Agreed - however, occasionally, our concerns may conflict with others - often it is normal for administrators/cleaners etc. to belong to a separate bargaining unit,

I would never turn away if they needed advice, though our advice may not be in line with their concerns

I disagree because in most language school jobs, the admin staff are often pitted against the teaching staff in a classic divide-and-conquer manoeuvre.

If we want genuine, positive changes in working conditions for ourselves, how can we turn a blind eye if others are being treated unfairly? Aren't we all stronger if we are united and don't allow ourselves to be pitted against each other? Can you give a concrete example of teachers concerns conflicting with others?

I can, but I don't know how well it would apply across contexts.

In Japan's language schools teachers are often strongarmed into teaching lessons they are untrained for (e.g. Standardised tests, ESP) with no training and short notice. It's in the teacher's interest to give a quality lesson but also to be helpful to staff as they often have the say in scheduling and such. Staff have responsibilities to the bottom line and frequently only that. They are not interested in teacher gripes.

I've no problem in showing solidarity with school staff as such but they are frequently our managers and frequently behave as antagonists. One of the reasons I am fairly anti-union is because they lack bite from too much cozying up to management. There needs to be a clear understanding of who we are advocating for.

I see what you mean, Marc. In cases where the admin staff are not actually managers, it's important to make that distinction--they are doing the bidding of the managers and may seem to have certain 'privileges', but may also be underpaid and over-worked. In the case of assigning classes, doesn't the manager's decision override that of the secretary making the schedule? So isn't it the manager who actually wields power in this situation? If so, the teachers' concerns should be addressed to the manager, not the admin staff. The admin staff may not appear to be interested in teacher gripes, but if we mis-direct our frustration toward them when they are only carrying out management directives, we are only making it easier for the management to exploit everyone.

Sure, but would you say administrators are more likely to be sympathetic to us or management? Probably most would be aspiring managers (in Japan; no idea about elsewhere).

@theresagorman Hi Theresa - nobody is saying we turn a blind eye. I'm arguing that as a teachers' group we serve teachers' interests. If others want to do the same, then I support them. It is normal (at least in the UK) for teachers to be represented in one bargaining unit, and the admin staff in another. At my uni in Bristol, admin staff are represented by UNISON, building services are represented by UNITE, and teachers and lecturers are represented by UCU. We liaise all the time. Most teaching unions in the UK do not represent admin staff.

We cannot represent everyone's interests.

as a virtual entity i think relying on traditional group processes for precedent may not be so relevant?

though i agree that if we have the present name of our virtual group then supporting non-teachers will look confusing.

maybe change wording to something like "we welcome solidarity and collaboration with non-teaching language staff"?