Job Discussion Forums

[j44]

Hello all,

I have just found this excellent forum and I am looking for some advice on my chances of working as an English teacher.

I am 36, from Italy, I have two Uk postgraduate degrees (Master and Phd) in Social Sciences. I have some teaching experience at the university level in the UK, but not language-related. I am quite interested in English teaching and I am thinking of applying for a CELTA course. I am not sure, however, whether it would be a wise move, considering that most schools in Europe and Asia tend to employ only native speakers. My ideal destination would be the Middle East, because I speak Arabic, but it seems to be the hardest place to land a job for a non-native speaker.

Do you think I would have any realistic opportunity as a non-native speaker, or is it just a waste of time (and money)?

Thank you all for your helpful advice

[spiral78]

Actually, so long as you can demonstrate near-native or native-like fluency in English, schools in Europe often do hire non-native speakers. The idea is that, having learned the language yourself, you have insights into the process that a native speaker cannot have, by definition. Both native and non-native speaking teachers bring strengths to the classroom.

That said, you might find you are more often asked to teach lower levels, on the assumption that your grasp of high-level grammar, idioms, and etc may be lesser than that of a native speaker, and high-level learners may more often demand a native, it's true.

In any case, good luck to you - I've worked with quite a few very fine non-native speaking English teachers

[denise]

There are lots of non-native teachers in the Middle East. What would hurt your chances are your lack of teaching experience & degrees in unrelated fields. With a TEFL certificate, you might be eligible for the college jobs that hire through recruiters, but you wouldn't be eligible for the best university jobs.

d

[naturegirl321]

You can work in the ME. My friend's wife does, in Saudi to boot. She's from eastern Europe and says that there are a decent number of non native speakers there.