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Kwangjuchicken
Joined: 01 Sep 2003
Location: I was abducted by aliens on my way to Korea and forced to be an EFL teacher on this crazy planet.
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 Posted: Tue Dec 13, 2011 10:48 pm Post subject: Re: So it's not just me... |
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| elizabethbennet88 wrote: |
Well, thanks to all your replies I understand the dynamics of the market a lot better.
@proverbs: I trust you're right about there being only two categories, really. @andrewchon: Not denying that Aussies are having an even harder time. But I guess the discrimination is aimed more towards the category "other" than any particular subgroup non-US/CAN.
@proverbs: I also have sympathy with the point about different accents being confusing to first time learners of the language. And I get that Korea has a great affinity with American culture and all. It's a bit hard to understand coming from South Africa where part of your competency in English is being able to deal with the insanely diverse range of accents floating around. I do think Ribena has a point, though: one gets a pretty funky range of American accents as well!
For what it's worth - we got a job offer. And, from everything discussed above, we are taking it despite a relatively low salary (2.0). So thanks for helping us understand how desperate we are - lol! Good luck to our fellow countrymen and "other." Hope you also get lucky. |
I see that the same day after you had started this thread you had a job offer. This reminds me of a similar experience I once had. Several years ago I was having no luck with job offers. I was on my computer preparing another application to be sent by email. When I had about half finished the application, I saw a 1 appear in my in box. So, I saved as a draft what I had done for the job application because I wanted to see what was in the email. It was a job offer. I accepted it and many years later I still have in my draft box the half completed application. |
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proverbs
Joined: 28 Apr 2009
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| Posted: Tue Dec 13, 2011 10:49 pm Post subject: |
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Congrats on the job Elizabeth!
@krnpowr - i'm sorry, i forgot to add the other 2 categories..non bilingual koreans and bilingual koreans. from what i've heard and my own observations, the non-bilingual koreans are the lowest on the chain. and as racist as it may be, all non-bilingual ASIANS would be included in this category. bilingual koreans will always have a place in this market. so there are no 'US gyopos', 'Australian gyopos', etc. -- all koreans are grouped into 2 categories. |
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elizabethbennet88
Joined: 18 Aug 2011
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| Posted: Tue Dec 13, 2011 11:18 pm Post subject: |
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@ proverbs & kwangjuchicken: Thanks - it was actually a school that complained about the accent thing that decided to hire us - so I don't know what that means.
By the way, all "others": We found our job through a smaller recruiter. My suspicion is that smaller recruiters at the moment have a larger jobs to applicants ratio compared to the big ones. They perhaps also have more time to LOOK for a job that suits us "generally less desirables". Just a suspicion. |
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I-am-me
Joined: 21 Feb 2006
Location: Hermit Kingdom
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| Posted: Thu Dec 15, 2011 11:14 pm Post subject: |
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| Ribena wrote: |
Unfortunatly for them they are failing to factor in the different American accents and some of them are rather heavy and difficult. If I was running a school and thinking along those lines I would probably stick to just the Canadians myself.
I'm not Canadian but I can see why they might favour them over even Americans. I also find New Zealanders in general have easier to understand accents. That would be my pick. |
I have met a few New Zealanders, and as an American I find it very difficult to understand them! Second to them are Australians, then South Africans. I know college students who tell me they cant understand those accents as well. |
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elizabethbennet88
Joined: 18 Aug 2011
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| Posted: Thu Dec 15, 2011 11:25 pm Post subject: |
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@ i-am-me: I don't want this to become a mud fight about who has the weirdest accent. I think we can all agree that we sometimes have difficulty understanding someone with a DIFFERENT accent to our own.
The more interesting question is whether we should infer from this that English teaching should conform to one and not another style of pronunciation.
I can see how there is a case to be made for uniformity when it comes to teaching first-timers. But I still think the ideal for proficiency should be an ability to cope with diverse accents. |
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Ribena
Joined: 07 Apr 2011
Location: UK
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| Posted: Sat Dec 17, 2011 4:16 am Post subject: |
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| I-am-me wrote: |
| Ribena wrote: |
Unfortunatly for them they are failing to factor in the different American accents and some of them are rather heavy and difficult. If I was running a school and thinking along those lines I would probably stick to just the Canadians myself.
I'm not Canadian but I can see why they might favour them over even Americans. I also find New Zealanders in general have easier to understand accents. That would be my pick. |
I have met a few New Zealanders, and as an American I find it very difficult to understand them! Second to them are Australians, then South Africans. I know college students who tell me they cant understand those accents as well. |
Alot of British people couldn't understand half of what Kelly Rowland was saying on the X-Factor, alot of people wanted Dannii Minogue to come back instead. American accents from "The south" are much harder work than a slight accent from any other English speaking country. |
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hang10
Joined: 11 Nov 2007
Location: Asia, Twice the sex half the foreplay
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| Posted: Sat Dec 17, 2011 9:37 am Post subject: |
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| Yea probably, best pack ur bags n go.... see ya saffa! |
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hang10
Joined: 11 Nov 2007
Location: Asia, Twice the sex half the foreplay
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| Posted: Sat Dec 17, 2011 9:42 am Post subject: |
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| Ribena wrote: |
| I-am-me wrote: |
| Ribena wrote: |
Unfortunatly for them they are failing to factor in the different American accents and some of them are rather heavy and difficult. If I was running a school and thinking along those lines I would probably stick to just the Canadians myself.
I'm not Canadian but I can see why they might favour them over even Americans. I also find New Zealanders in general have easier to understand accents. That would be my pick. |
I have met a few New Zealanders, and as an American I find it very difficult to understand them! Second to them are Australians, then South Africans. I know college students who tell me they cant understand those accents as well. |
Alot of British people couldn't understand half of what Kelly Rowland was saying on the X-Factor, alot of people wanted Dannii Minogue to come back instead. American accents from "The south" are much harder work than a slight accent from any other English speaking country. |
Jesus wept! I guess if they can say "supercalafragalisticexpialadoshus" in the queens English then Hey!, I say they get the job. But if they are caffas then they can throw rocks in the street for any job that they might get. Welcome to Kurryera. |
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GrasshopperKR
Joined: 14 Oct 2011
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| Posted: Sat Dec 17, 2011 9:43 am Post subject: |
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I find most South Africans talk with a heavy german/dutch accent. Must be because Afrikaans and not English is their mother tongue. I have relatives in South Africa but they are English.
I worked with a South African in Taiwan who reminded me of every East European bad guy from the James Bond series. I had a hard time figuring out his accent. |
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Ribena
Joined: 07 Apr 2011
Location: UK
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| Posted: Sat Dec 17, 2011 2:39 pm Post subject: |
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| hang10 wrote: |
| Ribena wrote: |
| I-am-me wrote: |
| Ribena wrote: |
Unfortunatly for them they are failing to factor in the different American accents and some of them are rather heavy and difficult. If I was running a school and thinking along those lines I would probably stick to just the Canadians myself.
I'm not Canadian but I can see why they might favour them over even Americans. I also find New Zealanders in general have easier to understand accents. That would be my pick. |
I have met a few New Zealanders, and as an American I find it very difficult to understand them! Second to them are Australians, then South Africans. I know college students who tell me they cant understand those accents as well. |
Alot of British people couldn't understand half of what Kelly Rowland was saying on the X-Factor, alot of people wanted Dannii Minogue to come back instead. American accents from "The south" are much harder work than a slight accent from any other English speaking country. |
Jesus wept! I guess if they can say "supercalafragalisticexpialadoshus" in the queens English then Hey!, I say they get the job. But if they are caffas then they can throw rocks in the street for any job that they might get. Welcome to Kurryera. |
Well Jesus can watch her on the American version since she will no doubt replace the talking fountain next year. It will balance out the American public rejection of Cheryl "your right up my street" Cole - from the land of Britain's most "trustworthy" accent. Maybe they can replace her with a South African - the panel does seem to require someone who talks in a puzzling and mysterying accent. |
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shifty
Joined: 21 Jun 2004
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| Posted: Sun Dec 18, 2011 12:56 am Post subject: |
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I hope poster Grasshopper doesn't see this. But not to worry, you can relax; he's no doubt too busy checking out his James Bond movies. |
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Swampfox10mm
Joined: 24 Mar 2011
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| Posted: Sun Dec 18, 2011 3:09 pm Post subject: |
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I am American.
Recruiters need to get with the game and hire a variety of accents. It is part of the new TOEIC, and Koreans need to understand accents if they plan to score well. |
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elizabethbennet88
Joined: 18 Aug 2011
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| Posted: Sun Dec 18, 2011 11:53 pm Post subject: |
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@Swampfox10mm: Thanks for bringing it back to the topic and away from racist slurs like grasshopper's. Tell me more about the new TOEIC and accents? Sounds interesting.
For what it's worth I'll try to make my point again, this time not as subtly:
Anyone who has ever thought farther than their noses about the meaning of variations in pronunciations must have realised that no-one can lay claim to the "true" pronunciation of a word. It is exremely arrogant to suggest otherwise.
Obviously some accents will strike any single person as stranger than others and this easily goes over into a sort of racism (some examples in this thread). I admit that I ashamedly sometimes draw conclusions about Americans based on their accents.
The point is: THIS IS WRONG. Therefore, I insist that the ideal for language proficiency ought to be an ability to adapt to different accents. |
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elizabethbennet88
Joined: 18 Aug 2011
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| Posted: Sun Dec 18, 2011 11:58 pm Post subject: |
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@ hang10: I was just decrypting your message. You used the word "caffa." An internet search gave two meanings of this word, one of which I quote:
Definition of CAFFA
1
: a rich silk cloth with printed or woven designs popular in the 16th century
2
: a painted cotton cloth formerly made in India
Somehow, I don't think this is what you meant. Could you enlighten me before I assume that the other meaning applies? |
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Jingo besus
Joined: 12 Sep 2011
Location: The Clipperton Suite
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| Posted: Mon Dec 19, 2011 1:09 am Post subject: |
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| Ribena wrote: |
| Alot of British people couldn't understand half of what Kelly Rowland was saying on the X-Factor, alot of people wanted Dannii Minogue to come back instead. American accents from "The south" are much harder work than a slight accent from any other English speaking country. |
To be fair though, that's because Kelly's idea of critical analysis is to shout "yo momma, you dropped dat! heavy trout fillet, momma don't know jack about not layng the smackdown girrrl." |
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