is my dream. I
wouldn't even think of having the chance to do it without knowing
English. The proposal I wrote last was a small grant for a film
project which was approved by National Geographic, and I am working
on it right now. Online resources in English are vast, and I now
have the opportunity to learn about them if I want to.
As students we were challenged to think differently, for
teacher's thoughts were very different to ours. This helped us to
think and also to understand our culture and theirs. For ETP
(English Training Program) students, their ability to influence
their communities is potentially significant. Many students have
done many development projects for their own villages. As for me,
sometimes I teach English and Tibetan to village kids on my
vacations. However, I hope I can do something new for our people,
our place and our culture by making films. There are so many
stories to tell.
Find out more
If you want to know more about teaching opportunities with an
ESL focus in AVI's Volunteer Program please contact Ian McDonald on
(03) 9279 1781 or email imcdonald@australianvolunteers.com.