UNPACKING ENGLISH LANGUAGE TEACHER-TUTOR BURNOUT IN KYRGYZSTAN: CAUSES, CONSEQUENCES, AND COPING STRATEGIES

Abstract

Private supplementary tutoring has emerged as a widespread out-of-school learning activity globally, commonly referred to as ‘shadow education.’ In Kyrgyzstan, the rising demand for English proficiency has led many local English language schoolteachers to provide fee-based English private tutoring (EPT) alongside their regular school duties. Balancing dual roles as teachers and tutors imposes considerable strain, often resulting in burnout, which is characterised by mental and physical exhaustion due to excessive work and insufficient self-care. While the well-being and burnout of language teachers have been increasingly explored in formal education settings, the experiences of schoolteachers engaged in EPT remain underexamined, especially in less-researched contexts such as Kyrgyzstan. This qualitative study seeks to address this lacuna by investigating the motivations driving eight Kyrgyzstani EFL (English as a Foreign Language) teachers to pursue EPT, the underlying causes of their burnout, its consequences, and the strategies they adopt to manage its effects. Narrative writing and individual semi-structured interviews were employed to collect data. The study is guided by Bronfenbrenner’s (1994) ecological systems theory and Carver’s (2020) Brief-COPE framework. Thematic analysis revealed that participants were motivated by financial necessity, career advancement, personal fulfilment, greater instructional autonomy, and high demand from parents and students. The study also found that participants’ burnout resulted from emotional labour, institutional neglect, societal undervaluing of teachers, and competition in the private tutoring market. Reported consequences included serious physical and mental health challenges, strained family and social relationships, and growing professional insecurity. Participants primarily relied on proactive, problem-focused coping strategies, though some turned to avoidance or spiritual practices. The study highlights the urgent need to implement regulatory frameworks for the shadow education sector in Kyrgyzstan and similar contexts, to recognise the urgent needs of language teacher-tutors, and to develop targeted policies that safeguard their well-being and strengthen their professional identities across different settings. Keywords: Shadow education, English private tutoring (EPT), language teacher-tutor burnout, Kyrgyzstan, qualitative inquiry