Re: Teaching English in Europe with no degree but TEFL certificate?

Earl Evleth writes:

> However, one minister passed over the rule and hired a well known
> Harvard Prof to Paris VI. This created a scandal and a legal suit by
> some other Professors at the University. But legal suits are long in
> France and before it could be resolved, the Harvard Professor decided
> to go back to Boston. I knew him personally and he said starting
> up a new lab in France was too difficult. In the US Universities have
> support facilities for the faculty, purchasing agents, hiring services
> for secretaries, cleaning staffs, building and ground maintenance. French
> Universities still work on the fiefdom structure of each Lord doing his own
> thing, recruiting, etc. If you want to paint your lab, you have to find
> a private contractor and work it out. In the US you call the central
> administration and University painters are sent up. Likewise
> he did not like the lack of interaction with students in lectures.
> American students will pop up with questions, the classroom human dynamics
> are better. French students just shut up and listen.

That's why the U.S. advances, and France does not.

But sometimes it creates opportunity. If teachers of English in
French public schools were not so woefully incompetent, I'd have very
few students today.

> In leaving, the legal issue was moot. In France, there is always a
> derogation possible. With piston, nearly anything can be done.

Like most Latin countries, the philosophy is to pass a great many laws
that nobody can possibly follow exactly to the letter, then avoid ever
enforcing them unless someone needs to be taught a lesson, in which
case you prosecute him for violation of a few laws (knowing that it's
impossible to avoid violating some of the laws, somewhere, because
they are designed that way).

Thus, you have the illusion of justice, but not the reality.

> In US universities it is considered incestuous to hire one
> of one's own grad students. In France it is a general practice.

France shoots itself in the foot a lot.

--
Transpose mxsmanic and gmail to reach me by e-mail.
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