Job Discussion Forums

[riotpoof]

Hi!

This is my first post here after going through this site a lot in the past couple of months and reaffirming my will to one day become one of those backpackers who start teaching at a school somewhere in asia only to ditch it the following week and so ruin the reputation of ESL teachers worldwide!... just kidding

I've got a couple of questions regarding what i will eventually face, wondered if anyone knows about this...

I'm originally from a non-anglophone Israel but I'm totally fluent in English - my mom's an english teacher, i went to school in south africa for a couple of years and i've been coming to canada every year since i was like 10.

I've been living in Canada for the past couple of years and next year I'll be eligible for Canadian citizenship and passport, which I plan to make the most of ESL-wise.

When I go applying for jobs in Japan/Korea/Zimbabwe/Wherever, do they check to see how long I've been residing in Canada or would they just accept me as a Canadian citizen no questions asked?

I do have both my high-school and university degrees from Israel, would that be a big issue with them (by them I mean schools etc. in general)? Could I just not supply them with a high-school degree and tell them I went to university in Israel because it cost less or something like that?

On Canadian passports there is an option not to mention the country of birth, in which case I can just tell a white lie and say I was born in Canada but went to university in Israel or something like that, is that a viable option or am I not thinking this through?

Also, are there any countries that you know of that insist that the country of birth be mentioned on the passport? Would I even be able to be so bold as to use this passport to travel to any arab countries if I were so inclined, given the fact that to them an Israeli passport is a creation of the devil?

Do schools etc. also take note of a person's name? i.e. if the name is not very (or at all) anglophone would they mind that? What about anglophone people with say welsh/irish names, do they ever face any trouble like that?

There's still time to think this through, I'm not rushing anywhere, I don't have any debts to pay off and I will definetely study how to teach ESL before I start doing it, but I just want to know what my options are, so if anyone could help with any of these questions I'd greatly appreciate it!

Thanks a bunch!

[mehrlin26]

"When I go applying for jobs in Japan/Korea/Zimbabwe/Wherever, do they check to see how long I've been residing in Canada or would they just accept me as a Canadian citizen no questions asked"

I was born in Germany and have about as German a name as you can get this side of Hans Schmidt. Despite this, I was able to land two jobs teaching ESL. That said, I always made it clear that I'd been living in Canada since I was about four and had been speaking English for, well, forever. And my degree was from an anglophone University.

If I were you I would try to make the best impression possible when you first make contact over the phone. Stress the fact that your mum taught English and that might help too.

"Also, are there any countries that you know of that insist that the country of birth be mentioned on the passport? Would I even be able to be so bold as to use this passport to travel to any arab countries if I were so inclined, given the fact that to them an Israeli passport is a creation of the devil?"

Don't know of any countries that insist on the country of birth being on the passport. If I were you, I wouldn't go anywhere near a country who thought the land of my birth was the home of the devil but hey that's just me.

[Cardinal Synn]

Arab countries don't think the land of your birth is the home of the devil. They think it's the home of Palestinians. I hope things will be resolved peacefully over there one day.

[riotpoof]

[Cardinal Synn]

Sorry I just made the link between passport and country. I assumed they were connected.

[riotpoof]

[ImanH]

Apologies Cardinal Synn for stepping in here, but I just couldn't let this one go by.
Riotproof, as far as I know several �Arab and Muslim nations� recognise the state of Israel, including Palestine. Moreover, by suggesting otherwise you yourself introduced a political aspect to your thread � making a joke about an issue so politicised does not make it any less so. It�s a bit disingenuous, therefore, to accuse Cardinal Synn of bringing in politics. Your comment, though, that �I have pictures of myself in Israel so I can prove them wrong� could be seen to speak volumes.
I echo Cardinal Synn's sentiments that I hope things can be resolved peacefully.

[riotpoof]

What I was trying to convey was simple - many arab countries (i didn't say all) refuse to accept people with israeli passports into their territory.

i wasn't criticizing this since each country can decide for itself who it will allow in and who not and i haven't expressed my personal opinion on the matter since it's irrelevant to the discussion. saying that some arab countries regard an israeli passport as the work of a devil was intended as a pun, not as criticism, and i state once again that i was talking about passports - a piece of paper - and not politics of the arab-israeli conflict or whatever. it was not my intention to comment upon the situation but to ask a simple question (for which nobody has replied unfortunately).

In any case, sorry if i've caused offense and if this thread could now focus back on my original enquiries that would be greatly appreciated!

[Cardinal Synn]

[English Farce]

I have a question, riotproof. How did you by-pass the auto censor when putting down your occupation?

[dmb]

English Farce, is that the name of your school? I know quite a few schools that SHOULD be called that.

[Cardinal Synn]

EF= English Farce. Is that who you had in mind?

[juststeven]

Not to worry. Just do what your mommy wants, and become a doctor or lawyer; or maybe go to Hollywood!

[English Farce]

[dmb]