Making it work: The politics of precarious employment in adult English language teaching in British Columbia, Canada

In Canada, English as an additional language (EAL) teachers of adults perform the socially and economically necessary work of assisting newcomers and international students to develop the language skills they need for work, education and life in Canada. Wedged between K-12 and higher education settings, teachers' work in this sector is often invisible, undervalued, and precarious. Few studies have examined this work from both education and labour studies perspectives, gaps that this mixed methods study seeks to address. With the goal to investigate the conditions that produce labour insecurity in this sector, the study works with the concepts of precarious employment and relationality to examine the employment landscape and working conditions of adult EAL educators in British Columbia (B.C.). The research proceeded in three phases: a sector policy mapping, an online employment survey with 115 EAL teachers, and 12 in-depth interviews with teachers, union leaders, and program administrators. Survey results suggest a prevalence of multiple forms of employment insecurity among teachers and that, despite these conditions, many educators tried to "make it work," mitigating the effects of these poor educational conditions on their students and signaling a strong relational and ethical commitment among teachers. However, "making it work" often had negative effects on educators' health and wellbeing. Using policy anthropology and vignette methodologies to analyze interview findings, it becomes clear that instability and fragmentation are enduring features of the adult EAL education labour market in B.C. Other features that are highlighted include the role of gender and the labour of care in EAL teaching, the complexity of union effectiveness, and the uneven effects of precarity on racialized EAL teachers, who experience distinct barriers to obtaining and maintaining secure employment. However, teachers are key actors in shaping the landscape of this growing sector through their educational labour, which holds potential as a source of empowerment and positive change. Reimagining EAL teacher professionalism from a relational perspective may open spaces for new pathways towards justice for teachers, students, and their communities. The experiences of adult EAL educators have implications for teacher labour and union organizing in K-12 and higher education settings.