Olga Mhilli worked as an English teacher at the Sydney College of English for more than seven years. She made a good career there, starting as a casual tutor and then becoming a senior teacher and then working as acting program director.
She says she was very proud to be part of "one of the oldest and the most respected English colleges in Australia". But its closure had a traumatic effect on her and her colleagues.
“Our college was founded in 1987,” Ms Mhilli says. “Its closure came as a big shock because the college survived so many difficulties in the past including the 2008 financial crisis, but unfortunately didn’t survive COVID-19.”
Another teacher at the now-closed college, Eugenia Arbekova, echoes Ms Mihilli's feelings and says that while she is going to be fine with her experience and JobKeeper payments, things look bleak for many of her colleagues.
Olga Mhilli with her students at the Sydney College of English Source: Supplied by Olga Mhilli
“Unfortunately, not all the teachers could get into this JobKeeper program because many of them were casuals and worked less than a year”, Ms Arbekova told SBS Russian.
“Now our students were transferred to another college and there they take only those teachers who are eligible for a Jobkeeper. What the rest will do, I do not know, but obviously they will no longer teach.”
She says the ELICOS (English Language Intensive Courses for Overseas Students) industry had become "very unstable" long before the coronavirus and many of her colleagues began thinking about a career change. One of Ms Arberkova's former colleagues, John Miskaryan, says that despite his love for teaching, he left the ELICOS industry for good.
So, a year and a half ago, he quit teaching and became a corporate photographer.
"There were fewer and fewer students... not many students come to Australia to really study English. For many it’s just a loophole to get a visa and enter the country," he says.
"And when you work in such an environment where only 10-20 per cent of your students are there to learn, it's hard to stay passionate and motivated."
The ELICOS industry is considered as an important part of Australian international education, bringing a great revenue to the economy. But Kendall Warren from Independent Education Union of Australia says the industry has many issues in terms of regulations.
“To be honest it’s a sector that has always kept us very busy, even before the pandemic. It’s a very small part of the Union but it creates a great part of work. Many colleges don’t follow the rules, it’s very common for teachers to be underpaid.
"I know that two or three colleges have already closed in May. I don't think the federal government has done any favours by not giving any assistance to international students and short term visa holders, so we have to wait and see how it turns out.
"I think there's light at the end of the tunnel, but it's a very dark tunnel. I think we'll see a lot of colleges simply go out of business, while a JobKepeer will kind of keep some of them afloat in a short term, but it doesn't fix the problem," Mr Warren said.
The allegations that there were the longstanding problems with the ELICOS sector are also supported by an education agent from Sydney Alexander Petrov, who has been working with international students for more than a decade.
He says there were "too many" English schools and some of them became “visa shops” rather than educational institutes.
The number of students at another Sydney college, CTIC (Cass Training), also continues to fall. According to its academic manager Maxine Feutz, the college had about 230 students before the pandemic which is now down to 120.
Educational agent Alexander Petrov at an exhibition in Moscow talks about the benefits of education in Australia Source: Supplied
She says they are "very lucky" to still run 10 classes, with most of the teachers on the Jobkeeper program.
“Although the borders have been closed for some time, a lot of the existing students have extended their visas because in some way it’s safer for them to stay here. For example, South Americans from countries such as Columbia; they physically can’t go home because their borders are closed. And we try to support them offering payment plans and installment plans and so on,” Ms Feutz says.
She says while they are trying "not to panic" and “live through COVID crisis week by week”, if the borders remain closed for a long time, their prospects are rather bleak.
Graduation Day at Sydney College of English, July 2018 Source: Facebook @SydneyCollegeOfEnglish
“I’m in disbelief, I think we hear a lot that the borders will be closed until 2021. And if that's the case I don’t see much future for our industry. The student numbers are limited that businesses share that are already onshore," she says.
Speaking in May about post-pandemic economic recovery, Prime Minister Scott Morrison said the government was not planning to lift border restrictions “anytime soon”, but added the country will continue its discussions with New Zealand for a trans-Tasman safe travel zone.
However, Ms Feutz says the talks about starting international travel between Australia and New Zealand and other low-risk destinations, like Taiwan, is an encouraging sign.
She says the prevailing sentiment within the industry is that opening the borders sooner rather than later is absolutely essential.
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