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Rob Burgess

Rob Burgess worked for the Guardian-owned personal finance magazine Money Observer before moving to Australia in 2003. He has since contributed to the Guardian Weekly's Learning English section on a range of education issues. By day he is commentary editor for the business and finance website BusinessSpectator.com.au, a role he took on following a five-year stint teaching journalism at Melbourne's La Trobe University.

July 2011

  • australia skills shortage

    Learning English
    Australia's boom runs dry of skills

    Migrant workers are in demand but training has been hit hard

April 2010

  • Foreign students shocked at college closures in Australia

    Learning English
    Australia's language climate change

    Financial difficulties, violence and changing immigration rules have left the education industry in disarray

November 2009

  • Indian activists in Canberra

    Learning English
    Australia weighs setting study bar

    Following bad publicity, Canberra is considering whether tighter language requirements could restore confidence

October 2008

  • Gum tree, Australia

    Language test deters new citizens

    Australia reviews 'basic English' exam as the number of applicants for naturalisation falls

September 2008

  • Australia rethinks migrant support

    As diverse demand from new arrivals forces a reappraisal of 'one-size-fits-all' language training, one volunteer group is experimenting with varied approaches to teaching, reports Rob Burgess

April 2008

  • Aboriginal children

    First person
    Failing Australia's indigenous children

    Vincent Forrester offers his perspective on the Aboriginal education sector

August 2007

  • Refugee camp at Mae La Oon

    First person
    Teaching refugees in Thailand

    How do the 150,000 refugees on the Thai-Burmese border receive an education?

February 2007

  • Space for learning on the shop floor

    Employers in Britain will be expected to play a bigger role in teaching workers English, but Australia's experience with workplace training provides some difficult lessons, reports Rob Burgess.

October 2006

  • Australia offers skills 'before departure'

    Refugees to arrive better prepared for culture and language, reports Rob Burgess

June 2005

  • Ill-used test raises campus concern

    Amid claims that Australian universities are enrolling foreign students with insufficient English skills, institutions are questioning how they assess and support students, reports Rob Burgess.

September 2004

  • Finding out how English scores on the pitch

  • Signs of slower international enrolments fail to scare the ELT 'canary'

July 2004

  • Learning lessons in a 'deficit' language

    Rob Burgess reports on efforts in Australia to raise the status of 'Aboriginal English'

April 2004

  • Australia must attune to Asia's voice

    Rob Burgess meets a campaigner for emerging English

November 2003

  • Australia questions students' skills

    Rob Burgess reports on concerns about language levels on university campuses

September 2003

  • Indonesia's expats told 'Bahasa is best'

    A proposal for all expatriate workers in Indonesia to pass a proficiency test in the national language could pose a serious problem for EFL providers, reports Rob Burgess.

June 2003

  • African migrants turn to self-help

    Rob Burgess on moves to bring ELT to Australia's 'left out' learners

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