WHY ENGLISH INSTITUTES USUALLY SUCK
Everyone knows that most English language schools (more properly termed institutes) usually suck.
But what is the CAUSE of this pervasive suckiness?
Let's examine the four main reasons, beginning at the top and working our way down.
1) THE OWNERS SUCK
Owners of English schools rarely speak English, and if they do, they don't speak it particularly well.
That pretty much says it all, doesn't it?
Only rarely do they know or care about even the most basic tenants of educational theory. They care about money. The KNOW about money. The English school is usually only one of many businesses they operate, and generally one they want to have the least contact with. They will put most of the school's profit into German automobiles and off-short bank accounts, while putting just as much money back into the school as is necessary to pay the crappy salaries, buy white-board markers, and, grudgingly, to replace the broken ancient cassette players.
Most English teachers will actually have very little contact with the owners of the schools they work at, as owners will usually do almost anything to avoid speaking with the teachers they employ, much less the students. That's what the managers and DOS's are for.
Which brings us to reason number two:
2) THE MANAGERS AND DOS'S SUCK
Manages and Directors of Studies come in all shapes and sizes, ages and nationalities, personalities and degrees of training.
They usually however, have one thing in common.
They suck.
Their job is not to insure that students are being well-educated and that teachers are teaching effectively. Their job is to insure that the owner doesn't hear about any problems, and that enough students keep signing up to keep the owner in expensive jewelry. And to kiss the manager's ass until their noses are as brown as Hershey's chocolate sauce.
So, you might have a "manager" who will generally be a native of whatever country you happen to live in, who studied English in university. In a lot of cases this manager will speak English near-incomprehensibly.
This person will probably have lots of training in obsolete teaching theory, but will mostly just beg of you to do whatever the students ask, with the constant threat of near-instant dismissal. "We have to think about the reputation of our school!" the manager will say, while handing you a written notification that you are about to be fired because your students want you to tell more funny stories in class.
Or if you work for one of the international chain franchise schools, you'll probably have a British or American Director of Studies, an impressive title that will basically mean that the DOS will know a lot of jargon and be an expert in filling out paperwork.
The DOS will also usually be an expert at using up-to-the-minute linguistics and EFL teaching terminology to disguise the fact that he or she is basically just begging you to do whatever the students ask, with the constant threat of near-instant dismissal. "Try to vary the pace of your activities, and consider using some teacher-centered talking time to present new grammar and create a friendly atmosphere," the DOS will say, while handing you a written notification that you are about to be fired because your students want you to tell more funny stories in class.
Which brings us to reason number three:
3) THE STUDENTS SUCK
How can we make such a generality about students of English language in general, when we are generalizing about every country in the world?
Easy.
If you work in a private institute (as opposed to a high school or a university), generally, your students will be rich snotty little punks, bored housewives, and young businesspeople. The middle-class being a non-existent thing in most countries, anybody who's NOT rich will be unable to afford the prices at your institute.
Let's face it: the world is a global village now. Thailand, China, Mexico, Russia, Brazil, wherever. Your students will be driving the same German automobiles, wearing the same designer clothes, speaking on the same kinds of mobile phones during class. They'll be studying for their "future career" never mind the fact that most of them will already have a lot more money than you. Or, of course, their parents or bosses are forcing them to study.
So of course, paying good money down for their English lessons, they will feel fully justified in demanding you do whatever they want in class.
If you concentrate on games and conversational activities, fully expect the students to go complain that they want to read and write more in class. If you concentrate on grammar and listening, expect them to complain that they want more games. In any event expect them to be yammering incessantly on their mobile phones during class.
Of course, then again, it's not all bad.
There will be girls who want to have sex with you, and people who want to take you out to dinner, so they can get free English lessons.
Which brings us to reason number four.
4) THE TEACHERS SUCK
I mean, okay, they don't all suck the same way, and maybe not all suck, but generally they do.
Teachers often don't care about their lessons because they are untrained "cowboys" who care about nothing more than screwing students, getting drunk and getting enough money together to go backpacking somewhere for a couple of months
OR
They are over-trained young kids off the internet who were completely misled about what life teaching abroad is generally about. They don't care about their lessons becuase they're so disillusioned with the ungrateful students, low pay and hideously run language schools.
Or, just possibly, they are people who've lived abroad for many years and are so burned-out, embittered and cynical that they don't give much of a shit about anything.
Regardless of what's motivating them, teachers inevitably begin doing just enough to survive their jobs within a few months of starting. After observing that their salary is going to be exactly as same as the teachers who go in drunk and do as little as possible, even the most optimistic and energetic teacher is going to lose interest in spending an hour chopping up a hundred little pieces of paper for a ten-minute classroom activity.
HOW TO SOLVE THESE PROBLEMS
Well, naturally it's unlikely that owners are going to start running their schools as non-profit organizations, or that DOS's are going to begin standing up for the rights of their teachers, or that students are going to stop making unreasonable demands while they are studying, or that losers and outcasts in general will stop being attracted to the teaching abroad profession.
And so?
Well, I don't know. Get drunk?