Journal of Entrepreneurship Education (Print ISSN: 1098-8394; Online ISSN: 1528-2651)

Research Article: 2019 Vol: 22 Issue: 6

How Well Prepared are Chilean Beginning English Teachers to Meet Job Demands in English Language Teaching Industry?

Lasekan Olusiji Adebola, Universidad Católica de Temuco

Citation Information: Lasekan, O.A. (2019). How well prepared are Chilean beginning English teachers to meet job demands in English language teaching industry?. Journal of Entrepreneurship Education, 22(6).

Abstract

Copious of works have identified several instrumental motives to learn English in emerging economies where English is adopted either as a second or foreign language. These motives have spiked the demand for numerous branches of EFL in every English language teaching industry. Drawing on English teachers’ work as a service for consumption that is responding to the new economic realities, there is an urgent need to analyse the degree of preparedness of fresh graduates from English Pedagogy programs in Chile to meet the job demands of the industry. This paper seeks to address the level of preparedness of Chilean early career teachers to teach all branches of EFL available in the industry. Market segmentation was used to identify various types of English teaching services needed in different sectors of the industry, followed by a brief discussion on Chilean English teacher education program. It is revealed that Chilean teachers of English are trained to teach majorly English for General Purposes with a focus on learners in primary and secondary schools. The analysis indicates widening of the teaching skills gap of other branches of EFL such as English for Specific Purposes in the major segments of the industry.

Keywords

Market Segmentation, English Language Teaching Industry, Chile.

Introduction

The slogan that English opens doors of opportunities for learners of the language has been echoing over the years. For example, proficiency in English is believed to lead to several economic, social, and educational opportunities; that is, it can provide access to both material resources and ‘symbolic capital’ (Edelman, 1992) for the betterment of personal prosperity. Thus, it is widely considered as a passport to access higher education at home or abroad, lucrative jobs in a public or private sector, professional advancement, and social status (Hu, 2005). At the national level, the prominence of English has caused the government in several English foreign language (EFL) countries to issue different national English language education policy statements. In Japan, the government believes English is critical in linking the country with the rest of the world, obtaining the world’s understanding and trust, strengthening its international presence, and further developing the country (Hagerman, 2009). In China, it is a functional tool to facilitate economic development and national modernization of the country (Hu, 2005). In Chile, it is believed that English can help the citizens in international communication, accessing information networks, participating in an information network, and engaging in commercial exchanges (McKay, 2003). Therefore, perhaps the common primary motivation for the enactment of every national English language policy in EFL countries is anchored on economic growth. As a result of this, several studies are adopting different methodologies to ascertain the connection between English language learning and the economy.

The conventional approach involves the identification of critical sectors in ELT industry by evaluating the demand and supply of English language teaching (ELT) services and the monetary value of the industry (iValue Consulting Private Ltd) and adopting the concept of the linguistic market to identify and examine different market of English language education (Hamid, 2016). In the case of Chile, there is yet to be a study in these regards. Therefore, this study provides an exciting opportunity to advance our knowledge of ELT industry in EFL context.

Chile has one of the most robust economy in both North and South America. It is ranked number three after Canada and the USA with the GDP value that worth 451.1 billion dollars with an annual growth of 1.5% (The Heritage Foundation, 2019). Scholars have identified the positive impact of several key sectors, such as mining and tourism on this growth (Bustos et al., 2017). The role English has played in the enhancement of these sectors is still elusive in the body of literature. This link is critical because English language education is supposed to foster learners’ job skills, required by the economy, by the country, and by the prospective employer. That is, training and disciplining of students on how to aspire to and engage in a commercial sphere (Luke, 2004). In order to establish this connection, it is crucial to trace the value chain system of the ELT industry in Chile by identifying the demand and supply of English language teaching service. Taking English teachers as an entrepreneur, cosmopolitan worker, and a professional in vital and contingent relation to the flows, contexts, and implications of cultural and economic globalization (Luke, 2004), it is possible to segment English language teaching industry. Market segmentation is the method of separating a prospective customer market into categories or divisions based on various characteristics (Dibb & Simkin, 2016). The author sliced a market into three broad segments of Business to Customer (B2C), Business to Business (B2B) and Business to Government (B2G). B2C segment involves selling services to customers or end-users directly; B2B entails selling of services to other small-scale businesses or large enterprises, whereas B2G deals with the selling of services to government and its ministerial agencies. This approach can facilitate the understanding of EFL branches that are in demand in the three segments of the ELT industry.

According to Luke (2004), teachers play a huge role in bridging different institutional areas of regional and national governance, and the capital production of goods and texts. In addition, helps in building the capacity to engage in acts of knowledge, power, and trade across time/space divides and social geographies, across numerous communities, populations, and epistemological stances. The author questioned how teachers and teacher education could re-define democratic English education to meet the conditions of later globalized capitalism. The answer to the question lies in curriculum reform that addresses new economic new realities. That is, a curriculum that prepares pre-service English teachers for the skills needed by the ELT industry. Consequently, it assists them to spot and fill the skills gap in different sectors where a particular branch of EFL is in demand which in turn helps them to secure a job quickly. Moreover, it aids them in implementing government agendas regarding national English language education. Therefore, analyzing the current curriculum by identifying the content and its objective is essential in knowing if pre-service teachers are trained, prepared, and equipped to work in every sector of the industry.

This study sets to examine and evaluate the English language teaching industry in Chile by identifying the demand and supply of different English language teaching services. In addition, critique the course structure of English pedagogy program’s curriculum in order to determine the level of qualification and preparedness to work in different sectors of the industry. This paper will start by analysing the Chilean educational system, identifying different services that can be offered by teachers at different market segments, and evaluating the program curriculum and its connection with the skill needed in the ELT industry.

English Language Education in Chile

Spanish is the official language of Chile. That makes it the primary language of instruction in schools. Chile belongs to the category of EFL countries (Kachru, 1986). English language was initially integrated into the national curriculum in 1998. Since then, several actions have been taken to strengthen its education in the country. These include making English compulsory for eight years in schools, teaching the language for at least three hours in a week, and the introduction of English Open Doors Program (EODP), whose primary goal is to boost English proficiency among students in public schools and to foster the professional development of their teachers. The main goal of the former is to assist them to attain at least a Common European Framework of Reference (CEFR) B1 level of English before their admission into the tertiary level of education. Aside from the training of pre-service English teachers at the universities, government support for English language education ends at the secondary school level. Through internal testing, few universities test the CEFR B1 level of English of incoming students. Every student that fails to meet this requirement is expected to pass through different levels of English language program, which ranges from basic, pre-intermediate, and intermediate level of English.

In order to identify different branches of ELT services offer in Chile. It is fundamental to know the taxonomy of EFL in Chile, which can be divided into ESP and EGP (Hutchinson & Waters, 1987). While ESP involves conducting of needs analysis, followed by text analysis and then training of learners to communicate effectively in an academic or professional situation (Dudley-Evans et al., 1998), English for General Purposes (EGP) is referred to as ‘TENOR- the teaching of English for No Obvious Reason’ (Abbott, 1981 in Jordan, 1997). This involves English language learners that possess no cogent motive to learn the language at school levels, where the students are commonly taught structural/grammatical elements of the English language with the sole aim of passing the exams (Hutchinson & Waters, 1987). Over the years, ESP has been divided into two classified important branches, which include English for Academic Purposes or EAP and English for Occupational purposes or EOP (Dudley-Evans et al., 1998). EAP is used to describe any English teaching relevant to the needs of academic studies such as English for Science and Technology (EST), English for Medical Purposes (EMP) and English for Legal Purposes (ELP). EOP involves work-related needs and training (Robinson, 1991). According to Dudley-Evans et al. (1998), EOP includes professional purposes in administration, medicine, law, and business as well as non-professional purposes in work or pre-work situations. EOP can also be regarded as EVP (English for Vocational Purposes) and VESL (Vocational English as a Second Language) (Hutchinson & Waters, 1987). EVP which is a vocationally oriented language learning (VOLL) seeks to provide an integrated technical content English course for learners (Widodo, 2016,). The ELT services for all these branches of EFL are in demand in every ELT industry. Some of these service demands cut across both educational institutions and corporate settings. The following section will be identifying different segments of ELT market to determine various branches of EFL that are in demand and potential ELT services opportunities available for both pre-service and in-service English teachers.

Discussion

Business to Customer Segment

At this segment, teachers as entrepreneurs offer services to private individuals at their own homes or in their clients’ homes. The delivery model has been mainly in the form of private tutoring and is being increasingly supported by parents who want their kids to learn the language. It can also be considered to be more of supplemental education where students from kindergarten to university seeking English teaching services so that they can add value to their school curriculum. These services can be divided into spoken (voice), written, and grammar (non-voice) (iValue Consulting Private Ltd). The spoken part includes a conversation class and pronunciation. Based on the current level of proficiency of the client, it is common in Chile to offer different levels of English proficiency services such as elementary, basic, pre-intermediate, intermediate, and advanced levels of English. Most teachers have their content, and they advertise their services online or through personal contact with fellow teachers working in mainstream schools. In sum, teachers with knowledge of EGP are highly needed in this segment.

Furthermore, it is possible in this segment to have clients outside the K-12 education system whose age is between 16-30 years old. Their primary motivation is the immediate need for English service to secure employment in foreign countries or seek admission into English-speaking countries for international education. Some significant services involve preparing students for IELTS and TOEFL exams. These are students seeking international education or applying for employment in English-speaking countries. For instance, students from EFL countries are expected to meet certain levels of English proficiency requirements. Some might also want to migrate to an English-speaking country either to live permanently or to work. Thus, the government of those countries expects candidates from EFL countries to pass the required English proficiency tests such as IELTS or TOEFL.

Employability

Statistics show that 54% of Chilean employers believe that high proficiency in English is vital for work (English, & Symonds, 2016). The same study shows that 98.5% of employers have at least one form for measuring English language skills. As an example, over a quarter of all employers adopt an external English language test created by experts. Most multinational companies have adopted the Test of English for International Communication (TOEIC) to test newly recruited workers’ level of English proficiency for the workplace. In other words, most multinational companies require a job seeker to take the TOEIC test before applying for the job position.

Finally, industries such as military, business, and financial operations, architecture and engineering, and personal care and services in Chile were perceived to need workers with the very best of English proficiency (Council, 2015). Though, English for the workplace is more of In-house training organized and paid for by organizations rather than expenses incurred by individuals. Nevertheless, it is possible to have a few clients who are interested in learning English for Occupational Purposes (EOP) or want to prepare for the TOEIC exam in this segment.

Business to Business Segment

As it is shown in Table 1, an English teacher as a sole proprietor in this segment can offer his or her ELT service directly to an organization that requires the service. This organization can be private or public schools, technical institutes, and universities. There is also the possibility to offer these services on a permanent or contractual basis for the second arm of this segment, which are the English language institutes that consult for private individuals, private or public schools, technical institutes, and universities.

Table 1: Summary Of Market Segmentation Of English Language Teaching Industry
Market Segments Definitions Prospective Clients English Teachers’ Skills Prospective Demand for EFL Services
Business to Customer (B2C) A Business to consumer model, which involve English teachers offering their services directly to clients. K-12 students, university students, Professionals EGP skill EAP, EOP and EVP skills TOEFL and IELTS exam tutoring skill KET, PET, FCE, CAE and CPE tutoring skill

Spoken English EGP (basic, pre-intermediate, intermediate and advanced) of English skills (reading, speaking, listening and writing) TOEFL and IELTS exam tutoring   EAP, EOP and EVP skills Accent Training

Business to Business (B2B) It is a business model whereby English teachers as an entrepreneur offer their English teaching services to other businesses that carry out business for a profit and to those organizations that have a non-profit charter English language institutes, private and public (primary and secondary schools)
and universities and NGOs
Business to Government (B2G) It is a derivative of B2B marketing and often called to as a market definition of "public sector marketing" whereby an English teacher offer his or her teaching services to various government Ministries and its Agencies Government Ministries and its Agencies

K-12 Education

In the B2B segment, the customer of ELT providers can be the schools. A teacher can work with English institutes that provide English teaching services to schools. That is, some schools outsourced ELT services to English institutes whereby teachers are provided by the institute to the schools. However, direct hiring by the schools is the most common way of absorbing teachers into the educational system.

There are three different types of schools in Chile. The classification is based on funding or management. These include the fully public-funded, semi-private funded and privately funded schools. Concerning hiring, public schools are the largest employer with 61.5%, followed by semi-public 29% and 9.5% by private schools (Ramos, 2002). Chilean students are expected to reach the CEFR B1 level of English by the end of K-12 education. Public schools have the support of EODP that provides native English speaking volunteers that helps in conversation classes. Private schools have more hours of English than public schools. All K-12 institutions are affiliated with the Ministry of Education, though some international schools are affiliated with International Baccalaureate (IB) in Geneva.

Primary education starts from class one to class eight, followed by secondary education that runs from class nine to twelve. Chilean secondary education can be divided into the lower and upper secondary. While the former offers general education, the latter offers both academic education at the secondary level (AESL) and vocational education at the secondary level (VESL). 43% of students select VESL, and the remaining 57% enrol in (AESL) (Farías & Sevilla, 2015). Although VESL is reported to differ from AESL in that the curriculum places lesser emphasis on core subjects (math, language, sciences, and social sciences), however the authors state that curricula in VESL schools are determined nationally and designed according to a fixed number of specializations, clustered into economic sectors, such as management, electricity, construction, metalworking, agriculture, health care, amongst others. Curricula in the latter involve 34 different technical specializations and sub-specializations (Roberto, 2014). These schools are expected to dedicate 12 hours per week to general subjects, 26 to vocational subjects, and four to elective courses while AESL schools are required to allot 27 hours to general subjects, nine to specific subjects, and six to elective courses. No examination is needed to complete academic or vocational secondary education (Farías & Sevilla, 2015). To obtain the certification of a mid-level vocational technician, the authors reveal VESL students must complete 460-720h of internship during or after 12th grade. This bifurcation implies that English for General Purposes are being taught to AESL students so that they can reach a B1 level of EGP. The role of the latter is to help students understand their vocational content, build and foster their vocational knowledge and skills, communicate their vocational expertise and conduct specialist tasks, and develop their language of discipline (Widodo, 2016).

Higher Education

Higher education institutions under this segment can be divided into the technical and non-technical higher education markets. These institutions can be private, semi-private, or institution. It caters to students over 18 years old. The growing demand for higher education is driving this market. As of the last count, enrolment into both traditional and non-traditional universities in Chile has risen to 59.7% (Council, 2015). However, it is essential to state that English language teaching services in this area have not been fully explored. Except for students who had reached the B1 level of English through proficiency testing at the point of admission, the rest are expected to take a different level of EGP courses, which range from CEFR A1 to B1 level of English proficiency. It is vital to point out that students that have a B1 level of English can take other English courses that are offered by the university as electives. These include English conversation and EAP courses. Although very few universities are offering branches of EAP courses, there is still a growing need for EAP in Chilean universities. Such a need can be attributed to a learner-cantered approach to language instruction, which involves a commitment to the goal of providing language instruction that addresses students’ specific purposes (Luo & Garner, 2017). Secondly, the need to raise learners’ English levels significantly, especially in listening and speaking, in the context of the study, work, and social interaction (Cai, 2014). Consequently, helps learners in making connections between different content and English. This causes learners to develop a stronger grasp of subject matter, a stronger motivation for learning, and a higher ability to analyse situations in a holistic manner (Brinton et al., 1989). Therefore, it is crucial to have English teachers that can work as EAP teachers whose role is to collaborate with the content teachers to promote students’ knowledge in their respective disciplines.

The second tier of tertiary education is vocational education of tertiary level (VETL) which is generally offered in institutions known as Technical Training Centers (CFT) and Professional Institutes (IP). They have autonomy as far as curriculum and program designing is concerned. Consequently, there is a wide range of postsecondary programs with different certifications and contents. In recent years, the VETL sector has been showing significant growth. From 2006 to 2013, total first-year enrolment rose from 84,600 to 192,000, surpassing first-year enrolment at the university level with 152,010 new entrants in 2013 (Farías & Sevilla, 2015). The core objectives of English learning in this branch of higher vocational education is to promote “professional ability,” which involves cultivating students’ English practical application skills and professional ability (Qimao & Meihua, 2007). Thus, the importance of English for vocational purposes (EVP) teachers in this area are highly needed.

Corporate Settings

Workplace communication in big companies, multinational corporations, and international collaborations no longer happens within a single geographical, cultural, or linguistic space (Nguyen, 2017). This has caused effective English communication to become one of the corporations’ strategies to meet clients’ demands better as well as facilitate foreign transactions and to generate profit. Moreover, English communication is a vital requirement for the formation and maintenance of robust internal and external relationships between staffs from non-English speaking countries and customers from English speaking countries (Peltokorpi & Vaara, 2017). Hence, 2012 Global English BEI Report advised corporations to invest in a customized workplace English training platform in order to meet diverse employee learning needs (GlobalEnglish, 2012). Chile has one of the largest foreign direct investments in South America (Alvarado et al., 2017). This has led to the establishment of several foreign companies in the country. However, the easier for these foreign companies to recruit Chilean workers that can handle English demand job-performance tasks (Rodríguez, 2013), the higher their productivity in terms of profit in their host country. Workplace communication activities require employees to possess the ability to use English in “context-specific environments” (Xie, 2016). More specifically, written and oral communication in the workplace produces business and technical communication documents of different types, compared with traditional English and academic English. English for Occupational Purposes which can also be called English for Work or English for the Workplace (Krzanowski, 2011) is selectively focused on EBP and EVP training in the workplace context. At the B2G segment, different types of EOP can be easily identified due to different specific functions of government Ministries and its agencies.

Business to Government Segment

The public sector is a fraction of the industry that is under the control of the government and is generally concerned with providing services to the public. It is the largest employer of labor. The government is also a customer of English teachers. Its ministries and agencies also seek the services of different branches of EFL training. Due to the massive contribution of certain ministries to the Chilean economy, Ministries such as the Ministry of Mining, Ministry of Economics, Development, and Tourism amongst others need ELT services. Unlike private organizations, the prospective demand for ELT services can be easily determined at a macro-level by considering the functions of all ministries and their agencies. As it is shown in Table 2, the prospective demand for ELT services can be EGP and EOP. Conversely, the promotion of a selected branch of EOP (e.g. English for Tourist Guide) is not only for government workers. Ministries can even execute their mandate by funding and organizing specific training for the private sector. For example, The Ministry of Tourism whose responsibility is to promote tourism in the country can organize English for Tourism courses for all traveling agents and tourist guides in the country.

Table 2�: Summary Of Prospective Demand Of Eop And Efl Services In Chilean Public Sector
Name of Ministries Function of Ministries Prospective Demand for EOP Service Prospective Demand for EFL service
Ministry of Mining To develop policies on mining that promote the industry contribution to national development English for Miners English for General Purpose TOEIC
Ministry of Economic, Development and Tourism, To foster the modernization and competitiveness of Chile’s industrial structure; private initiative and market productivity; innovation, and the further integration of the country economy into the international market English for Business Communication, English for Tourism
Ministry of Foreign Affairs To increase the formulation of Chilean foreign policy English for Diplomats
Ministry of Labor and Social Security To develop public policies that boost decent jobs, vocational training, health, and safety in workplace English for Vocational purpose and other EOP training
Chilean Economic Development Agency To boost investment, innovation and entrepreneurship English for Business communication
National Tourism Service To foster the development of tourism in Chile English for Tourism
Airport department To provide the country with airport infrastructure services, ensuring quality, safety and efficiency standards, to meet the demands of the various actors of the air transport system. English for Aviation (air traffic controller, flight crew and information desk staff)
Port works department To provide the citizens with port and coastal, maritime, river and lake infrastructure services needed for the improvement of the quality of life, the socioeconomic development of the country English for Marine and Port Management
Ministry of Health To enhance the health of the population by developing healthcare system in a people focused manner English for Health workers (Doctors and Nurses)
Note. Ministries functions is adapted from https://www.gob.cl/en/institutions/

Role of English Teacher Education Program in ELT Industry

Several EFL countries around the world have undertaken wide-ranging reforms of English language curriculum and instruction with the sole aim of better preparing all EFL learners for life and work in the 21st century. What are the branches of EFL that Chilean learners of English need to achieve success in this rapidly emerging economy, and what skills do teachers need to teach effectively those branches of English to their students? The answer to these questions depends on the curriculum goals of English pedagogy programs.

Having identified different potential ELT services in the three segments, it is, therefore, important to understand how prospective EFL teachers are prepared to work in this industry. Curriculum plays a crucial role in linking education with the industry (Tessema & Abejehu, 2017). Thus, in designing of curriculum, there is a need to have a greater understanding of industry needs and expectations. In the Chilean pre-service English teacher program, student teachers are trained to teach students in either primary or secondary local schools. In other words, the teacher education curriculum is designed to constrain future teachers to a particular educational jurisdiction’s curriculum and how to work its particular assessment grids and systems whose craft-like apprenticeships are carried out in local sites (Luke, 2004). That explains why the curriculum fosters chiefly English language proficiency, general pedagogical knowledge, and school-based experience of EGP (Barahona, 2014), whose objective is to meet the accreditation requirement and national standard given by the accreditation body. In other words, Chilean pre-service EFL teachers are trained to master EGP and learn how to teach it to young learners. The minimum level of English required for qualification as an English teacher is the CEFR C1 level of English, which is equivalent to the Cambridge CAE level of English. Consequently, they can access the teaching opportunities for EGP courses that cut across B2C, B2B, and B2G segments. EGP is more prominent in B2B and B2C than in B2G and some part of B2B in which has the multinational companies. Though several studies have stressed the importance of EGP in a corporate environment, it is believed that the ability to have informal work-related discussions, casual conversation is as important as a formal and technically specific conversation in the workplace (Pandey & Pandey, 2014). Therefore, it is widely recommended for multinational companies to emphasize both EGP and EOP. The implication of producing English teachers’ who lack the knowledge of ESP is that such graduates will not have the mandatory skills to teach effectively in vocational schools which exist in both secondary and tertiary level of education. On the other hand, a deep knowledge of ESP will provide more opportunities to teach various vocational disciplines at both levels of vocational education. An institution where teachers can work as a content developer by collaborating with content teachers since most of the material in several disciplines is not available in English.

Regarding IELTS/TOEFL exams tutoring service for candidates that want to study in English-speaking countries, such candidates are expected to meet the requirement of the chosen university by scoring at least 6.5 out of 9 in IELTS Cambridge test and 80 out of 120 in the TOEFL internet-based test. The accepted scores depend on the type of degree program. Social science and humanities postgraduate programs typically demand higher scores compared to pure sciences. Meanwhile, the minimum requirement needed to qualify from the initial English teacher education program as an English teacher is the CEFR C1 level of Cambridge English. Student teachers are expected to take CAE which is another format of the Cambridge CEFR C1 level of the English certification exam. The structure of the exam is different from the Cambridge IELTS and ETS TOEFL IBT exams. Therefore, it is advisable for teachers to develop the skills needed to prepare their clients for these exams by mastering the structure of the exam through practice or getting certified by taking the exams.

Concerning EOP, teachers of English can play an enormous role as educators, content collaborators and developers in corporate settings. Consequently, helps in measuring the impact of English on the country’s economy as a whole. However, the non-availability of ESP trainers in corporate settings causes a huge gap between schools and industry. This gap makes it difficult for learners to move from EGP to the dimension of ESP that is needed in university and corporate settings. Hence, this reduces productivity that might have stemmed from the importance of English in a university, multinational companies, and public sector.

This analysis has established the significance of ESP inclusion in the curriculum. Several institutions across the world have begun revamping their English for Special Purposes (ESP) programs by aligning them in line with the needs of local employers (Bouzidi, 2009). As a result of this, numerous English teaching programs such as Perm State Humanitarian-Pedagogical University in Russia offer ESP courses to second and third-year undergraduate students. The course offers them the opportunity to learn and practice the concept of ESP. Master (2005) suggests two options of how it can be included in the teachers’ education program, which is described as general ESP track or ESP education for a special category. The author recommended history and development of ESP, ESP skills (writing and reading), materials assessment and development, curriculum, assessment, assessment and evaluation, administration, and an in-depth focus in at least one area of ESP. However, some authors have posited that ESP training should be offered at the postgraduate program. One of the major theoretical frameworks to uphold this view is called Pre-service ESP Teacher Training (PETT) (Koné, 2007). It is a framework developed to describe the formative process of an ESP teacher. It was originally developed from competence level theory propounded by Thomas (1987). This level includes Language Learning Competence (LLC), Language Teacher Competence (LTC), and Language Teacher Education Competence (LTEC). However, Koné (2007) added one extra layer, which he termed ESP Teacher Competence (ETC). Pham & Ta, (2016) developed the latest framework of PETT in Vietnam context for teaching ESP as an additional skill for in-service teachers. The scholars replaced LTEC level for In-service English teachers in Thomas framework with the ETC devised by Koné (2007). In the authors’ argument, non-native ESL teachers should have the first two-level of competence (LLC and LC), and non-native ESP teachers should have the third level of ETC.

The above analysis has shown that the implementation of an effective and successful ESP program at the undergraduate level is feasible in Chile. Also, the continuous training and restricting of English Teachers to practice locally and within the jurisdiction of education is not helping human capital production necessary for transnational service economies of the nation (Luke, 2004). The author maintains that it limits the hybridization and blending of forms of professional habitus by delimiting the social fields that count as legitimate for teaching practice. Thus, a new curriculum in English teacher pedagogy program that can transform Preservice English teachers into a generic consumer of multinational products with a narrowly local, regional and national epistemic standpoint is highly recommended by the author.

Conclusion

The main goals of the current study were to determine the demand and supply of branches of EFL services in the Chilean ELT industry by using market segmentization. Likewise, evaluate how Initial English teachers’ education program curriculum is preparing future teachers for the opportunities and demands of the industry. This study has found that generally, there is more potential demand for ESP courses rather than EGP courses across the major segments of the industry.

Furthermore, the lack of ESP and the focus of EGP in the pre-service teachers’ education curriculum is not meeting all the ELT service demands needed in B2B and B2G segments of the industry. Thus, the curriculum is designed to meet only primary and secondary school educational needs. In other words, English language training in a corporate setting has either been neglected or has yet to be explored. Therefore, English teachers can access more job opportunities in the industry, provided they receive ESP training during their English pedagogy program. This work contributes to existing knowledge of ELT industries by identifying EFL teaching job prospects that abound in Chile. The study is limited by the use of a non-empirical methods that draw on personal observations and reflection on current situation in Chilean education system. What is now needed is an empirical study that investigate how to bridge EFL teacher education and its industry in the country.

References

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