Job Discussion Forums

[Kamala]

I am curious about what countries seem to attract certain nationalities, or if it is just a general mix of Canadian/English/American (Australian?) in some countries?

I've heard that Thailand is very attractive to Brits, and that Americans love Japan...

Any more sweeping generalizations/observations?

thanks

[tomstone]

When I first got to China, I was told "your face is your resume" (Caucasian). I was told that by a Polish national. It is true. However, when I went to the immigration office in Henan I met two black US females who told me that they had encountered no difficulty obtaining teaching positions at one of the best universities in Zhengzhou. I also met a black man from Ghana who spoke heavily accented English who taught English at a middle school. Never say "never", never say "always".

[Master Shake]

Here in Poland, there are definitely more Brits than Americans, and Aussies are very rare. I'd say at least 4 our of 5 teachers here are British.

When I taught in Bangkok, Thailand recently, the ratio was a bit more even, but I still think there were significantly more British people (especially men) teaching there.

In EU countries, teachers will be predominantly British because visa regulations make it difficult for Americans to work legally.

[runthegauntlet]

Americans lead in numbers in Korea (maybe in the 6-7k range?). Followed by Canadians and Brits if I recall correctly.

[Mrguay84]

I was thinking of teaching in Korea or Japan, but I heard that they prefer to hire Americans or Canadians.

So now I'm looking to work in 'real Europe' where as a Brit, I've heard there is more chance of me finding work. So unless things changed, I'm going to be a Brit teaching in the EU in several months time.

[Sef]

I came across more Brits in Europe (Russia/Slovakia) and more Americans in Asia (Japan/China) with Aussies popping up everywhere.

I don't know about schools in Asia prefering Americans/Canadians but certainly the students in Japan/China wanted to learn American English - most of the textbooks were in American English too. In Europe it was all British English.

[Kamala]

interesting, interesting, anybody have observations about S. America and the Mid East?

I can understand the EU having English people, as it's so hard for Americans to get a visa to work there.

[johnslat]

Dear Kamala,

The Mideast, in my experience is a smorgasbord of EFL nationalities: Irish, Canadians, UKers, Americans, Australians, South Africans (in no particular order.)
Of course, some employers have "preferences" (I believe, for example BAE, favors UK passport holders,) but regarding numbers, my guess would be:

1. Americans
2. UKers
3. Canadians
4. Australians
5. South Africans

Regards,
John

[santi84]

Japan, China, and Korea are usually the target countries for EFL teachers from Western Canada. Since there is such a large population in Vancouver for these nationalities, a lot of the ESL coursework and teaching practicums focus on teaching students from those Asian countries. JET and other programs recruit heavily at our universities, and many high school students already have some exposure to the culture. I took Japanese in high school from grade 9-12, others took Mandarin. Spanish or other romance languages were not offered, except French, which is a mandatory offering in Canada.

[JZer]

[laconic]

[JZer]

I meant ESL teachers. I am not counting business people and the US military.

[runthegauntlet]

[JZer]

Thanks for providing us with the real statistics. Now I know the truth.

[AjarnIam]

Sometimes I think it's related to where the big boss went to school. My Big Boss studied in the UK so our course material tends to be more Brit based, however I know the students prefer the Canadian or American accents.