Korean Job Discussion Forums

[rainbrings]

I'm running in to problems because i was brought up in a multicultural environment, meaning I have a bizarre accent (a mixture of Geordie, Icelandic and general northern)

From what i have been told South Korean is enamored with the American accent so i guess the question I must ask how many people are out there with their own slightly different accent?

Would it be best if i to try and find someone willing to try to train my voice or should I try to develop an American accent?

[marsavalanche]

south africans are allowed to work here. so no.

- an american

[jstubley80]

Speaking as a Yorkshireman who taught in Korea in 2009-10 and will be returning the week after next: No. Your accent is fine.

[PigeonFart]

Speak a little slower, fully enunciate ALL words (e.g. pronounce WORKING as "working" and not "workin"). I'm not saying that's a characteristic of your accent, i'm just showing how native speakers can take too many short cuts and should be more aware of such local tendancies. Simple things like that will work perfectly. You'll still have your accent but will be easily understood by all.

[rainbrings]

I think the speed is the problem I have with the recruiters, if you ever been in Newcastle it's our tendency to try and say everything in a single breath .

I think I have to get practice talking on a phone... I'm a Programmer it wasn't in my training lol

Jstubley... May I ask which route/recruiter you took

[edwardcatflap]

It's definitely nothing to do with accent and all about how you use English in the class room. As other people have said, speak slowly, back up instructions with gestures, check the students understand you by getting them to repeat instructions back, demonstrate all activities with a student after giving instructions and always be thinking about whether what you're saying will be easily understood. To do all this really effectively you should do some teacher training before you enter a class room but if that's not on for whatever reason, try and follow the basic rules.

[NYC_Gal 2.0]

Try to sound like you work as a BBC anchor for your phone interview. Other than that, you're fine as long as you speak clearly and slowly. You'd do that anyway for the students, so fear not. Best of luck!

EDIT for typo.

[jstubley80]

The Geordie accent is my second favourite from home.. After Yorkshire, obviously..

I've been really lucky both times, to be honest. First time I was working as a roofer while finidhing my MA. Applied for a couple of jobs and landed a university position after my first phone interview. Good deal. This time, a colleague from my old uni got me a telephone interview with the boss at his new uni. Again, one interview, one job.

Both times the interviewer (one 'Mercun, one Korean) commented on my accent being unusual, but clear.

[rainbrings]

awesome thanks all, I think it's more that I'm uncomfortable on a phone. Think I should really just start answering the phone to the marketing calls and ask how I sound.

Bank: So Mr ......, would you like to listen to our offers.

Me: not really but would you like a chat.

Bank: Excuse me?

Me: A chat you know, me and you talking about mundane things, and coming out at the end with no new information except what the woman next door bought or how the cat is.

Bank: I'm sorry but i need to work.

(hangs up)

Me: Another new friend lost to his job

(yeah sorry rambling but thank you all, I'm going to try and be slower and breathe)


Jstubley80.... I wish my accent was actually Geordie fully but it's a mash up lol even Geordies ask what country I am from.

So it is possible to apply directly for jobs from the organisations then going through recruiters.

awesome for you on good employment

[shifty]

You have a good attitude OP, in that it is a concern of yours.

My experiences with others from the UK were, "We invented the language" and a steeped refusal to even consider branching out.

In general, to my South African ear, British English is clear under all circumstances, with some people sublimely clear for some reason.

However, for the Korean ear (or rather the Korean parent) you should move to a North American accent, wherever you can. For 'class' drop the 'clahs' and do 'class' rhyming with 'ass'. There're lots of words like that, so you can tuck into that in the interim.

In my experience, Koreans struggle with strong American accents, whereas Canadian accent is very much simpatico to a Korean ear. So when I say 'North American', I really mean Canadian. Americans have a whine in their speech that Koreans can only rarely get to grips with.

Also, the standard of English amongst the younger American teachers is not impressive, with regard to vocab particularly, but in the wider sense as well.

A South African's accent is readily understood by a Korean. For the reason, I suspect, that a Korean's inborn English accent corresponds most closely with it.

[jstubley80]

[rainbrings]

I got an interview , well depending on if I can get my documents ready and disclosure Scotland don't seem willing to do anything been waiting three weeks and every time time I ask for a update they act puzzled as they have done nothing

[DaHu]

I can't imagine you developing an American accent quickly.

[Privateer]

I remember being met with blank looks of incomprehension when I said the word 'sandwich'. The problem turned out to be that I hadn't pronounced it as if it had actual 'sand' in it.

[drydell]

Yeah - you might find yourself having to turn some t's into d's (little - liddle and water to wadder) and the short o's into long a's (bob - baarb, hot - haart) to prevent some looks of utter bewilderment from Koreans...

It's an amazing failure of ESL teaching in Korea when Koreans completely struggle to understand even a (non-heavy regional) English English accent due to over focus on N American. They can produce students who can parrot a US accent so accurately they you wouldn't think they were Korean but cannot even understand clear spoken UK English..

In short OP do not mimic a north American accent - it aint helping the students become better at international English communication one iota..but do tone down a strong regional accent and think very carefully about all your slang English that you use with other UK English speakers that won't make sense to a learner (EG "hows it going?" (=hi!) - what the heck does that mean?)