Haché explained that a number of programs in Montréal can no longer attract native speakers to teach ESL.
“The majority of the workforce of first-year teachers are non-native speakers who are recent immigrants to Canada,” he said. “These teachers are more vulnerable and more easily exploited. They also need more time to prepare their lessons.”
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Seems pay is lower than Taiwan for this kind of teacher, better work in different industry in Quebec.
Pay more, get more teachers. When teachers (and other workers) are rewarded for their work, they’ll join up. Simple, really.
Yeah this has been the problem with teachers generally. Spend 6 hours a day in the school working directly with students, prep for classes and deal with parent communication and discipline through lunch breaks, plan and grade all evening at home. All for pay that actually comes out to be less than you make stocking shelves at the grocery store. Not to say we don’t need grocery store shelf-stockers, but what’s the point in developing a needed skill and paying to go to school for it when you can stock shelves for a comparable salary without even a high school diploma?
Some salaries i was offered earlier in August:
Not only needed the montessori elementary certificate I have, but also near native fluency in Chinese on top of ESL experience. Can’t even afford rent in the Bay Area on that)For the amount of work and knowledge one is expected to do/know as a teacher, schools simply dont pay enough. Eventually, a few generations from now, the population may realize that. And all the knowledge that was gained in how to effectively teach will be lost. 
You won’t make an amazing living as a teacher. I will say since you have your certificate, you can do well with a few years of experience to start to train teachers.
Cram schools implies we have buxibans in Canada, which is not the case. There are language schools that cater mostly to international students who want a visa and/or to spend time learning English in a country where it is spoken. There are also programs at every university and college, as well as government ESL programs for immigrants and refugees…
But cram schools? Not really, no.
Actually, certified teachers in Canada do way better than in most of the states. Ontario especially has a powerful teachers union that goes on strike or threatens to like clockwork. If you can get into that system and don’t mind the bullshit, with benefits you can do very well. Add on a summer job and double dipping with a generous pension and it is an amazing living considering the almost total lack of accountability. If I could do it over again, I would tell myself to teach high school
Some countries pay teachers relatively well and offer great benefits. Primary teachers in Ireland get three to four months off (paid), 8.30‐2.30 kids in school. Its an easy numnber, good work life balance, pension included and generous career breaks and training days. Starting salary at average industrial wage for a job that is not very demanding and offers a very good lifestyle IMHO. But the pay is higher and tax lower in the middle east so loads head off to there for a few years to get some decent money together. Still there is a shortage of teachers in Ireland now because of the accommodation crisis in the cities.
All one can say is …seek out these places where teaching is rewarded sightly better if you are determined to stay in the profession of teaching children directly. It may take a few years for the pay to increase, that’s just the way it is. Lots supplement income with other jobs. I may be repeating myself but working as a public school teacher is a sweet gig compared to most jobs out there.
Otherwise switch it up as suggested. Open your own school, train teachers etc.
I mean, I’m not concerned for my current situation. I negotiated better hours, my break time is break time no exceptions, and holidays off in exchange for the “best” salary that could be offered to me.
The problem is that once most people are worn/burned out due to bad working conditions as a teacher, they quit and find “better treatment” jobs elsewhere. Teaching is not some skilled trade that anyone can do. It’s a process of trial and error to figure out what works best for a specific group of learners and adapting future teaching based on that. It’s not a formula that you apply to anyone that enters the room.
The thing I always find amusing is that ESL teachers are usually non-native speakers in the US. If you take a TESOL methods course from an online open university, it’s probably run by non-native speakers. This really just goes to show the importance of training and experience over “knowledge”
We have buxibans in Canada. I went to one as a child.
Wow, I’ve never heard of such a thing. Could you send me some info?
Not sure if they are marketed as such but learning centres abound, which include ESL offerings for kids, tutoring etc
This might be an exaggeration. I saw a Kumon once, in Vancouver, probably catering to the children of Asian immigrants. When I was in the ESL industry in Ottawa, I never heard of or saw anything like this (through various jobs I had a variety of colleagues in different places). Sure, I was at the high end, but I knew people on language schools as well
Anyways, I’ll stand corrected that they exist, but not at all part of the culture like in east Asia
Also, going back to the article, it is still not really talking about cram schools. I still say the thread title is inaccurate.
Quite a few on Vancouver Island, even in hinterlands
Ok, you should add that to the Wikipedia page for cram schools. You’ll have to start a Canada section
My first and last degrees, as well as most of my primary/secondary, were in Ontario:
https://heartandart.ca/why-our-public-education-system-is-awesome/
Happening almost all over the world. Also happens with nursing. The main factor that contributes is the rich not paying taxes and the absurd rise in cost of living. Basically privatization in a nutshell.
To many Asians they are cram schools. I worked for large Ad and PR firm in EU, some of customers where schools like this with branches in Canada. We in Chinese often called them English language cram schools. They are quite bit like adult English schools in Taiwan which are also called cram schools thus I see them as cram schools. Its a big business and huge amounts are spent on Ads and Marketing (also large commissions to get Int’l students), so much so that for many programs its more than what spend on teacher salaries. Prior to COVID they could make huge profits for the owner or Uni, its different now as some become bankrupt or shut down. For the most part, they are profit enterprises even for the Uni, some Uni’s have shut down the programs since they do not make a profit.
I know many Uni Staffs do not like call this schools cram schools, but Asian staff in their native language use this word a lot, and school marketing staff use it a lot.
What do the people who work there know about what they do, eh?
Its a business for most schools, but not all (Still a few do as service to students and get funds other ways than from students), so say on the business side staff does not know or sometimes care what the academic side does.
Just my main point is this schools pay teachers a small percentage of the what the student pays. They (schools) can not attract local teachers as the pay is too low and most of student fees goes and admin, sales and marketing costs. It looks not good good for teachers and students.
Is this a terminology issue? Cram schools and language schools?
In many cases they are both. They teach English and also exam prep like in Taiwan.