Job Discussion Forums

[abyssiniangrl]

hello!! can somebody please tell me why they have not sued these spainards already!!!! i can�t believe they demand you enter such information as �marital stauts�, nationality, and age in their curriculums!! and to top it off, they won�t even look at your c.v ulness you post a picture!!! now, i know i look good, but i am also sure the fact that i�m black has cost me plenty of jobs, and this is not because i�m obsessed about race, but simply because it�s the nature of the people here, trust me, seen it, lived it...i think this is basis for discrimination, and if i was staying longer i would definately sue... does anyone here feel the same?????

[spiral78]

Standards are not the same in every country on these issues. I'm from the US and the questions of marital status, etc. are not legal there, and I know they're not in Canada either.

But I've lived in four different European countries, and in each one it is both LEGAL AND NORMAL for employers to ask this information. I don't think you'd get too far suing.........

It's a pity if you're not getting jobs because you're black. I know several black teachers who've been well received in Central European countries like Poland and the Czech Republic. Perhaps you could consider relocating?

Sorry you've had a bad experience.

[spiral78]

Maybe I'd better make it clear that I don't AGREE that it's ok to ask for this kind of personal information - my point is just that it is considered NORMAL (and is probably legal)in some countries.

[jimi2times]

I agree, I've always thought that was a bit strange. In the UK that doesn't happen and you have to wonder why exactly a photo is so important - maybe it's just a way for the employers to remember you after interviewing you. I guess it could be open to discrimination but i'm betting it's just a memory device. Makes you think though...

[ghost]

Many schools prefer hiring attractive young individuals, often female over male. It is good for business, and as language schools are businesses they are not far away from doing what other businesses do. They ask for a picture ahead of time, and at an interview they will assess you again.

It is cruel and unjust, one may think, but many interviewers in human resources find pictures very useful, because they make judgements (sometimes erroneous) about people based on their physical appearance.

The disadvantages people of color face by having to submit a photo are to do with the ignorance and misunderstanding many employers have with regard to black people. In Korea the response would sometimes be simply ``We do not employ black people because the children are scared of them, and the parents don`t trust them.`` In Spain you will not face these kinds of blatant statements, but many Spanish do have problems with people of ethnic origin, especially those from the Maghreb countries (Algeria, Morocco, Tunisia).

Ghost was in Barcelona in February 2004, and found the cost of accommodation prohibitive (600 euros per month for single accommodation) taking into account the usual salary for EFL teachers in Barcelona (around 800 euros per month). Most of the EFL work in Barcelona is slave labor, and people coming here need substantial savings just to live....

[Nacho]

I know, it sucks...
I'm Spanish and feel embarrassed about it
I also lived in France, and over there, not only they ask for age/nationality/sex/marital status, but also as part of the initial job interviews (at least for engineering) they make you write a cover letter that it has to be handwritten because they have especialists that analyze your personality through your handwriting!!!!
pretty weird.

I hope you'll soon find a normal person that doesn't give a shit about your race, because I think there are a lot like that too in Spain.

[waltyork]

I felt the same when I first got there. You get used to it after a while. There's a few schools where they won't ask you that kinda stuff, but most places will inquire about nationality, age, place of birth etc.

The place I worked was pretty cool about it. They actually had a lady working there with islamic headwear, and they never said a thing.

[Jetgirly]

Maybe the reason you didn't get the job wasn't because you are black, but because you are too stupid to recognize that US employment laws aren't valid in Spain...

[anthyp]

[Jetgirly]

[martin przybyla]

word. down with the photos.

[go2guy]

If you also happen to be a woman in France, once you get married you basically cease to exist in the eyes of the state (or at least as far as the tax department is concerned). Each year when it comes time to file taxes women are just another one of their husband's "assets" -- I can't remember the exact term that appears on the form but it's something demeaning, not too far from "concubine" in effect. This infuriated my (female) British colleagues to no end. So, maybe the northern Europeans are more "enlightened" but countries like Spain, France, Portugal and Italy are definitely enduring bastions of Latin bigotry and sexism. Can it be changed? Maybe, maybe not. Probably very slowly in any case. Law suits? Talk to a lawyer, you never know! On the other hand, there are traditional aspects of these cultures that I hope never change (disdain for over-the-top & in-your-face North American style commercialism being one of them). As for photos on CVs I'm a white male and in my six-plus years in France I NEVER put one on my CV. My own little protest against a stupid part of the system. Maybe it's a start?!

[spiral78]

On a practical note, I always indicate my spouse's nationality on my CV because it is my spouse who has EU citizenship - so employers know that I'm legally hireable in the EU too. Without it, my CV would get dumped right away in most cases.....I'm suggesting that there are some reasonable requests peculiar to Europe that would be against the law in North America.

[go2guy]

Sorry spiral88, but am I missing something? I don't understand what your spouse's EU citizenship has to do with your CV. I would think the company looking at your CV only cares whether YOU have EU residency/work permission, and for how long. How you acquired (and maintain) this eligibility doesn't really matter, does it?

[spiral78]

On a couple of occasions when the school needed to file paperwork requesting work permits for me, it was useful for them to know in advance that I would be eligible for work/living permission because of my spouse's nationality - and the international company my spouse works for.