Job Discussion Forums

[Bud Powell]

As far as your accent goes, just say you're from Texas. Wink


Or New Jersey or Philadelphia. Who would know the difference ?

[thebroformerlyknownaschou]

OP: the problem is not the passport, it's your speaking and writing. you seem
to be doing fine in the application process up until you speak with an actual
native speaker. if they ask whether you're a native speaker (and by this
time they know you're not), then lying would be why you don't get called back.

besides, your writing is not native. it's very good, but too many simple
mistakes a native speaker would never make. nothing that would give you
a failing grade on an exam, just little stuff that tastes awkward. average
chinese would never notice.

but none of that should matter, since few schools have native speakers
doing the hiring. all that matters is that you have a golden passport. place
of birth is probably rarely considered.

i've worked with two non-natives (middle eastern origin) with western
passports. the first was an excellent teacher, great english, but with a
strong accent. the second also a good teacher, perfect writing, but i could
understand less than half of what he said. both employed at public
universities (yunnan, hainan).

keep applying. you'll get hired. i'd remove the english proficiency remark
from your resume. it's unnecessary.....you're from the us, so of course you
speak english good.....and could be a red flag for anyone truly interested
in details like place of birth.

[Voyeur]

Hmm...by 5th grad it may be tough to drop your accent. Also, you mention that you have been abroad for many years, bringing into question exactly how long you were in America.

If ESL is a serious, long-term career choice then you might consider legally changing your name to the more Anglicized version--even Angloing it up further if it is still somewhat ethnic. Once you have done that you'd need to get all new ID and get new copies of your diplomas.

If your accent is just a touch off, then the above might work. Of course there are always other considerations when it comes to a legal name change.

[nomad soul]

[Bud Powell]

So, yes, place of birth can give others preconceived notions about you that are way off. Indicating on my CV that I'm a native English speaker and an American helps balance things out by bringing potential employers' attention to those qualifications. In fact, the only time employers see any documentation about my birthplace is when I've emailed them a copy of my passport page, and that's usually after I've been interviewed. It ends up being a non-issue.

For me, nothing happens until I turn in my documentation. THEN the interviews begin.

[buffalobill12323]

"thebroformerlyknownaschou"

What happened to your alter-ego?

[nomad soul]