There is a big boom in the language industry. Thanks to globalization, more and more people are realizing the importance of being able to speak English in order to advance in their careers.

This has led to a boom in ESL training schools. Students can now choose from traditional classes in schools and universities, specialized classes (normally taken at night or on weekends), one on one tutorials, and online classes.

As with all booms, there are unscrupulous individuals looking to make a fast buck, often exploiting teachers and students in the process. For example, there are mass recruiters that will conveniently ignore the agreements in the contract, such as the number of working hours per day, and the net payment.

The sorry lack of accreditation and government quality control are also very disturbing. Because of the loopholes in the law, anyone can open a business and then present it as a language school, even if the teachers are not properly trained, or the curriculum is haphazard.

Students and teachers who wish to protect themselves from these charlatans can go to the Internet and look for black lists and gray lists, which name the schools that are known to break the law, or conversely, schools that have an impeccable reputation.

ESL in Europe

As the European Union has grown, so has the use of English as the language of commerce and trade. There is a huge demand for ESL teachers, with students from both the academe and the private or commercial sector. Teachers will be pleased to find many job opportunities and can enjoy a good standard of living.

ESL in Hong Kong

Pay and working conditions in Asia for ESL teachers vary. In Hong Kong, English is taught with great rigor and high expectations, partially due to the ties of the country to the United Kingdom. In fact, the government has released a lot of money to fund research in ESL. There is also a high demand in Japan and South Korea, and the shortage of fluent English speakers has prompted universities to offer to shoulder travel and housing expenses to get the best teachers. Pay can be something around two thousand dollars upwards.