Job Discussion Forums

[parksung]

hi there,

i'm a korean american (adopted, so english is my native language), US citizen and moving to Barcelona in March 2006. i'd like to get an idea how difficult it may be to find teaching or English education-related work for someone who is not white and american (hate bush, haha).

currently, i live in Korea and believe it or not, asians aren't favored when it comes to work vs. caucasians. many students believe native speakers are best if they're white, so many schools advertise 'no korean americans' etc, thus limiting the job market for people like me.

while many people in korea love america and think it's a great country (although i don't), i know europeans have a different view of americans than here. occasionally there's anti-american sentiment that can run pretty deep, but mostly it's ok here.

any feedback on whether or not spain (finding work, daily life) has similar attitudes as here in korea when it comes to being korean american (adopted) and american?

[spiral78]

I can't speak to the issue of stereotypes for or against asian native-English speakers. But, are you aware of the hiring restrictions in Spain? If so, please read no further.

But it's probably worth mentioning yet again (this comes up often) that if you don't hold a citizenship from another country that is a member of the European Union, you will be unlikely to find legal work within the EU. Just the same way that a Spanish person can't just get legal work in the US because he/she is qualified for some job and wants to....North Americans, Australians, and Asians (and all others from outside EU member countries) can't simply move to EU countries and get legal working permits.

It's different with Asia - I assume that's because the need for native speakers is so great. But in Spain, you're competing against British teachers, who are qualified and for whom working papers are as easy to arrange as if you simply move to a different state within the U.S.

Every country has its own laws - some are more difficult than others. In Germany, for example, there are still some legal ways to arrange for working papers (though the economy's so rocky there's little demand). In the Netherlands, it's simply impossible (speaking from personal experience). But Spain and Italy and France have an abundance of well'-qualified British nationals who want to work, and little to no need to jump through legal hoops to hire a North American.

For further discussion on the issue of working illegally, simply scan down earlier threads on this forum. It's a constant topic.