Job Discussion Forums

[MrPost]

Hello!

I've been running into what I believe to be sheer bureaucratic hurdle (correct me if I'm wrong) and thought seeking advice here is wise.

I was born outside of the States (non-English speaking country), but grew up in US since 5th grade. Granted it's not 'native' per se, my English is on par with everyone ('natives') I know...

All my qualifications (MA, experience, TEFL) are in order. I've as well taught in the States and am now teaching English abroad (actually, in my native country, which is not exactly helping the matter). Yet the fact that I wasn't born in English-speaking country (and my name is somewhat of a give-away, besides the mentioning in the US passport), is causing me trouble getting a job in China. They either drop me as a candidate entirely or try to significantly lower the pay.

This is even after the phone interviews, after we've held a conversation. Sometimes I get the actual question, from a third-party native-speaker after talking to me extensively, "are you a native speaker?". Of course, I say 'yes', and yet don't hear back from them.

I suppose the fact that I'm somewhat picky about where in China I want to work is exacerbating this problem.

Has anyone run into/heard of similar situations? Any helpful advice?
Thanks,
M.Post

[Simon in Suzhou]

Any helpful advice?

Be less picky about where you work...

If you have a U.S. passport, why wouldn't you just say you were born there? Why even mention your "native country?" Is your native country India or the Philippines? As someone who has done hiring in China, I got about 50 resumes from native Indians and Filipinos for every position open. So, realistically, unless you SOUND like a native speaker, you're just going to get lumped with those applicants with the wrong passport.

It seems like you've pretty much self-diagnosed the problem. If people are asking if you are a native speaker during the interview it is possible you have a stronger accent then you think you do. There are loads of places that would hire you in China, but image does matter (no matter how stupid it is) and there are many good jobs where they want a whitey and someone who has a very neutral accent. Maybe time to lower your expectations or reassess whether China is the best place for you.

[Javelin of Radiance]

Your written English looks as good as or better than a lot of native speakers. I'm guessing you're from E. Europe and you have an accent, which may be the stumbling block. Don't give up, just widen your search field and play down your "non-nativeness" as much as possible. ie: don't mention where you were born in interviews, take birthplace off your resume if you have it there, maybe anglicize your name on the resume too (Change Dima to Tim and so on). May also need to lower your salary expectations a bit, at least till you establish yourself.

[The_Kong]

[Voyeur]

Where did you go to uni (BA and MA)? Often that matters. Also, what were your degrees in?

Also, what is your ethnicity? What country were you born in? Do you have any kind of discernible accent?

In Korea, if I remember correctly, the government requirement is that you did your undergrad in one of the Big 7 English Speaking countries (USA, Canada, UK, Ireland, Australia, NZ, or South Africa) and not that you be born in one of them. Of course individual employers then tend to require that you appear to be a native speaker. If you have a slight accent and appear "ethnic" to them, that might rule you out. But if you just have one "strike against you, you might be ok. (If are "white" with a slight accent, ok. If you are Latino with no accent, ok.)

[The_Kong]

[nomad soul]

I was born overseas to American parents, have a non-western sounding name, and am of mixed ethnicity. In order to not confuse potential employers, I always put the following at the top of my CV (in my "Summary" section): Native English speaker; American nationality. It's one of the first things they see on my CV.

[fat_chris]

[Bud Powell]

The OP doesn't say whether he has a U.S. passport. That's a sticking point if he doesn't.

If he is not Anglo, that can be a problem in some areas, though not everywhere. I've known of Cameroonians, Egyptians, and Americans of Hispanic descent working decent jobs in decent schools in the U.S..

If the OP was born in the U.S. he would be well-advised to get a U.S. passport. That can clear many paths.

[fat_chris]

[SledgeCleaver]

If you have native speakers asking you whether you are a native speaker, you probably have a slight accent. I could be wrong on that, but are you being 100% honest with yourself about your accent? Personally I don't care, you write well and you sound qualified, I'm just reminding you that other people will judge you more brutally than you judge yourself.

Your situation sucks and I'd hate to be there. If you say you're "semi-native" then of course you're selling yourself short. But from a xenophobic point of view, I can also understand the argument that you're not 100% native... probably more like something in the high nineties.

I think you probably just have to search harder. There's also been some good advice in this thread about CVs and that. In your CV, really trump up your achievements, ie. hopefully you were in some clubs or organizations in college. Make sure you put your education first in your CV, especially if it's a good college (ie. before your work experience).

Also, consider NOT having your current address be where you were born. Maybe that sounds strange, but... just living in the USA might give you that slight edge. Maybe people think you studied there during your school years, but aren't really 100% from there, you know?

It could be that some people wanted to hire you, they were just suspicious that something was a bit "off" and that they might be making a bad hire. In short, your only real problem is probably "presentation."

[MrPost]

Thanks for all the feedback, y'all!

I am from Texas -- got my BA there too, but my US passport does say that I was born in ...E Europe; I'm ethnically 'white'; my name is anglicized in applications/resume/reference letters, but remains bluntly non-English in passport. I don't believe that I have a recognizable accent, although living abroad so much in my adult life has skewed my speech somewhat. I do state 'English -- Native proficiency' in resume; that's honest. Would ridding of 'proficiency', replacing it with 'speaker', make a big difference? I'm somewhat determined to move to Urumqi, Xinjiang -- this place doesn't strike me as the #1 preference for most either (is it a popular one?!). Kong mentioned Inner Mongolia as a more opportune location -- does Xinjiang stand out as a place with stiff regulations?

Again, thanks for suggestions and encouragements! Never hurts to have more.

[MrPost]

[nomad soul]

[Bud Powell]