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Mobility
DROFoLTA (Detecting and Removing Obstacles to Foreign Language Teaching Abroad)
Do language teachers spend enough time abroad?
The opportunity to spend time in a country where the language is spoken and access to regular training underlie the European Commission's principle that all language teachers have adequate experience of using the language they teach and understanding of its associated culture.
The DROFoLTA (Detecting and Removing Obstacles to Foreign Language Teaching Abroad) project follows a recent study on teacher mobility in the EU and complements the Commission's Action Plan for promoting language learning and linguistic diversity.
The study is led by the Universitat Oberta de Catalunya and the "Blanquerna" Faculty of Communication Science at Universitat Ramon Llull, with CILT, the National Centre for Languages acting as UK partner.
The DROFoLTA research report complements the European Commission's Action Plan for promoting language learning and linguistic diversity and to make practical recommendations for action at European and national levels.
Previous work has identified a number of obstacles to the mobility of schoolteachers, particularly in Comenius projects. However, little was known about how language teachers understand and perceive the incentives and barriers associated with mobility. Research was split into three components: desk research, a survey of individual teachers across 31 countries and work with relevant stakeholders.
The study uncovered a number of obstacles, many of them coexisting. Obstacles were least and motivation highest among the younger schoolteachers who did not have family responsibilities. Nonetheless, there was widespread agreement in two areas: the concern that mobility could interfere with domestic responsibilities, and the perception that whatever their income, teachers engaging in transnational mobility will end up having to invest in net terms. There was also concern about the impact of mobility on job security, the loss of social security and pension rights, and its negative impact upon promotion prospects.
The report makes a number of recommendations based on these obstacles including:
- limiting exchanges to a single term to overcome demand on specific countries (particularly the UK and Ireland)
- an increase in the number and range of exchange opportunities
- a revision of selection procedures for bilateral exchanges
- procedures to recognise professional qualifications of language teachers
- increased transparency and improved dissemination channels regarding mobility opportunities
- special compensatory incentives for those with family responsibilities
- consideration of salary levels and appropriate compensation for long-term mobility
- portability of pensions across Europe
- positive recognition of time spent teaching abroad for career advancement
- a consensus of skills needed and support for European-wide training
It further recommends the drafting of a mobility strategy specifically for foreign language teachers.
The full report is available to download from ec.europa.eu/education/policies/lang/doc/detect_en.pdf.
