Job Discussion Forums

[yodetta]

I had this impression that there were tons of jobs for teachers in India, and that more will be anticipated as more investment comes in for the post-wave reconstruction efforts. Would y'all agree?

I'm interested in working in Chennai, if not to help with relief/reconstruction efforts, then to teach. Anyone have any info?

Why are there only like 11 people listed on this forum? I'd like to know where you all are...


Vicki

[AsiaTraveller]

Vicki,

India has long been a nation where English is a major medium of communication. Its national law recognizes English as one of the two government languages (along with Hindi). There are an additional 16 languages other than Hindi and English that are recognized by the Indian constitution as official languages.

English is also widely used as the official language of instruction in higher-level (and some lower-level) schools. As a result, the need for foreigners to teach English in India is not very large at all. There are plenty of Indians who are extremely well qualified to teach English.

However, the so-called call centre industry is a new addition to the English-teaching scene, as companies want more Indian professionals who know the American variety of English and who understand American geography and culture.

For this type of teaching job, Americans are often hired. (There are also call centre jobs for which the British variety of English is the focus, and UK natives are frequently hired for those teaching positions.)

[yodetta]

Thank you for your reply. So, it sounds like there may be more a need for teaching American Studies, American culture, common idioms, and about social and political institutions...would you say that is correct?

I'm unfamiliar with the call-centre industry...what is that? Are you referring to out-sourcing of phone orders/billing inquiries etc by international firms?

Are you teaching in India now?

peace, Vicki

[AsiaTraveller]

There have been several posts about call-centre jobs here on the India board. There are some Dave's posters who work in that industry and are in India now. They can tell you a lot more!

You can easily do a search... Good luck!

[Stephen Jones]

India exports English teachers though the quality is as variable as that of their manufacturing exports.

There is a small demand for native British or American speakers to train call-centre staff in colloquialisms and 'cultural' aspects.

There are also likely to be some vacancies in the call centres themselves as many like to have the odd native on call in case there are any problems. The pay is not great and the hours are appalling - so TEFL teachers will feel right at home :)

[memorabilis]

I am currently working in Bangalore for an IT support centre. The pay by Indian standards is excellent, but is not tremendous if you need to save to send home student loan payments.

To correct the idea of what the work is, yes there is an element of teaching about North American culture (I'm Canadian), but more specifically we focus on a pronunciation-based approach to develop a neutral accent that is understandable to English speakers around the world. Virtually all Indians speak English to some degree.

To work in this field of English for Occupational Purposes, you need at least a BA, a TEFL, and 2 years of teaching experience, but I would encourage you to apply regardless if you are interested.

If you have any other questions, please feel free to PM.

MacArthur.

[Beast]

If you are planning on working in Chennai you would be well advised to get a job before you come and make sure they provide housing. Almost every inhabitble place I have checked into requires a six month deposit. Or you could stay in a flop house hotel until you save up enough money.

Fortunately, my company pays housing and it's ina good part of town. However, their lease on the gudst house id up in a week or so and they won't help with new housing. thus, no place to live so I guess I will just leave and be glad that i am done with it.

[pattyrose]

I really enjoyed my stay in Chennai working for the Center now posting positions open. Certainly, there were issues getting the program on its feet, but if I had a chance to do it again, I'd say yes in a flash.

Indians are hard workers and as friendly a group of people that come. There are lots of things to do in Chennai besides shopping, too Getting around town on auto rickshaws is part of the fun - and last year the American Embassy threw an absolutely fantastic Fourth of July party at a gorgeous resort on the Bay of Bengal.

You need a degree for most any position in India, because Indians themselves are well-educated. Most of the employers will assist with housing placement or provide temporary or long term accommodations.

If you can be flexible about air conditioner breakdowns, power shortages and water rationing, then go for it. These occasions come up regularly, but are all part of the fun of being there.

I'll never forget the wonderful people I met.

[guangho]

How do you go about finding and contacting individual software and hardware companies?

[pattyrose]

Most jobs are posted at places like Monster.com in India

[travelingirl68]

If you are interested in working in the IT industry, the monster.com recommendation is a good one. If you are interested in working as a Language Instructor at one of the companies, look for Spectrum as it does the recruiting for Microsoft in Bangalore - the best outfit to work for in our field in India.

[Andror]

As for Indians speaking English, yes it's true..but you only need to watch National Geographic to see that subtitles are needed when Indians are speaking English in order for native speakers to understand them.

Not trying to be harsh here. Good work guys, keep working on their phonics.

[jammish]

I reckon the best thing to do to teach in India would be to get QTS and look for something at an International School.

[JZer]