Job Discussion Forums

[Captain_Fil]

What are my chances?

I believe TESOL would be the perfect career for me.

I love to travel and meet people. I also love the beauty of the English language and I think I would like to teach others the wonders of that language.

I hold a BA degree in Liberal Studies from San Francisco State University. And I did some substitute teaching for a while at elementary schools.

However, there are two issues...

Race: I am an Asian-American. I was born in the Philippines and had emigrated to the United States when I was just three years of age. (Hence, my cute username -- Captain_Fil [Fil for Filipino]). But I have heard that whites are preferred as ESL teachers above other racial or ethnic groups. This may prove to be a difficult obstacle in my dream of becoming an ESL teacher.

Age: I'm in my mid-40's. ESL employers may prefer younger teachers.

Despite my national origin, my English is flawless. (In fact, it is the only language I know.) I speak without any Asian accent and I sound like an American. I also hold a US passport as a naturalized US citizen. I consider myself more of an American than an Asian (culturally, that is).

And despite my age, I feel young at heart. I am ready to take on any new challenges in life. (Of course, with age comes wisdom and maturity.)

So, what are my chances in achieving my career dreams?

[tttompatz]

[Glenski]

Don't tell people you are Asian-American. Hyphenated attributes only confuse the wrong people. Just say you are American. Period.

[Captain_Fil]

[tttompatz]

[Captain_Fil]

[spiral78]

If his/her parents are both native English speakers and English was the language of their home, the child is a native English speaker.

It used to be defined as 'mother tongue,' but this has gone a bit out of date as many bi-lingual couples use language other than the mother's in the home these days.

[naturegirl321]

Race, might be an issue. BUt because you have a US passport, you should be ok. I worked with a woman with a Philipnes passport, she got 75% less pay.

I kind of look ASian/ Indian/ Latin and with my last name it makes me looks like a non native speaker. I-d had interviews where employers bring it up and have lost jobs becuase of it. IN my opinion, those employers aren-t worth working for.

[Glenski]

[smithrn1983]

I think the issue here is that some schools like to hire people with white faces so they can put their picture on flyers and use them as advertising tools. The 'real' teaching, however, is done by local teachers, while the caucasians get stuck teaching conversation lessons.

On the other hand, there are loads of schools that hire native speakers who are, in fact, good teachers, and are hired on as such. For these schools, your place of birth and ethnicity will not matter much. You need to have been educated in an anglophone country to qualify as a native speaker, and if you can convince them you'd be a good teacher you'll be fine. They might be a bit shocked when you get off the plane, but as you were hired as a teacher and not a marketing tool, it won't matter.

[Captain_Fil]

[Captain_Fil]

[1st Sgt Welsh]

Hi Captain_Fil,

I have only taught ELF in Vietnam so I can't comment about elsewhere. Having said that I teach with a Singoporean (of Indian descent), two Asian Americans (both of Japanese descent), two Filipinos and plenty of local teachers. Only about half of the teachers at my school are caucasion so there are opportunities for non-whites out there. Also most of the non-white teachers are well over thirty

But, to be honest, unfortunately, being of Asian descent will probably not do you any favours in regards to job hunting. But, as others have said, the fact that you are an American should be a plus. I knew a Filipino woman in Hanoi who was told flat-out during a job interview that the 'language mill' she was interviewing with would not offer her a full-time contract simply because she was not white. They did give her a part-time gig though. In Western countries this would be a law-suit waiting to happen, but over here there is no anti-discrimination legislation. I have heard quite a few stories like this.

I don't know if it is just my experience, but it seems to me that the lower the calibre of school, the more important the race of the teacher is. My school is a really good place to work and, as I've said, our teacher's room is a very diverse place. If anyone else has any perspectives on whether less quality schools = more discrimination, it would be interesting to hear from you.

[Captain_Fil]

[naturegirl321]