Good post ManchuQueue.

>Presently, the ESL/TESOL field is a cistern. A receptacle for the placement of ill-mannered, mean-spirited, uneducated (empirical and higher education), uncaring, self-aggrandizing, hypocritical and egocentric individuals that roam the world making the lives of their employers, >students and the parents of these students - MISERABLE!

All those adjectives above, though, can surely at least, equally, describe a huge number of leaders, deans, managers and administrators of many schools that employ teachers of EFL in China, be they public or private institutions. During the time I've spent in four government schools in China, I have worked alongside about fifteen foreign teacher colleagues. Of those fifteen, I can confidently say that thirteen of them have been sincere, caring, professional, hard-working individuals, and a good number of those have been exceptionally dedicated to their students. The other two, while being nice friendly guys, were not very professional in their approach to teaching.

I have seen much more unprofessionalism from the leaders at my schools than from my fellow FTs (and no I'm not being biased). At my present school for instance we have a dean who in the last year has not organized one meeting for the FTs in our school to tell us about the schools objectives for the students in our classes. The only time I've managed to gain audience with anybody was on two occasions when on my request I managed to meet with the vice-dean. Seeing the materialistic, penny-pinching, deceptive, uncaring, and often incompetent practices of most school leaders that I've worked for, I think many students of EFL, at least in China have a bigger case for suing the school owners and managers rather than the teachers.

Another thing that should be borne in mind is that the host almost invariably has the choice of who he invites as a guest. Also being responsible for the conditions he offers his guests surely he shouldn't complain if he isn't able to attract as many of the quality guests he would like, if his conditions are severely lacking in quality. As far as I know foreign teachers do not force employers to hire them at gunpoint. I'm not saying that EFL teachers should not be held accountable for their actions but surely if a student really feels that a teacher has cheated them out of their rightful due of a proper education, due to incompetence, or apathy, then surely the buck stops with the employer who willingly choose to employ him: the same employer who EFL students are usually paying an arm and a leg to, for what is often advertized as something along the lines of "The best product that money can buy". Yes the student pays the EMPLOYER not the TEACHER. If you're paying the doctor, sue the doctor, if you're paying the hospital then before suing the doctor, surely you'd start with the people who knowingly and willingly employed the incompetent doctor- those who are taking your money on the understanding that they will hire the best people by providing good conditions and remunerations to attract the best. As has often been said before- EFL schools get what they pay for.

Again I'm not saying that EFL teachers should not be accountable for their actions, but in a debate about the legitimacy of suing teachers for professional incompetency, certainly in the context of EFL in China the culpability of their employers should not be ignored.