English Language Teaching & Global Capitalism_Lecture10

8/7/2019 English Language Teaching & Global Capitalism_Lecture10

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English Language Teaching

& Global CapitalismEnglish in Global PerspectiveSOCU1046Semester 1, 2009


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English as Industry

The English language is acommodity

Globalisation has created ademand for English

The growing ELT industry supplies& sustains this demand

English is the language ofcapitalist enterprise

English IS a capitalist enterprise


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Trends in the ELT Business

Diversification of providers

Hybrid ELT enterprises (e.g.

public/private twinning arrangements)Diversification of products & services

Increased competition new marketapproaches


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Selling English Learning


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Institutions

Universities & colleges

Private language schools

Transnational institutions: The British Council

TESOL Inc.

PublishersAcademics

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English Products

Business English

English for Academic Purposes (EAP)

Aviation EnglishEnglish for Medical Purposes (EMP)

English Language Intensive Courses for

Overseas Students (ELICOS)General English

Conversational English


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Connecting Capital

The English teacher training industry

The growth of international education in

English speaking nationsThe English language testing industry

Learner materials & technologies

Accommodation, leisure & travel for

international students

Private tuition industry

English camps/study tours/cram schools


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Australias Industry

Education is Australias third largestexport industry

International education delivered

earnings of $14.2 billion in 2007/2008

2007: 137,000 international studentsundertook English language programs:

over $1.5 billion in tuition fees andadditional spending


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Costs

A standard English language course inMelbourne CBD: $AU350-$400 per week

Enrolment fee: $AU250

Standard textbook (for 10 weeks):$AU25

IELTS test: $AU308

CELTA teacher training course:$AU3000


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Issues & Challenges

Inadequately trained & skilledteachers

Qualification vs. native speaker

Regulation & quality assurance

(especially of private providers)

Auditing of testing regimes


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Issues & Challenges

Disjunction between curriculumrhetoric & pedagogical reality

Lack of contextually & culturallyspecific materials

Whose English(es)?


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Teaching Abroad- A Risky

Business

Lack of regulation of small private enterprisesthat seek to maximise profit & minimiseservices

Late/withheld wagesMisinformation from recruitersMinimal or non-existent resources

Unpaid overtimeControlling managementBreach of contract


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Case Study: The Nova Collapse

Nova, the largesteikaiwa (private English teachingcompany), in Japan went bankrupt in 2007

Some teachers had not been paid wages or

bonuses for several monthsUnemployment of approximately 4,500 foreign

teaching staff & 2,000 Japanese workers

Foreign staff lost company-sponsored housing

Concerns over an apparent lack of an adequatesafety net for foreign workers in Japan


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Market Threats

Graddol (2006) believes demand for EFLservices will decline due to:

English being learnt at an earlier age Competition to inner circle providers from non-

native speaker providers in Asia & Europe

Native-speaker like proficiency becoming less

important as English is being used as a linguafranca between non-native speakers of English

English Language Teaching & Global Capitalism_Lecture10

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