The dying or not-so-young dichotomy in terms of ESL/EFL Industry may be a reality today. Is the ESL industry in the country you're teaching a "dying" one? Are there fewer and fewer ESL/EFL teachers from abroad being employed, for whatever reason? Demographics, government policy changes, less interest, a downturn in the economy, etc
The solution may be "to think digital". people are busier with less time to go to classes. this is the main reason. when demand side begins shrinking, other factors will strengthen and consequently, supply side gets damaged.
I live in the United States. There is little EFL here, but I think that ESL is growing, because there are many people who speak other native languages that need or want to learn the language they are surrounded with, English.
Hi there,
I live in Kurdistan Region. There is much demanding for EFL indeed. It is not a dying one at all. Quite contrary, if one is qualified in the field of teaching English, they can't be jobless at all.
Dear Dr Yogesh
ESL/EFL is always needed only thing is how to embed it with job markets, all BPOs and KPO are based on ESL/EFL and industry need them badly, we cant say they are dying. Demographics, government policy changes, less interest, a downturn in the economy, etc are some of the factors currently affecting the seen but it will improve in long run.
Dear Dr Yogesh
ESL EFL is growing but the recruitment pattern may be skewed toward internal expert.
In Spain, the adult ESL market is not as buoyant as it used to be, but there is still a lot of work available, at least for experienced teachers. However, I can see several clouds on the horizon. Firstly, companies are depending more on online courses and on blended learning, i.e. mixing face to face classes with online lessons. Secondly, recent measures like the introduction of bilingual education schemes are bound to improve the overall level of students' English in the long run, making it less necessary for them to receive classes as adults in order to conduct professional tasks in English. Thirdly, younger adults are becoming increasingly aware of the possibilities of maintaining or improving their English level on their own through films, TV series, the Internet etc. Finally, the competition from other languages, e.g. Mandarin, and other training needs ,e.g. information technology, may erode demand for English classes. However, my prediction is that teachers and language schools will survive if they are able to offer increasingly specialized courses.
Business English classes will need to address the need of specific companies or departments within companies far more closely than most language schools are doing now. All too frequently, teachers get away with offering general "conversational" English with a little bit of "business" thrown in, because the HR departments responsible for evaluating the classes don't demand any more than this. In the future, some companies will become aware of the need to specialize in order to offer courses that are useful for students with a higher level of English, and others will need to be made aware of this need by more forward-thinking schools.
EAP teaching at Spanish universities is a potential growth area for two reasons. Firstly, more universities are offering or looking into the possibility of offering courses taught through the medium of English. As a result, teachers will need specific courses to enable them to give lectures in English. Secondly, English for Research Publication Purposes will need to be developed if Spanish academics wish to get more work published in international journals. However, this potential for growth will not be realized with current levels of financial investment.
EFL/TSL courses need to be updated in the light of ESP (English for Specific Purposes) requirements these days. General EFL/TSL courses available in the market have implications. Not only English but also any other foreign language can grow if it is meeting the demands of learners and ICTs. I normally say, 'fit for purpose'. If you see something not growing apply the above formula and you will get the answer yourself. Moreover, we need to have a positive and incorporative opinion about any such discipline. I hope it helps!
Surely, as the importance of English is perpetually growing in all disciplines. In Malaysia, we tend to be reliant on our local expertise as they are well trained and experienced to a certain extent but we did have a fair chance of engaging native speakers to guide our EFL teachers.
What are the prospects of ESL/EFL Industry in your country?
Although ESL/EFL, in my personal opinion - English still remain significant language in Malaysia for many people to learn, to communicate, to work etc. in their daily lives. Reason being to some people, English is the gateway for state of the art learning in ICT, engineering, science, research etc. as well as working in large MNC / international companies, private sectors etc.
In Pakistan there is a large market for the teaching of the English language which is now called ELT/EFL/TESL/TEFL and applied linguistics. This change in orientation towards English studies took place in the eighties with the active encouragement of the British Council and the American English Language Officers. Gradually the traditional departments of English Literature started diversifying their curricula or losing students. Faculty members started returning from the U.K and the USA with degrees in language teaching and new departments were made to accommodate them as the traditional professors did not want to abandon literature altogether. A society of English teachers called SPELT, organized by Zakia Sarwar, started holding conferences on the teaching of English. Private institutions for the same purpose emerged and schools started sending their teachers to them. The Oxford University Press (Karachi) started publishing material on ELT and the demand for both material and teachers gave momentum to the market for ELT related products. As the number of private English-medium schools, colleges and universities increased the demand increased too. Hence, Pakistan is a huge market for the teaching of English.
In Colombia there is still a big market for EFL. In the long run, there is a declining tendency due to the growing number of schools, public and private, that have their own bilingual programs.
ESL/EFL industry will flourish more in years to come. No doubt about it.
new directions and innovation may change the face of the industry. we need to be in constant touch with the trend.
Hello, Dr Yogesh
I believe that ESL/EFL is here to stay and will not go away for a long time.
Most studies about EL/EFL are a little old and new horizons might be opening in the near future. In Peru, although there are many colleges and universities that are teaching Enlish, the need for good teachers still exist and someone needs to fill in the gap. As Manish Sinha suggested, we, as teachers, need to keep up with the trends and incorporate technology as much as needed.
I agree with Chris Turner's answer: "my prediction is that teachers and language schools will survive if they are able to offer increasingly specialized courses." This is the true fact being faced by many ESL/EFL teachers although this is also a trend in some countries and not in others.
Thank you, Guillermo
Dear Dr. Yogesh,
ESL/EFL business has always affected by macro scientific, political,social, and technological innovations. who can deny the significant effect of mass media on people's cell phones. Communicating means such as you-tube, Instagram, telegram are already in full force. Classrooms are losing the competition across the world.In Iran with huge number of young people learning English, the downfall trend of conventional classroom learning is quite noticeable.
Aram Reza Sadeghi
Assistant Professor
