Job Discussion Forums

[charlesh1609]

Greetings All:

Couldn't find a similar thread anywhere, so here I go.

Apparently, the world sees me as a black male. I plan to expat and teach abroad within the year.

Are there any other black male teachers on this board?

Where are you working?

How have you been treated there - within and outside of the job?

In hindsight, would you return to that location?

What would you do differently if you had the experience you now possess?

What advice would you give a noob, i.e. ME, before embarking towards your destination?

FWIW, I am inclined to attempt a job in Japan, but I am open to other considerations with a preference for "Asia". Thank you in advance for your contribution.

[rlp5321]

Hi Charles,

If you flip through the pages of posts, you'll find that other people of color have posted similar questions. Some of them have developed into quite lengthy threads so you may want to type a few key words into the search engine and see what comes up.

I am starting a TESOL part time program in September and a few weeks ago I had an opportunity to speak with the director of the school I am attending. She has 30+ years of experience in the field and she told me this :

Yes, there will be certain countries where as a person of color I will not be employable as a teacher. I can choose to dwell on this or move on. (I decided to move on - these were not countries I was dying to teach in anyway). There are plenty of countries around the world where I'd be welcome as an english teacher and I should focus my efforts on finding employment in these locations.

Also, an added perk of being a person of color is that there are some coutries that she would never suggest to someone with a typical American look, but could be an option for someone who does not stand out as your typical American.

No it ain't right, it ain't fair, but its so. It really is sad to think that in the 21st century you still have places in this world where skin color trumps all in deciding who gets a job. But don't let that weigh you down - places that would judge a human being on skin color are not places I'd want to associate with anyway.

Talk to some teachers of color about what places have worked for them in the past - and don't worry too much about it.

RLP

[Glenski]

Good friend of mine is a black American. Has a tenured job at a private HS. Got that after managing an eikaiwa and putting in his dues. Has a nice Japanese wife and kids. Heckuva respectable guy.

You could also check out this site.
http://www.blacktokyo.com/

[Justin Trullinger]

We've had a few black participants on our TESOL course here in Ecuador, and I've known several more black teachers here on the Quito scene.

In Ecuador, which is pretty much multicolored racially speaking, it seems not to present any insurmountables, but does present a lot of "entertainment."

One thing is that people here seem to think that "real" Americans are blond, blue eyed, etc...so may ask where you're "really" from.

Another is that racially sensitive language hasn't caught on here. In my circle of friends, there are two guys nicknamed "Negro." Guess why? It doesn't sound bad in Spanish, though, and nobody thinks anything of it. Equally, I know two sisters nicknamed "Gorda" and "Flaca." ("fat" and "thin." Well, they are!) I guess this is my way of mentioning that Ecuadorians don't shy away from physical descriptions, and if you're shy about being referred to as a black guy, this would be the wrong country for you.


Sometimes, though, as Spanish speakers learn English, they pick up on similar seeming English words that DO sound bad, especially the ones they learn from hip hop. (A lot of my Ecuadorian students, who don't consider "Negro" an offensive nickname are surprised to learn that many people are offended by "n%%%er." Mostly they're happy to stop calling you that, after you point it out. But it can call for a thick skin.)


Best,
Justin

[chnike112]

[Justin Trullinger]

I met several black teachers during my brief stint in Korea.

Since we worked in different places I didn't get to know any of them too well and can't talk about what their unique challenges were- but they were around. Hopefully someone with first hand experience of being black in Korea can chime in.

Koreans I knew had a fair number of questions about black people in the US. (Why are there so many? What are they like? Do they speak other languages besides English? Are they easier to understand in person than in the movies? Can they all rap? What do they do if they aren't tall enough to play basketball?) A lot of ignorance, perhaps, but not negativity, if you see what I mean.


Best,
Justin

[Blingcosa]

Boy, life would be a lot easier in Africa if I was black....

... no wait, I take it back - easier and harder. I would be able to go unnoticed if I was black, but I do get some privledges for being "different" too.

[coledavis]

Well, one can go with trends. For example, as a general trend, I'd say don't go to eastern Europe because a lot of people are very prejudiced. And yet. They are human beings as well, and I've seen a language school's web site (can't remember if it was Russia or Belarus or Ukraine, sorry) where one of the teachers was a black man. They had a photo of the guy on the site, with his (African) surname. I think like elsewhere, when they get to know you, they realise you're ok. Unfortunately, you've got more people out east who don't want to bother with that. All I'm really saying is, maybe look at schools rather than overdoing the 'which country' percentages.

[thinktank]

Hey thanks for asking this question.

Im going face this prejudice no doubt as well since im mixed. African/Newfie FTW

I mentioned this to my Esl instructor , and she said south korea would be the only real place i might have a problem, maybe rural china... rural anywhere, but that there is plenty of other places in the world.

The reason she gave is that SK was until recently a closed country, and so they're very consevative about racial issues ect. According to her they are very blunt , they'l tell you to your face why they dont want you (Where looking for white teachers).Also they may think you speak with an "urban" accent. She suggest that i enphasize Native english speaker .
In my in-experianced opinion , If your from the US it might be harder for you to convince them your accent is what there looking for.

Other suggestions : Get them on the phone to belay any speech misgiving's

Maybe dont send a photo if Korea is your goal.(at least till after the phone call)

Japan should be no prob (she spent 6 years there) In fact according to one website, some Japanese chicks like blacks, since they think we are smooth talkers.

Keep in mind youl stand out even more then a white FT in crowds (They might want to touch your skin, take pictures)

Im about the same tone as cris brown , living canada , im black. The minute i was in Togo west africa i was a Yevovee (foreigner=white) This led to a mini identity crisis.
Personally i look forward to all the attention i might get in asia though.

As my uncle Warkskow said : "Itz buildz charak-ter !"

[anyway]

I have three black colleagues here in Oman, which has a long history with east Africa (Zanzibar) so the locals are very mixed themselves and proud of it!

[Peterz3000]

I've been in Korea for ten months now. I live in Daejeon and I've been to Seoul a few times. I'd rather be here than in a number of places in the US. Children may see you and start screaming bloody murder with shock, but it's always been harmless curiosity from my experience.

There is this idea that Blacks are dirty. A white colleague of mine had a Black friend from the States and the children used to say, "Esther teacher... Is he your boyfriend????? He's dirty!" In the past there were a few cases of Black GI's doing bad things. One guy raped a girl with a bottle, so you can imagine (even if it was more than 15 years ago) that that sort of thing sticks in the collective consciousness.

Big qualities in Korea (and maybe most of Asia as well) are respect and kindness. If you show these qualities then people treat you really well. Bowing a lot helps,too.

One thing that kind of sucks is that if you're interested in the women here, you're in a kind of conundrum. There are slutty women who want adventure, but it's very hard to find a nice girl you would want to write home to mother about. So it's one night stands or nothing. But I'm sure there are exceptions.

Other than that, it's a great place and you can make some good money-- especially if you do tutoring on the side.

[jpvanderwerf2001]

I'm mixed race and have never had a problem getting work. I've taught in Ukraine, Mexico, Argentina, India, and now Russia. If one is positive and professional I think that race doesn't occur to most employers or students. Or I've been lucky. Of course, I've never taught in Korea, so I can't comment on that.
Good luck!