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endermunkee
Joined: 11 May 2007
Posts: 5
Location: Frolicking in the Cornfields, Iowa
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 Posted: Wed Jun 13, 2007 7:30 am Post subject: Advice for non-Caucasians? |
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I'm going to be frank--I'm South Asian-American, and I'm assuming that the sudden silence from possible employers who were previously warm and enthusiastic about job opportunities is based not on the fact that I'm maybe too inquisitive about the programs they're running, but because they've received my stunning headshot (read: grim and over-exposed passport picture--even the flash doesn't help) and found it to be too far from the blue-eyed, blonde-haired ideal for their tastes.
I've lived in China and visited before, so I'm familiar with the sort of racism I assume that I am encountering in my job search. (My conversations with recruiters tell me that racism is very much the case.) Nonetheless, I still want to teach in Beijing as I am a sucker for punishment. Does anyone have advice on how to go about the oh-so-delicate issue of my ethnicity?
Edit: Racism is a strong word, I know, but as a brown person feeling no love, it's hard to understand it as anything else. I don't mean to be offensive, so enlighten me if you think I'm in the wrong or just being too harsh. Also, direct me to some jobs? Yes? Thank you. 
Last edited by endermunkee on Wed Jun 13, 2007 8:01 am; edited 1 time in total |
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tw
Joined: 04 Jun 2005
Posts: 3898
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| Posted: Wed Jun 13, 2007 7:57 am Post subject: Re: Advice for non-Caucasians? |
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| endermunkee wrote: |
| Edit: Racism is a strong word, I know, but as a brown person feeling no love, it's hard to understand it as anything else. I don't mean to be offensive, so enlighten me if you think I'm in the wrong or just being too harsh. Also, direct me to some jobs? Yes? Thank you. |
Mainland Chinese, Taiwanese, and I believe Hong Kongers all have this fear and hatred towards people with dark skin. |
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cj750s
Joined: 26 May 2007
Posts: 701
Location: Donghai Town, Beijng
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| Posted: Wed Jun 13, 2007 7:59 am Post subject: |
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| contact me PM are you in Beijing now... |
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endermunkee
Joined: 11 May 2007
Posts: 5
Location: Frolicking in the Cornfields, Iowa
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| Posted: Wed Jun 13, 2007 8:12 am Post subject: |
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Mainland Chinese, Taiwanese, and I believe Hong Kongers all have this fear and hatred towards people with dark skin.
I feel lucky to not have felt the fear and hatred, but saddened at how entrenched these ridiculous stereotypes are--the stereotype I'm refering to is that caucasians make better English speakers and teachers. Still, I always feel that I may be engaging in unnecessary mountain-out-of-molehill making.
I've been reading up on older posts within the China forum, and so far I haven't found any from South Asians. I think my issue differs somewhat from that of Asian Americans (the plain old regular kind), and therefore I posted looking for job seeking advice. |
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PAzine
Joined: 22 May 2007
Posts: 45
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| Posted: Wed Jun 13, 2007 9:31 am Post subject: Re: Advice for non-Caucasians? |
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| endermunkee wrote: |
| Edit: Racism is a strong word, I know, but as a brown person feeling no love, it's hard to understand it as anything else. I don't mean to be offensive, so enlighten me if you think I'm in the wrong or just being too harsh. Also, direct me to some jobs? Yes? Thank you. |
I'm a Canadian with brown skin. In my experience, Korea is pretty hardcore for discrimination against non-whites. I worked there a year in publishing, but could not get any sort of nibbles for teaching.
Thailand is even worse, but those people are just messed...
I had no problems in Japan. Last year, I scored a sweet editing gig in Taiwan. The people there seemed cool with me, and I knew of a few non-whites who were teachers. It didn't seem an issue.
When applying for jobs in China (even with a solid resume and references), I assumed that things would be as backwards as in Korea, meaning that I expected to be disqualified from numerous jobs because of my non-whiteness.
The ones that made offers were ones for whom skin color is not an issue -- those are the sort of people I want to work for anyway, so it's all good. 
Yeah, it's pretty uncool that a lot of Asia is so ignorant. I think the best approach is to see things as they are without taking it personally. Just plug away, going towards your goals in spite of the ignorance around you.
It can be done...  |
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PAzine
Joined: 22 May 2007
Posts: 45
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| Posted: Wed Jun 13, 2007 9:45 am Post subject: |
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| endermunkee wrote: |
| I've been reading up on older posts within the China forum, and so far I haven't found any from South Asians. I think my issue differs somewhat from that of Asian Americans (the plain old regular kind), and therefore I posted looking for job seeking advice. |
What does "South Asian" mean? |
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cj750s
Joined: 26 May 2007
Posts: 701
Location: Donghai Town, Beijng
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| Posted: Wed Jun 13, 2007 10:01 am Post subject: |
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| viet Q possibly |
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endermunkee
Joined: 11 May 2007
Posts: 5
Location: Frolicking in the Cornfields, Iowa
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| Posted: Wed Jun 13, 2007 10:03 am Post subject: |
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It very definitely includes people of Pakistani, Indian, Nepali, Bangladeshi, Bhutanese, and Sri Lankan origin, though you can include Afghanis and Tibetans, too, if you are so inclined.
I made it a point not to take the discrimination personally when I first experienced it, but it seems to me that that attitude only encourages more discrimination. I'm not enraged by any means, but I'm too argumentative in my old age to let these ideas go by unchallenged. |
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endermunkee
Joined: 11 May 2007
Posts: 5
Location: Frolicking in the Cornfields, Iowa
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| Posted: Wed Jun 13, 2007 10:03 am Post subject: |
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Viet Q? I'm confused.  |
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tw
Joined: 04 Jun 2005
Posts: 3898
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| Posted: Wed Jun 13, 2007 10:10 am Post subject: Re: Advice for non-Caucasians? |
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| PAzine wrote: |
| Last year, I scored a sweet editing gig in Taiwan. The people there seemed cool with me, and I knew of a few non-whites who were teachers. It didn't seem an issue. |
My cousin, born and raised in Canada, spent a year in Taiwan and he was constantly scrutinized by parents, while his Belgian colleague who had a horrible pronunciation was left untouched.
| Quote: |
| When applying for jobs in China (even with a solid resume and references), I assumed that things would be as backwards as in Korea, meaning that I expected to be disqualified from numerous jobs because of my non-whiteness. |
You got that right!
| Quote: |
| The ones that made offers were ones for whom skin color is not an issue -- those are the sort of people I want to work for anyway, so it's all good. |
Sadly, the person who recruited me left a long time ago, and he was the person who looked past my skin color. The dean has obviously never liked having hired me, considering the fact that only the white-faced FT's have been given extra classes at the branch school.
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| It can be done... |
But defintiely an uphill struggle. |
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cj750s
Joined: 26 May 2007
Posts: 701
Location: Donghai Town, Beijng
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| Posted: Wed Jun 13, 2007 10:44 am Post subject: |
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| foreign born Vietnamese |
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PAzine
Joined: 22 May 2007
Posts: 45
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| Posted: Wed Jun 13, 2007 11:23 am Post subject: Re: Advice for non-Caucasians? |
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| tw wrote: |
| Sadly, the person who recruited me left a long time ago, and he was the person who looked past my skin color. The dean has obviously never liked having hired me, considering the fact that only the white-faced FT's have been given extra classes at the branch school. |
In a way, I think you can chalk up racial biases in Asian ESL to ignorance. Backwater rubes are cute sometimes in their buffonery, no? 
But maaan, when a person works with you for an extended period and yet still retains their initial biases, well, that's like village-idiot level sad.
I'd love to play poker with your dean. Tell him he can use his daugthers instead of chips. |
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tw
Joined: 04 Jun 2005
Posts: 3898
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| Posted: Wed Jun 13, 2007 12:15 pm Post subject: Re: Advice for non-Caucasians? |
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| PAzine wrote: |
| I'd love to play poker with your dean. Tell him he can use his daugthers instead of chips. |
It's not quite a he...go to http://202.198.98.209/Article/ShowArticle.asp?ArticleID=2 and take a look at the second photo. |
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PAzine
Joined: 22 May 2007
Posts: 45
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| Posted: Wed Jun 13, 2007 12:26 pm Post subject: Re: Advice for non-Caucasians? |
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Ewww... ixnay on the okerpay. |
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canuqk
Joined: 24 Jun 2005
Posts: 5
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| Posted: Fri Jun 29, 2007 6:05 am Post subject: Racism and qualifications |
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| It's obvious being a "visible" minority has been a barrier. What are your academic qualifications? |
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