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No job, you're Asian..



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No job, you're Asian.. 
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Joined: Sat Jun 28, 2008 7:30 am
Posts: 3
Post No job, you're Asian..
I am an Asian but I received an English medium education since young, went to top schools in my country and graduated with a BA. My English is of native level, with General Cambridge Examinations' results to prove. I have been applying for Japan ESL teaching jobs for 1 month and the typical responses I get usually are like "Sorry, you are an Asian. You have to be a citizen from US, UK, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa to qualify as a native speaker." I also speak fluent Mandarin and near fluent Japanese. However, when some schools see that I am an Asian, they either lose interest in me or disregard my English qualifications. Do I have to look non-Asian to teach English? Is the accent a problem? I might not have the US/UK accents but I do have clear pronunciation as well. I will keep on trying and I hope that I will be able to see some positive responses soon. >_<;


Sat Jun 28, 2008 7:33 am
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Joined: Sat Jun 28, 2008 7:35 am
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They are probably worried about accent- many schools in asia want Canadian/Australian/American or British English-First language speakers because they believe that the english learning student will be able to mimic the foreign accent better. They might also be worried about the standard of English you have had in your education- they sadly lump all Asian schools together and deem them not as good as foreign schools- which is definitely not the case!

I would suggest looking into obtaining a TESL [or TESOL= Teaching English as a Second Language] certificate if you do not have one already, or perhaps look in to a course in linguistics- this would throw the accent possibility out.

Another possibility is the schools want a teacher they think speaks like an English-speaker does in terms of slang, contractions and grammatical errors... that might sound odd, but most native English speakers rarely speak "perfect" english, while people who learn English as a second language tend to commit less mistakes, use longer words and speak more formally. Schools now in Asia [I'm speaking mostly about Hong Kong] feel that their own teachers can teach the language mechanics (grammar etc.) but they want a English native speaker to handle the mannerisms part, which is starting to get more valued.

From your writing, I would say you have learned English fairly well, and the language in your question would pretty much match the language used by most people where I live [Vancouver, Canada]- however, there is a large percentage of Asian people here and I am half Chinese myself- it is my caucasian last name from my father that makes me a sought after ESL teacher.

I hope you don't give up! Keep trying- have you actually talked to the principals of the schools in person? That might demonstrate your language skills. Until then, I guess you could tutor ;) Best wishes!


Sat Jun 28, 2008 7:35 am
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Joined: Sat Jul 12, 2008 2:57 pm
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I expect your English is probably perfect. I know HK and Sg well, and they are native speakers. I spend a lot of time in India too where all educated Indians have a perfect mastery of the language. In Thailand where I live, it's not the schools that decide they don't want Asians (whenever they can they employ plenty of Filipinos) it's the parents.

It is natural for the parents in Korea, Taiwan, Japan and Thailand schools to associate native English speakers with European people from AU, NZ, CAN, the US & UK. People from those countries who are ethnic Asians are also going to get a hard time getting jobs in Asia.

Why not turn the tables on the trend and go to Europe? There are plenty of opportunities in the new EU countries, and whether you are from Asia, Africa or an Eskimo won't make any difference - you'll get a job :)


Sat Jul 12, 2008 3:21 pm
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