Join

Those with the power to hire and fire (or take disciplinary action) are not eligible for membership. This means that a DOS cannot join the union. 

The role of an ADOS in one school can be very different from the role of an ADOS in another. Having limited supervisory responsibilities doesn’t make you ineligible for membership, which is why senior teachers can join the union. If you are an ADOS, drop us an email at [email protected] to discuss your situation.

Membership fees are on a sliding scale, so the more you earn, the more you pay. Most members pay around £10 a month. Subs are important to keep the union functioning, but more important is having an active membership. We have no paid officers or organisers, so all funds go to supporting active campaigns and legal fees.

Absolutely not. We will never tell your school you are a member of the union unless you tell us to.

If you are genuinely self-employed (providing private one-on-one lessons to students, for example) the union is not structured to be able to offer you much in the way of support although you are eligible for membership. 

However, we’ve found that many “self-employed” teachers are not really self-employed. Some schools use bogus self-employment contracts in order to limit the benefits you are entitled to such as holiday pay. 

If you are working in a school on a self-employed contract, we encourage you to join the union. Once you’re a member, you should contact the union so that a union representative can look at your contract to determine if your self-employed status is correct. If you’re falsely self-employed, we can help.

If you’re having any workplace issues, let us know at [email protected]. It’s always helpful if you can send us a copy of your contract and your employee handbook when you email us. If other people at your school are also affected, we are happy to organise a meeting with all of you – even if your workmates aren’t union members yet!

If you’ve got skills to share (writing, social media, graphics or anything else!) or if you want to get trained up as a rep or officer, it’s [email protected]. 

Most importantly, if there are things you want to change about your school, we have experienced organisers who will support you every step of the way. We even run a free workplace organising training program. Email us for more information.

We rely on our members to become active in their own workplaces and in the wider union. Once you join, you’ll have lots of opportunities to get trained up as a rep, to become an officer, or to get involved in a campaign. Drop us a line!

Even if things seem good at the moment, it’s still important to know your rights. You’re always going to be safest when you and your workmates are in the union and there’s a trained-up union rep at your workplace. 

Remember: be proactive. We will always support our members, but it’s always more difficult in the middle of a crisis. Always contact the union at the first sign of trouble.

The TEFL Workers’ Union is part of the Industrial Workers of the World. By joining the TEFL Workers’ Union, you’re also joining the IWW. This means you can become involved – and get support from – both the TEFL Workers’ Union and your local IWW branch.