Teachers left behind as English school fails to provide work

A significant number of English teachers have been left behind, finding themselves out of work in mid-summer because the language school that employs them does not have enough work to provide.

Employed on what can be considered a virtually zero-hour contract, English teachers at a particular language school basically have no say in how many hours they work and are contractually obligated to work every time they are asked to work at the absolute discretion of their employer.

While it is understandable that the amount of work available varies depending on the season, these teachers are told to “wait” as work may be available in other branches of the school.

However, when they ask these other branches of the school if they have work available, they are denied and told that there is “currently” no work.

According Newsbook.com.mtmany affected teachers, mostly students who teach part-time during the summer, were promised a full summer of work, ending up with no income in mid-August and no hope of finding another job for the rest of their the season.

The number of students in language schools remains well below pre-Covid levels

However, according to recent reports, students with high English scores are being offered free English lessons to help fill the shortage of tutors.

It is understood that high season for English language schools is right at the start of summer, decreasing over the last few months.

The work does not seem to be evenly distributed throughout the summer, resulting in a shortage of teachers at the start of the season and an excess towards the end of the summer.

“We are working hard to return to all year-round operations”

When contacted about the matter, the language school in question said it was working hard to return to full year-round operations to secure a career for its teachers and staff.

“We are investing heavily in pushing back the off-peak months for long courses which keep teachers, staff, coach companies, restaurants, local host families, hotels and local businesses busy all day. year,” they said.

What is a zero hour contract?

A zero-hour employment contract does not specify the number of hours the employee can be required to work per week and does not oblige the employer to provide a minimum working time. Employees are only required to be available to perform their duties when requested by the employer.

Although the use of zero-hour employment contracts has become common practice in Malta, such contracts are not regulated by Maltese law.

As a result, several issues arise as a result of zero-hours contracts, particularly with regard to employment conditions and the level of protection afforded to workers.

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