Job Discussion Forums

[dindia]

Good time of the day to everyone.

I'm wondering , what are the prospects in the field of ESL for one who's not native speaker.. Any chance?
I'm thinking of getting B. Ed (bachelor of education that is) in Israeli uni. Would it it (B. Ed.) + CELTA (or similar) be of any use for future "career" or I'll be forever doomed??

Any non natives out there with experience and advice??

Thanks in advance.... It's my first post here.. Be nice

Danny

[khmerhit]

Hey Danny--no problem. I worked with an Israeli guy in Cambodia. He is still there, in fact. Getting a B.Ed. plus a Celta would be a useful combination, but you don't even need a degree to do the the Celta. Best of luck!!

all grooviest

khmerhit

[dindia]

Hi khmerhit ,

I know in some places it's possible to work without any qualifications. The problem is that the pay is miserable, barely enough for living even in cheaper countries like China or Thailand. That's not what I'm looking for.

Any chance to find a job in a decent school in Korea, Japan or Taiwan for non-native, one that will allow me teach in a proper school and save some money for future traveling?

Thanks, Danny







Good time of the day to everyone.

I'm wondering , what are the prospects in the field of ESL for one who's not native speaker.. Any chance?
I'm thinking of getting B. Ed (bachelor of education that is) in Israeli uni. Would it it (B. Ed.) + CELTA (or similar) be of any use for future career or I'll be forever doomed being non native english speaker?

Any non natives out there who have advice??

Thanks in advance.... It's my first post here.. Be nice

Danny

[tedkarma]

With the relevant education - non-speaker-ness is often not a big issue.

If you get a B.Ed. with a teaching practicum - you won't need a CELTA - and will be far overqualifed to bother with it.

Once you are qualified to teach in the local public schools where you are - consider teaching for a couple years there. Once you have done that - you can qualify to do International Schools for MUCH more money and much better benefits.

Or, if you are in a hurry to get out here - finish your B.Ed. and come on out!

[sonya]

I think most non-native English speaking teachers in these countries originate from them.. but, (particularly if you're white-looking), I imagine it would totally be possible.

[sonya]

[dindia]

[dmb]

[Deconstructor]

[Guy Courchesne]

You sure one can't pick up accent? I know two Mexican English teachers who have a strong British accent when they speak, and a Mexican school director on whom I can't detect any accent at all when she speaks English.

I'm told I speak Spanish with a Mexico City accent when traveling outside this city, yet others tell me I speak it with a French or German accent.

There are many non-native speakers teaching English in Mexico....mostly Mexican but many from other parts of Latin America.

[sonya]

[Super Mario]

Apart from time in China, I'm currently working the Australian ESL scene. I had short stints in migrant ed and international [uni] student setups. Needed? A degree, some post grad qualification in TESOL/ Linguistics. Now I'm in the state school system, where you also need a teaching qualification.

The common theme is, however, that non-native speakers form a significant proportion of teachers in the 3 sectors. Most seem to be multi-lingual with a strong understanding of how language works.

And people who think accent is a big deal need to pull their heads out for a breath of fresh air.

[acwilliams]

There are some countries that won't give visas to non-native English teachers - Indonesia, for example. However, I've worked with many colleagues who were non-native speakers, in China and Thailand. (To the OP: don't dismiss China out of hand - with your intended qualifications, it would be highly possible to make good money here.)

The accent thing... it depends on the students and their needs, surely? A Chinese student heading for study in the USA will want a teacher with a North American accent. But students who work in international trade (as many of mine do) need exposure to a wide variety of accents and knowledge of different cultures. Many students are learning English to do business with other non-native speakers.

I agree with Super Mario that well-qualified non-native English teachers have a strong understanding of how languages work. Also, they have studied English successfully themselves, so they can maybe relate to their students' difficulties better than a native speaker.

On the other hand, non-native teachers do need to have flawless English (or maybe what I mean is that they shouldn't be making mistakes that educated native speakers wouldn't make). How many mistakes of grammar, spelling, vocabulary, idiom, register etc will a high-level student tolerate before he/she decides the teacher is not up to scratch? Almost zero.

Dindia wrote:

[dajiang]

I'm a non-native English speaker (Dutch), and I've had no problems in finding jobs. Then again, that was in China where I've met heaps of people that spoke English very very badly, and who could still find jobs there.

So. Don't worry about that too much.
Especially with a degree in English literature. You should be fine anywhere in Asia, except for Malaysia perhaps.

2 years ago I worked at a private university in Beijing where I got paid well and had a great time. I did have my TEFL diploma and a year teaching experience in a private language school, so that helped a lot.

The biggest obstacle for non-natives is that it's hard if not impossible to apply for jobs online. When you're applying for jobs by calling or visiting schools in person you'll still get hired.

Thing to remember is not to emphasize the fact that you speak a different native language. Instead stress the fact that you speak perfect English, understand grammar, spelling, pronunciation, and so forth and so forth. I don't know how good your pronunciation is btw, but if native speakers can't tell that you're not a native speaker that qualifies it as being good enough. Having spent some time in English speaking countries does help too, especially with regards to phrasal verb and idiom use.

Dajiang

[Deconstructor]