“Poor conditions have changed little since James Joyce was teaching”

June 16th: As Bloomsday festivities take place through Dublin, trade union Unite today pointed out that James Joyce was himself an English Language Teacher and would recognise many of the issues confronting workers in the sector today.

“Precarious work and low pay are endemic in the ELT sector today, just as they were in 1904 when James Joyce was trying to scrape a living as an English Language Teacher at branches of the Berlitz School of English”, according to Unite Regional Organiser Roy Hassey.

“Well over a century later, English Language Teachers are organising to improve their terms and conditions and ensure that the booming ELT sector offers decent jobs.

“Our message is simple.  English Language Teachers – whether James Joyce in 1904 or Unite members in 2017 – are teachers, and deserve to be treated accordingly”, Roy Hassey said.