Of course, peace is the main concern of many of today while, oddly enough, it would appear that an age-old conflict such as that in the Middle East has not as yet reach what might be considered a manageable or even tolerable stage. And, generally speaking, likewise has the case of the international ESL marketplace. Nonetheless, like all worthwhile confrontations in this coexistence, the struggle continues. But, by the same token, more and more of us -- particularly the newcomers to ESL -- continue to be deceived left and right and in practically every land on the planet. Yet, ironically enough, with both the whining and legitimate complaints, so many of us still feel that our comments have hardly been aired to the right sources, let alone acted upon. Granted, the aspects of profit/loss of any ESL business enterprise usually take precedence over the concerns of its peons, without whose efforts, incidentally, management wouldn't be in a position to realize even one nickle's worth of profit! Granted, there have been some employers on this and other boards who have manifested genuine interest in the needs of their instructors -- both imported and domestic. But being content in merely the recognition of legitimate gripes is far from ridding oneself of same, not to mention providing a cure for what ails the employees concerned. Admittedly, there is a veritable army out there of those who, in fact, are not qualified to teach anything human, yet one cannot really expect these hungry slobs to discern the difference between the real teachers and themselves, now can we? It is YOU, THE EMPLOYER who must take the initiative to draw the distinction between the wheat and the chaff ... the goodies and the baddies. This means either personal interviews (perhaps as part of a yearly recruitment tour), or YOUR solicitation of records and recommendations from all major sources cited in an applicant's rsum. If I may ("apologies" to The Observer), as an employer, from the very start, you must set stringent operational parameters. Also, if I might respectfully make one additional key suggestion, it certainly wouldn't hurt you to consider the services of a business/ESL-experienced native speaker to act in a management capacity -- not only to investigate and recommend the hiring of your foreign teaching staff, but more importantly to adjudge each and every contestant from a western point of view and present such findings to the eastern executive staff for joint consideration and selection. In other words, it would probably profit you greatly to have a native-speaking coordinator who stems from the ESL business, has a knowledge of and experience in business procedure and (western) personnel coordination. Grin and bear it: when you've located the right individual for such a key position, be prepared to offer a western-based salary with the trimmings, if only because he'll be worth his weight in gold! Hell! If I weren't so occupied at present, I would throw my own hat in the ring for such a challenging task!!!

My dear "Disturbed," I assure you there are means by which to expertly address your problem. I grant you, there are some implacable aspects to dismiss, however, this is not to say the overall problem is unsolvable. As yours is a business enterprise which demands the contributions of both The East and West, it is mandatory that all foreign persons employed by you possess the skill, experience, and progressive attitude in this totally worthwhile international communications undertaking.

Believe me, I am in your corner on this issue.

Your friend,

The Arrogant One