A Tale Of Becoming An ELT In The Philippines
3rd December 2021With the rising job market of ESL teaching worldwide, the demand for Filipino teachers has also increased a lot. The sudden increase of this demand has also affected the industry on ESL teaching because giant corporates are drawing a classy profit from this sector. Hiring teachers for teaching English abroad at lower rates is now prevailing in the market.
BridgeUniverse has conducted a survey where they have spoken with Filipino teachers about their experience in teaching English in the Philippines via online mode or abroad. They have done a detailed record of their experience, pay scale, difficulties if they have faced any, and any other thoughts if they are having.
These Filipino teachers are getting perfect TESOL training via either classroom or online TEFL/ TESOL course, as a result of which they are mastering the art of teaching non-English speakers very professionally.
The reason behind such high demand:
One of the major reasons why Filipino teachers are getting hyped as ESL teachers is because of their accent which is almost like the native speakers. Besides, the English teachers from the Philippines are getting hired at a comparatively lower cost which is enabling millions of students to avail themselves the course of.
Business process outsourcing (BPO) is contributing a lot to English proficiency and it is one of the most significant sectors that is boosting up the economical status of the Philippines greatly. In general, the economical status of the country is quite low, consequently, the majority of the population travels abroad to earn more money leaving behind their family over a long period. The salary being paid to the employees who work in the Philippines is relatively low.
Whereas, people who are choosing to become English teachers are pursuing TESOL certificates and get opportunities to teach the English language by being at home in online mode.
How to become an English language teacher in the Philippines?
According to Filipinos, the process of becoming an English Language teacher is quite simple and straightforward. You can finish your school education and apply for a TEFL/TESOL certificate. This certificate course is available in both offline and online modes and the teaching methodology being taught is based on modern approaches.
A minimum 120 hours TEFL certification will require you to have a 10+2 qualification along with a strong command of the English language. You can go for an Advanced or a Diploma in TEFL certification if you have your Bachelor's degree. Once you have successfully cleared this certification course, you are now eligible to become an ELT teacher.
Teaching experience is not a mandatory one but sometimes some academic institutions prefer teachers having prior teaching experience. Teaching in the Philippines as an English teacher is quite affordable as the cost of living is not that high. Filipinos believe that students should get a highly qualified level of education and hence they do not compromise while hiring teachers, at all.
TYPES OF SCHOOL:
Private language schools, technical schools, vocational schools, private schools, and private tutoring are the major sectors that hire English teachers. Being a local candidate is one of the greatest advantages of a Filipino teacher because he/she knows the local language as well. Thus there is no communication gap between teachers and students.
The teaching hours in the Philippines entirely depend upon the type of school you are working. If you choose to work in an organization that offers International school examinations, then the pay scale is based on hourly access and you do not have to invest more than 8 hours usually. Whereas, private school teachers have a tight schedule and often span more than 10 hours.
The hiring process is simple as well. Various institutions post job vacancies of English teachers and they call for interviews either via online or offline mode if you're eligible to apply for that post. The quality of classes that teachers get solely depends on their skills and at some places, teaching experience is also counted.
Once a teacher is hired, most of the schools offer training sessions for them. The training session includes class handling, communication skills, soft skills, and so on. Even if teachers are having prior experience, they have to attend the training session because skill development is given a lot of priority in schools of the Philippines.
Mode of teaching and wage gaps:
It is already being mentioned that the salary structure of Filipino employees is comparatively lower. Some Filipino English teachers have admitted the fact that teaching in the Philippines is paying them much lower than other places like some European countries. In fact, teaching online in the Philippines pay much lower than teaching abroad. This is the basic problem why Filipino teachers are always willing to move abroad and establish a teaching career there.
Another major difference in the wage gaps that Filipino ELT teachers have encountered is racism. It sounds utterly disgusting but the fact is true. Many ELT teachers of the Philippines have reported that countries like Thailand pay a higher wage to European teachers just because of their skin color. Thai institutions, as per Filipino teachers, are utterly racist and to them, qualifications come after race and skin color.
They have added, that even if the western teachers are non-native English speakers then also their pay scale is higher than the Philippines teachers. Thus, racism is another arrow often shooting Filipino teachers.
To end with:
Having said all this, the future of the Philippines ELT teachers is safe because there are plenty of countries across the globe that do not encourage racism. Those countries hire teachers based on their charisma, and teachers are being paid as per their qualifications.
There are merits and demerits in every aspect of our lives and I believe, we should focus on those posts where there is no foolish discrimination and talent is worshipped above everything. Teaching English in the Philippines, as I said, requires mandatory TESOL training and teachers can teach online by being in the country.
Written By : Park Jin Ae