Welcome to our Education and Training Employees Association website, designed to help you organize your workplace. The ESL industry is lucrative for the owners, the agents, the tax department, and suppliers. However, teachers have no voice, in schools or in the industry, and hardly even have control over what happens in the classroom, and certainly have no control over salaries and benefits. There are expectations of extra unpaid work, such as curriculum development, and spending “free” time with students, in order to create a good atmosphere with no reward or even appreciation. Now, teachers are ready to make their new voice heard through taking charge of their workplaces, getting more professional control and satisfaction, and receiving a resultant increase in pay, benefits, and security.  International Language Schools of Canada, Pacific Language Institute, and King George International College have already decided in favour of these results.

Now, it’s YOUR turn. JOIN US!

As an example of owning our profession, the ETEA Professional Development committee has organized an open event for Friday, February, 17, 2012, at 555 Richards (ILSC) campus, third floor, from 12:30 to 2:30pm. The chairperson, Marina Sokolova, and her committee have planned two presentations and a plenary event. More information is available by clicking on our CALENDAR – Events page.

Another example of our intention to take more control is the event planned by the ETEA Organizing Committee. The members are taking a survey to the streets on February 9th and 13th-16th in order to get more information on the salaries, benefits, contracts, expectations,  etc. that are prevailing in our industry. If you can help, please contact us.

Also, the ETEA is inviting all ESL TEACHERS to an open social for any and all at Goldies Pizzeria at 605 West Pender (corner Pender/Seymour), 4:30-7:00pm. An informational survey will be available for those attending.

For the ETEA,

Michael Wicks,

President

 Our theme for 2011-12, “Building Our Future by Stepping Forward”, has been activated by Local #1 joining the Vancouver and District Labour Council as a way to link our efforts with other unions. The ETEA Professional Development committee held its first event successfully and is planning next year's activities. The Human Rights and Solidarity Committee supported a very successful province wide campaign to bring awareness to The Cuban Five. The organizing committee has spearheaded the protection of our members working at Greystone College, establishing a Common Employer declaration in order to do this. It is currently planning a new initiative for 2012. The Private Sector Local and Organizing Committee has made contact with PCTIA, the regulatory body for the private educational sector, as well as having discussions with Michelle Mungall, NDP MLA for the Kootenays regarding educational issues. We have much more to do, but our first steps forward have been productive.

 How does our democratic collective work? How do people learn to make collective decisions? This year,  ETEA Local #1 has demonstrated that our Constitution works: members, unhappy with the fact that they had given up ground in the last contract in order to help the employer, which had, indeed, benefitted from a subsequently strong economic market, as well as extra work by the teachers in larger classes, used the Constitution special meeting provision activated by a petition of 20% of the membership. The executive, whose duty it is to support the process, advanced the requests from that meeting, at which more than half the membership attended. This request resulted in additional compensation from the employer.

 Without a union, there would have been little chance to organize for and request this compensation, and  an even more remote chance of receiving one. A union gives voice to the membership. We are calling for other private education institution teachers to join the four other schools having already done so. The ESL field will be more productive for all when teachers have a voice, and take their power to improve their careers.

PLEASE JOIN US!

Best wishes for 2012.