Job Discussion Forums

[wayne1523]

Hey guys. I'm wondering, even if I have a BA, CELTA, and MA TESOL (planning to get it), if I am Chinese who is born and raised in Canada with Canadian citizenship, what are my chances at the better Vietnam universities and schools like ACET, RMIT, ILA, Apollo, etc.? Would I be less considered or get paid less?

I have experience dealing with this kind of discrimination. In Taiwan, work was harder to find, and when finally I got my job in teaching adults, I am paid significantly less as an Asian.

I know that such problems also exist in Vietnam, but what about for universities such as the ones mentioned and others?

Thanks

[vabeckele]

Would you take me seriously if you had to pay me ten times the rate of a native Chinese teacher to teach you Chinese, in China (I'm white)?

Unfortunately, this is the reality you are facing in all of Asia. There is good news though; if you do a master's in a non ESL subject, let's say finance, the universities would pay you as a Canadian citizen.

[kurtz]

Discrimination in Asia? Perish the thought......

It's clear that English isn't your native tongue.

I know some American Chinese/Vietnamese who were born in the US but they speak with an American accent. They are gainfully employed so it is possible to have an Asian face and work in Vietnam. Do you speak with a Canadian accent?

I'm pretty sure Apollo has a native speaker only policy. So was English or Chinese spoken at home growing up? It's a slightly grey area the native speaker thing but I assume if you know slang, idioms, have correct pronunciation and have acquired English through osmosis, rather than reading textbooks, you're in fact a native speaker.

I've never heard of native speakers being paid less due to their origin but you'd best be prepared for discrimination due to not having the native speaker "look".

BTW, Apollo and ILA are not great places to work. They're very much entry level mills for those fresh off the CELTA production line.

Good luck