Job Discussion Forums

[[ r e g i ]]

Hi,

I'm 22 yrs old and have an asian background (born in Manila, Philippines) but grew up and did all my schooling in Australia. I've got a bachelors degree in Arts (Communications) and a pro. certificate in TESOL.

My question is- What are the chances of a non-native english speaker like myself on securing a english teaching position in Japan, Korea or Hong Kong (but i'm mainly interested in Japan)?

And if anyone know of any schools that do take in non-natives. THANKS

[Sweetsee]

Hi Regi,

Don't take this personally, but you may want to go over that post and fix up a couple of things, maybe.

[JimDunlop2]

Well, for starters -- Sweetsee's right. People will certainly scrutinize your spoken (and written) English much more carefully since there are perceived deficiencies when dealing with non-native English speakers, in the eyes of Japanese employers. Your job is to convince them otherwise.

I will overlook any posting errors however, since posting on an Internet forum is often not a good reflection of one's language abilities. Just make sure that your CV doesn't contain such errors.

Anyway, to answer your question, yes -- it is definitely possible for non-native speakers to find employment in Japan. I personally know of several. There's no rhyme or reason to which companies will accept someone like yourself and which ones won't. It's pretty much trial and error. Just emphasize your fluency and abilities (and the fact that you were educated in Australia) but at the same time, don't conceal the fact that you are Filipino.

Hope that helps...

[abufletcher]

The question here is this: To what extent (if any) are you a nonnative speaker? You say that you grew up and did all your schooling in OZ -- but are of "Asian background." That potentially makes you as much a native speaker and anyone else who grew up and did all their schooling in OZ.

Is there anything about your English that you feel is nonnative (which is to say non-fluent)?

Also to what extent are you "filipino"? Do you have an Australian or a Philipino passport. If you have an Australian passport, I'd say you're just as Australian as anyone else and I wouldn't make any particular issue of it in an application. You're just another native speaking Australia of Asian ancestry.

This is not to say that there's not some very real prejudice out there among employers about what a "native speaker" is supposed to look like.

[Doglover]

[rvsensei]

As long as your pronunciation is good and show you have an excellent grasp of the language, go for it. You might have to work part-time before you get full time positions.