Job Discussion Forums

[desert_traveller]

My last employer had a policy of requiring all non-native English teachers to get 8.0 or higher (!) in IELTS so that they can teach level sub-zero Saudi vocational trainees English.

You may ask why they had to do a test, and why they had to get such an impressive score in IELTS? It's like, asking for a PhD in maths to supervise kids playing with building blocks in a kindergarten.

But another equally valid question may be, why only the non-native speakers? And the funny thing was, it wasn't even the non-native speakers, basically it was passport holders from countries where English is not the first language. There was a guy there with a British passport, Asian origins, no one ever understood a word of what he said. No IELTS was required from him.

The underlying assumption is that all British and American passport holders are also native speakers of English. Paradoxically, it is exactly these countries that also have huge (and ever growing) migrant communities, for which there is a higher than average probability that a passport holder is NOT a native speaker. If it should ever be questioned whether a passport holder is a native speaker, it is exactly these countries that are concerned.

Once I had to sign reports asking for disciplinary action submitted by classroom teachers, and I can distinctly remember one that was written by a native native speaker (no typo there) that I struggled to make any sense of. That teacher would not have passed PET, let alone 8 in IELTS.

If any company is serious about quality, they would not ask for native speakers, or if they did, they would insist on being an actual native speaker, as opposed to holding this or that passport. But since even being a native speaker does not guarantee language proficiency, if they were really serious about quality, they would ask for a 7, 8 or 9 in IELTS from ALL applicants, depending on the actual job. 7 for vocational training, 8 for uni prep year, 9 for IELTS prep etc. That would be a more reliable predictor of language proficiency and thus suitability for a particular job role than any passport.

But, yes, I know, the prestige of the passport, of the skin and eye colour, not only in the Middle East but worldwide, a different definition of 'quality', etc etc. Professional apartheid (as much as TEFL can still be referred to as a 'profession'). And some of 'us' then go ahead and complain about discrimination against women etc in the Middle East!

Charity begins at home.

In fact, the world would be a much better place if everybody just went home.

Guys, let's go home!

[scot47]

Another money-spinner for IELTS ! Some native-speakers take IELTS to get more points on the their application to emigarte to Australia. Many struggle to get 5 ! Reading and Writing present particular problems to those who never handle a text more comples than a story in the "Sun".

[nomad soul]

[johnslat]

"Charity begins at home."

Alas, the problem is that for many it also ends there.

Regards,
John

[sicklyman]

[scot47]

Eh ? Lesser mortals make spelling mistakes. I do TYPOS and often TYOPS

[Sheik Yerbuti]

Sick obviously hasn't read many of Scot's 10,000 plus
posts...

And why should I go home when they are willing to pay me
7 large a month to stay?

Any native speaker teacher in KSA who can't score 99% or better
on IELTS , TOEFL, you name it should go home...

[Linguist]

[nomad soul]

[johnslat]

Dear nomad soul,

Maybe you should have used bold and underlined:

" . . . no one were . . ."

Regards,
John

[Linguist]