Teachers at Escape English, on Oxford Street in London, have secured a pay scale for the first time. This saw the pay of some increase by more than a third.
A teacher from Escape English said:
“No one expects to get rich teaching English, but we do expect to be treated with respect and paid a wage that we can live on. Escape wasn’t doing that before but with union support we were able to achieve an equitable pay scale that benefitted all of us.”
Infamous for its high turnover, Escape English was one of the few schools that continued to hire teachers over the course of the COVID crisis. When the school returned to in-person teaching, the teachers got to know each other better and discovered a deeply uncomfortable truth. Those who had been hired during the pandemic and online teachers were on vastly different rates.
Longer serving teachers had been hired at £15 an hour while those hired during the pandemic as classroom teachers were on £13. Online teachers were making as little at £10 an hour. Coupled with what teachers viewed as unfair pay policies around one-on-one and exam classes, this caused outrage amongst the staff.
The staff at Escape were not prepared to take this injustice lying down. Once word spread, teachers (not management!) called a staff meeting where teachers aired their concerns. Local managers were so taken aback that they called in the owner of the company to fly in from mainland Europe to speak to workers about their issues.
Working collectively, teachers put together a pay scale that more accurately reflected the time and effort that goes into the job. Teachers were careful to ensure that lower-paid members of staff would see the largest bump in pay and that, whatever the scale ultimately looked like, no one’s pay would be reduced.
Recognising the depth of feeling amongst the staff, senior management were quick to offer concessions. The pay scale put forward by teachers was largely accepted. Teachers saw a near-universal pay rise with many teachers winning pay rises of one, two, or three pounds. As a result, wages are not only far higher at Escape, but far more equitable, too.
However, management were still playing hardball on timescales. Teachers wanted the new scale in effect from the next pay slip, but management wanted 6 months. In the end, it was agreed that the school would have three months to resolve the pay issue.
In October, three months after the Escape teaching staff initially raised concerns, teachers took home a larger pay packet; one which was won through their own dedication and willingness to stand together and demand more for themselves and from their bosses.
TEFL Workers’ Union representative Ray Goodspeed said:
“I have nothing but respect for the workers at Escape. They were willing to speak out against a clear injustice and demand better from their employer. They got organised, raised the issues, and kept the pressure up until management finally came round. This is how better working conditions are won.”
The lessons from Escape are as simple as they are inescapable.
First and foremost, when we stand together, we can make change. It may involve stepping outside of your comfort zone. There might be some tense moments. But it can be done.
Second, when pushed, our bosses find the money. The teachers at Escape achieved all this during the pandemic. When all of our bosses told us the sky was falling and the industry was in freefall, money could still be found when workers were willing to fight for it.
Third, having a union at your back is a huge benefit. Our union is, above all else, a network of dedicated TEFL workers. We become active in the union because we want to make this industry better. People with experience as union reps and campaigners support newer members because we know the only way we’re ever going to change TEFL is if we all stick together.
With that in mind, the TEFL Workers’ Union sends our congratulations to the staff at Escape English. Fighting for and winning a pay rise and a proper pay scale is no small thing. By showing it can be done you have set an example that TEFL workers across the world can follow.
Does your school have a proper pay scale? Have you had a pay rise this year? If the answer to either of those questions is no, the TEFL Workers’ Union has got your back. You can reach a union rep at [email protected] who will be happy to sit down with you and your workmates to offer guidance and advice.