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 raDAr |
Credit crunch - financial disaster for the TEFL market in Germany? |
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Posts: 93 (Mon, Feb 16, 2009 21:56) |
Up here in NRW, the market seems to be really slow. I have just taken a quick look at TEFL.com and they have only five jobs, where they had upwards of 15 at
any given time last year.
It would seem that the recession has arrived in the tefl market. Any stories from elsewhere. |
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john |
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Posts: 1120 (Mon, Feb 16, 2009 22:52) |
The work situation re. EFL teaching is not brilliant down here in Munich (south Germany), either.
Most of the bigger companies: BMW, Siemens, the Landesbank, HypoVereinsbank and other financial institutions (including the big insurance companies) have cut their budgets where it hurts them least, i.e. their training budgets. The more experienced EFL teachers I know here are beginning to feel the pinch and some are already beginning to get a bit panicky. I'm afraid the EFL market in Germany is going to go through a radical change in the next few years... and I rather doubt anyone will be able to live off EFL teaching on the private market in a few years' time if they cannot teach English for Special Purposes or kids. Might strike you as a strange thing to say, but let's see what happens... |
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SDKerns |
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Posts: 8 (Mon, Feb 23, 2009 00:03) |
Hi,
I'm down here in the Stuttgart area which, being Daimler and Porsche country, is definitely feeling the heat. The car industry suppliers are laying people off and working lots of short shifts, so are looking for other ways to save money. We've lost a couple of prime customers, although we've been able to pick the slack with university-level stuff. Still, 'tis a bit unsettling. John, I'm curious---what'd you mean with "radical change"? If you've expounded on the topic somewhere else on the forum, just point me in the reight direction. Thanks. |
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john |
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Posts: 1122 (Mon, Feb 23, 2009 12:42) |
I think the standard of English amongst school leavers is going to get higher and higher and the market for general English which has been shrinking will
continue to decline.
ESP (English for Special/Specific Purposes) seems to be the only area where demand is likely to be steady. By radical change I mean it's going to get increasingly difficult to live off teaching general English and standard buisness English courses. |
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raDAr |
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Posts: 94 (Tue, Feb 24, 2009 11:24) |
I've been saying that for years. Whilst your bog standard EFL courses will always be in demand, this will become less and less.
Rhetoric, negotiating, cross cultural seminars and similar will be where the money is made. |
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YorickJenkins |
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Posts: 132 (Tue, Jun 30, 2009 20:01) |
Radar and John you are both right. I would just add that at the increasingly high level there is some demand for advanced grammar in my experience for which
most books do not cater.
A propos books is there a section somewhere here for book reviews which I have missed? I have been relatively lucky to date with some customers who profit from the credit crunch eg a factoring company! My translation commissions have fallen back a lot though. We need more specialist books with vocabulary which challenges us- We need to know as well what liens are and garnishee orders etc etc (to take two words where I was asked and couldn't say blush blush) There is also a woeful lack of high level cd material and e-mail material-moden, challenging for people at C1 or B2 level. To be slightly more upbeat, some companies continue to pay for courses at B2/C1 level whereas in the past they would have said "the level is good enough". However, John and Radar you are absolutely right-there is declining demand in Germany for adults to be taught how to say such basics as "where do you come from?" and the numbers of those needing this basic English will steadily decline in the years to come. Increasingly, trainers are being expected to do and know a darn sight more than train in baisc communication skills in English. More and more, people will not even be holding a good job if they can't do that already. Yorick |
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