Notes from the TEFL Graveyard

I have to admit that, over the years, I have developed a robust loathing of banks , perhaps because my late father, and his late brother, both worked for one, neither of them ever having a good word to say about them. Towards the end of my father’s career, bank employees went from being administrators of customers’ finances to being salespeople , something he simply couldn’t abide. Elderly customers always sought him out for his wisdom, patience and genuine credibility, and this relationship of trust was totally undermined by his being expected to sell them something at every opportunity, he felt. His exasperation grew as he neared retirement, to the point that, in one of those horrible motivational meetings only the David Ickes of this world can possibly find uplifting , the manager goaded staff that they simply weren’t selling enough insurance. “ [Name of high-street bank] makes enough bloody profit as it is!” my father protested, taking the stand that I think I still most admire h...