Job Discussion Forums

[taurabebe]

Hi everyone,

This website offers lots of really helpful information, but I was hoping to get some advice for my situation here.

A little about myself first. I am a recent graduate from Boston University, with a degree in Communication. I was born and raised in Taiwan until I was 13, then I came to the States for school. It has been almost 10 years that I've been in the US, living in dormitories with American students, so I am fluent in English, and barely have an accent. My native language is Mandarin Chinese, I can read, write and speak with native fluency. On top that, I also studied Spanish for the past 9 years, carrying a conversation in Spanish isn't a problem for me. So I guess I can be considered trilingual.

Teaching abroad has always been something I want to do and I am currently applying to graduate schools for my MA in TESOL. I've taught kids in Taiwan in the summers, but not in English. Honestly, I wont know what its like to teach abroad until I actually do it, but I do love kids, I am not afraid of living in a new country or culture, and have been through the ESL experiences myself, so I thought teaching English abroad would be the perfect thing for me to do. The graduate programs I am applying to have 10 months of field experiences, which will give me some ESL experiences before I go abroad.

I would love to teach in Thailand or South America. I know in Thailand and lots of Asian countries prefer white teachers whose native language is English, But I am wondering if being Asian is a disadvantage for me to get a teaching job, even if I am just as fluent as native speakers? Would my Chinese and Spanish ability be an advantage for me? These are some things I need to know before I invest in my MA in TESOL.

Also, I still only have a Taiwan passport. Would it be harder to get a visa with that?

Any advice would be greatly appreciated, thanks so much!

[coledavis]

With the exception of some countries where racism is the norm, your problem isn't your colour but whether or not you'll be viewed as a 'native speaker'. As for investing in MA TESOL, well how about investing in CELTA / TESOL as an entry level qualification? This would be 4 or 5 weeks out of your life rather than a year, and hence much less costly. Then find out whether or not (a) you can get a job and (b) you enjoy teaching. With regards to the latter point, liking kids and teaching them effectively aren't necessarily synonymous. If all goes well, then an MA in TESOL or Applied Linguistics may be more appropriate; often, somebody who already has teaching experience enjoys an MA rather more than somebody taking it as an educational next step. Hope this helps.

[spiral78]

I wanted to second coledavis' advice regarding delaying pursuit of an MA until you've actually tried teaching abroad out. MA study is much more enjoyable when you can relate what you're learning to your own experience, and having an MA without experience doesn't qualify you for the jobs you'd have with the MA + a couple of years, at least, under your belt.

In your case, I'd go for a CELTA or some equivalent, and try out working abroad.

[ls650]

No.

[markle]

[johnslat]

Dear markle,
Writing that racism exists in in ESL teaching is "kind of one of those urban myths white teachers use to protect their territory" is, in my opinion, an urban myth (unless, that is, you are living in a rural area.)
Regards,
John

[denise]

I agree with coledavis and spiral78 about getting some experience before going for your MA. Not only will you get more out of your MA experience, but you also may be more likely to get accepted into a program if you've already got some experience.

I have seen jobs in various countries that require applicants to hold passports from certain countries--not racism, but, as already mentioned, sort of "native-speaker-ism."

d

[soapdodger]

It really does depend on the school in my opinion. The bottom line for most is cash, pure and simple. If they think you are going to be a pull, you're in , if not, you're out. Considering that the majority of school owners come from the lower echelons of the business class, i.e. they are not capable of thinking of or have the talent to do any other form of business in their own country, don't expect any higher moral considerations than that.
On the bright side, adult students are usually middle class and above, professional people with education, who ought to be above such things and you shouldn't have that much trouble with them.
Another interesting point is that being white is not guaranteed immunity from "racism". I think I can speak for quite alot of teachers who were in Central Europe in the early 90s in saying that we experienced some animosity simply for being from the "rich" West, but this was really in everyday life, not the classroom.

[Serious_Fun]

[coledavis]

Hi. I think it's quite odd that people can accept my advice about deferring MA studies until you've got experience but think that my comment about racism in some countries is some type of put-off technique. Surely if my aim was to put off, then I wouldn't be giving the other advice about deferring the MA. Anyway, while accepting the premise that racism exists everywhere to some extent (obviously), my point was that in Russia (and some other eastern european countries), people will be turned down on racial grounds alone. To give an example: I know a very experienced teacher of English, well-qualified, who was offered an interview in Moscow; as soon as they saw his skin colour on the video link, the interview was discontinued.

Please, if I give advice, it's not part of some conspiracy. Indeed, I rather think that most people who take the time to field enquiries on these forums are trying to do their best to be helpful.

[spiral78]

Coledavis is right - there are some countries where overt racism IS practiced - and I'd agree that it occurs at least sometimes in Russia.
I don't know about teachers who use such arguments to put off potential newbies from trying to work in certain countries, but I would caution anyone with a dark skin about such problems in Russia, for instance. It's just practical advice, whether it's PC or not.

[taurabebe]

Hi, Thanks for everyone's advice.

I think those of you who think I should defer my MA TESOL and try teaching first may be right, I am taking a big risk doing that, and I am now considering to get the CELTA cert.

I am not worried about the racism, of course it exists everywhere, but my concern is if I were just as qualified as another candidate whose skin color is white, would the school, or parents, prefer the white teacher, (since in a lot of countries people still feel that they can only learn authentic English from Westerners)? or would the fact that I am trilingual and my own ESL experiences be a plus?

I mainly want to teach in Thailand, and maybe South America. Does anyone suggest I get my CELTA in Thailand, or in the US?

Thanks again everyone.

[JZer]

[MELEE]

[arioch36]