Humanising Language Teaching
Year 2; Issue 6; November 2000

PARADOX: IN-COMPANY LANGUAGE TRAINING.
An article for teachers of English in Argentina

by Silvia Ventura,
IdiomaNET
Buenos Aires - Argentina

Why paradox? Those who are in this business -in Argentina- will probably understand immediately. Things have changed a lot. And the following is not a judgement, just an observation on reality.

Ten years ago, companies hired training services to give their employees a fringe benefit, may be to keep them happier, or just because everyone else was doing it and it was just part of what all HR people in medium and large companies were doing. Obviously, it was also important –and somewhat expected- that students learnt.

What happens today? Cost-benefit rate is what counts. At least this is a key issue, maybe not the only one, but key anyway. Companies do not want to -and can not- waste money. They invest money in training and they expect students to learn. Why? Because they need a good command of the English language to perform better at their jobs.

Students have to learn. And that's what teachers are hired for. We teachers have a big responsibility: to help them improve their skills with the language. And there is nothing teachers like most than watching their students learn, improve, acquire new skills with the language … And you did that miracle! Besides, teachers love challenge, always have! Helping students overcome their problems with language learning pays for all our effort, preparing classes, researching material, cutting and pasting, changing boring texts into games, attending all teacher training events available, and so on.

In-company training is becoming a more difficult, complicated, many-sided thing, though. Students and Training Managers are harder to please. Sometimes it's even harder trying to understand what is it they look for or what they want about a course. But whatever goes wrong –from their point of view- is teachers' fault. Or maybe the material that is not updated or according to their needs. Maybe the problem is that they need a "native" teacher. Or changing the book. Or adding more video. Or dropping the grammar book. Or just changing the teacher. More work by mail? We teachers always very patiently listen to all these speeches. Isn't it so?

Now, what about our students? What about their commitment to the training plan? What about their very poor attendance? And when they do come? Are they there always on time, willing to learn? Do they do any extra work apart form being present less than 50% of the assigned time for class? Am I being too generous saying 50%? Do they study or do they just think that with what they do in class –when they come- it is enough to get a good level, like the one we teachers have, for example? We teachers know the answers.

But we love our students, don't we? Always! All of them! And we understand them. Because what they say when we ask them and talk to them is also and completely true. They are stressed, tired, spend too many hours at work, want to learn and need to learn but can't find enough motivation, need more time with their family, still have to finish their studies, can't learn under so much pressure, try to read on the train but fall asleep or just can't concentrate thinking of tomorrow's work load or what his or her spouse will say when they arrive so late again, … Come on! Give our poor little things a break! How can someone learn this way! But remember, at the end of the way, it's always the teachers' fault. We have to look for the right way of making things happen. And this is also correct. We provide a service and the customers expect quality that excels and measurable results. Fortunately teachers love challenge.

Did I say customer? Another key word. There's the teacher and the students. But also there's the supplier and the customer. Big paradox. During class or all over relationship between teacher and student, sometimes you are a teacher sometimes you are a supplier. The student is sometimes a student, sometimes he or she is a customer. To learn, they need to place themselves in the student's position. Customers are not there to learn. Customers buy products or services. Probably, as it is becoming a bit difficult for them to perform as students, they find it sort of comfortable to behave as customers instead, where they are always right. We suppliers have to please them. We need to please them. And we need to keep them. Fortunately we teachers love challenge.

What can we do now after all this? Swap profession? Kill ourselves? Kill them? Give up? Wait until reality kicks out of the market? Never. None of these. We have to go on trying hard. Because we love challenge. And probably we couldn't survive out of the class. We love what we do. We love our students. We love to make it happen.

One thing is inevitably true: being a good teacher is not enough. Your teaching skills are taken for granted. You have to develop other skills as well. Skills that have to do with psychological insight, customer satisfaction, public relations, human resources, triggering motivation, e-learning, management, dealing with change, executive training, leadership… Shall I go on? We teachers know what's on this list.