Teaching at a Nonprofit School
At Na’atik we are lucky to have a team of dedicated English teachers from all over the world. These experienced educators bring a wealth of knowledge and skills that help our students reach their full potential. With global demand for high quality English as a foreign language teachers at an all time high, those joining Na’atik are often motivated by Na’atik’s mission to improve the lives of local students, joining a nonprofit organization over more lucrative positions in better developed locations.
Nick, who joined Na’atik as a teacher this year, and has been working primarily with our teen students, has written about how he is finding working in a nonprofit environment and how it compares to working in for-profit English schools.
After more than four years of teaching in for-profit English language schools, I decided to make a change and look for a position in a nonprofit setting. That decision led me to Na’atik. The differences between for-profit and nonprofit are noticeable, not only in the way they are run, but in the ways I and my fellow teachers can teach and deliver education to students.
My Experience
I’ve worked as an ESL (English as a Second Language) teacher for over 4 years now. My career began in Nara, Japan, where I taught at a local, privately owned, for-profit English language school providing classes to children and adults. When I returned to the UK, I worked for an adult education company that provided English language education to refugees, funded by the British government. After that, I worked for a large international ESL brand in Bulgaria, before eventually traveling to Mexico to join the team at Na’atik.
Teaching at For-Profit English Schools
For-profit English schools often operate with a business-first mentality where the focus is on attracting students, retaining them, and ensuring the school meets its financial goals. As a teacher, I liked and found the structured curriculum that these schools provided useful and I enjoyed working with motivated adult students who were often learning to improve their careers or university prospects.
However, the structure also came with challenges. Retention was often prioritized above all else, even when it came at the expense of educational outcomes. If a young student didn’t enjoy traditional lessons, we were told to shift to game and entertainment-based activities – even if it meant sacrificing educational value. This approach often felt more like running a daycare than fostering meaningful learning.
This also means younger students are often treated as “investments” for the next decade. I was told that if I kept the starter students happy and enrolled, that meant the school would be earning from them for many years to come.
As we needed to keep students enrolled, I was sometimes required to tolerate disruptive behavior that hindered classroom learning for other students. Management was afraid of parents removing students that misbehaved as that would be another investment lost. I felt that in most cases retention was prioritized over a productive educational environment.
These previous examples underline the clear focus on numbers in those schools: number of students enrolled and number of students paying. We would often be required to pass students onto the next level and class, regardless of their progress, as it meant parents and students would keep paying.
For-profit schools excel at providing a polished experience, but there can be a limit to how much impact you can have as an educator when profits dictate priorities.
The Nonprofit Difference
Student’s working outside in Na’atik’s garden during a power outage
Working at a nonprofit language school has been a great experience. There isn’t such a focus on students as a source of profit or income. There’s a bigger focus on the school community and what we can give back to the local community. For our students, English isn’t just a new skill, but a lifeline to better career and educational prospects in their future.
In a nonprofit setting, I’ve found:
Flexibility to Meet Students’ Needs
Without the pressure of meeting sales targets, I have the freedom to focus on a variety of aspects in my lessons. I can spend more time working on foundational skills and addressing specific challenges with my students. I can take my time and design lessons to fit the educational needs of the students.
2. Student and Community Focus
At a for-profit school, students are often treated as customers, and customer satisfaction can sometimes come before educational needs. At Na’atik, the focus is on education and community. We don’t just count the number of students in seats, we also get them involved with the Na’atik community, through games nights, film club, and getting them involved with various activities during the year.
3. A Mission-Driven Approach
Our goal is to make English accessible to those who need it most, whether it’s a young adult seeking better employment or a child wanting a better education. With the scholarships we are able to provide thanks to generous donors we can help many underprivileged students gain an English language education that will open doors for them for the rest of their lives.
4. Staff Community
The sense of community among the staff at a nonprofit is very different to for-profits. Students, teachers, and staff work together toward a common goal. It is a source of satisfaction for everyone involved that our work helps people throughout the community.
Our 2024 English teaching team outside of Na’atik’s front gate.
Challenges and Rewards
Of course, working at a nonprofit isn’t without its challenges. Resources can be limited, and the equipment is not always the same quality as what we had access to at for-profits because funding depends on donations and income from the MaS Immersion Program. Students’ backgrounds and experiences of education are also different to students from other countries, and this can pose a challenge within the classroom.
However, the challenges are overshadowed by the rewards. For example, every school I worked at has had a Halloween party. At the for-profits, Halloween parties were small events with a charge, often aimed at generating more income. Yet the Na’atik Halloween party was much bigger with a well put together haunted house, costume contest, games, and food, and it was great to see that scholarship students were able to take part without charge. This is a great example of the huge difference between what for-profit and nonprofits are willing to give back to the students.
Na’atik staff and volunteer haunted house characters relax after a long night of Halloween frights and fun
Teaching here has reminded me why I became an English teacher in the first place: to make a difference. The work can be challenging, but the impact is immense. Nowadays education is often treated as a commodity, yet nonprofits can remind us that it’s a right which everyone deserves.
A big thank-you to Nick for sharing his experiences and also for all of his hard work in the classroom this year. It has been great to see his students flourishing under his guidance and hearing them show off their new English skills.
To read more about our local education program, and how our Spanish and Maya immersion experiences, online classes and donations help us to give local students access to opportunities that will help them create their own futures, check out our Impact page.