New Immigration Laws to Impact TEFL Teachers

Posted by Erin MacKenzie - 11:17 on 17 June 2010

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New rules to be brought forward by ministers will require all non-EU immigrants marrying British citizens to have a basic command of English before they are allowed to live in the UK.

Applications will not be approved unless immigrants can prove they have a certain level of English and the Home Secretary, Theresa May, has stated that “this is only the first step” and the government plans to further tighten language requirements in the future. It has been estimated that the measures would reduce applications by 10%.

The plans have faced some criticism from groups claiming that they are not necessary with Hina Majid from the Joint Council for the Welfare of Immigrants claiming that they “will tear migrant families apart”.

Once an application is approved a two year visa would be granted, after which immigrants can apply to stay but will have to sit a test on British life and language. Teachers of English as a foreign language may benefit from the government’s plans to promote a higher level of English amongst immigrants, particularly if there are intentions to introduce further changes to language requirements.

TEFL Scotland co-founder, Joe Hallwood, states that his company are in a good position to respond to a potential increase in the number of people requiring English tuition: “We’ve seen a 23% increase in the number of people wanting to teach in the UK rather than abroad and we’re well placed to train further teachers using our online ESOL course which enables people to teach in the UK”.

59,000 people from outside the EU were granted a visa to live in the UK with their partner last year and while this number is likely to decrease if immigrants are required to pass an English test it is probable that within the UK there will be an increase in demand for TEFL teachers.

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“I am writing to let you know that I have been here, in Togliatti in Russia, for almost a year now! My visa has just been renewed for another year (annual renewal process) and I have been given a 3 year contract. All this is down to one simple fact - TEFL! After doing my weekend course in Edinburgh and the 50 hour Language and Grammar, I suddenly had opportunities that were closed to me in the past. Now I have so many interesting and exciting memories of my time here. Every day has been an adventure and has certainly kept me on my toes! The Togliatti Chamber of Commerce have invited me to speak at the opening of their new tourist initiative! I helped design the website for one of my students, and next thing I knew I had received an invitation to speak at their prestigious event. ” Colin, currently teaching in Russia