Is anyone here an Asian person teaching English?
I was born and educated in the U.S, this is my first time in Asia and I’ve been told by a recruiter that it will be very difficult for me to find employment as an English teacher due to people’s prejudice.
Can anyone tell me if this is true? I’d appreciate any advice.
Thanks!
[quote=“jenigyrl”]Is anyone here an Asian person teaching English?
I was born and educated in the U.S, this is my first time in Asia and I’ve been told by a recruiter that it will be very difficult for me to find employment as an English teacher due to people’s prejudice.
Can anyone tell me if this is true? I’d appreciate any advice.
Thanks![/quote]
Hi jenigyrl. It can be a challenge. A close friend of mine was born in Taiwan and raised in South Africa and the Eastern US. Send me a PM if you want me to put you in touch with him. He’s been quite successful, but he’s truly bilingual and is an excellent, charismatic teacher.
If we are thinking about the same teacher Tomas, I can also vouch for his success.
Yeah, you’ll have a tougher time.
As for advice, need more information. What qualifications do you have? What are you looking for here?
[quote=“jenigyrl”]Is anyone here an Asian person teaching English?
I was born and educated in the U.S, this is my first time in Asia and I’ve been told by a recruiter that it will be very difficult for me to find employment as an English teacher due to people’s prejudice. [/quote]
Nitpicking, but you’re an American who looks like an Asian, not an Asian. This will of course mean that you’re expected to behave like a local and work for local rates.
I’ve known several Americans of Asian appearance who have done just fine here. Sure, there is prejudice, but that’s also true for people who don’t have the right accent - as judged by someone who doesn’t know shit. Believe in yourself, don’t take shit, don’t label yourself as Asian (or anything else) and sooner or later you will find yourself working for a decent human being who doesn’t care about the superficial shit.
In the short term, almost everyone finds themselves working for an arsehole with stupid ideas who exploits newbies. Don’t be put off by it, it’s not because of your genes.
I think we are. The Gooster, I call him. He’s one of those people who just won’t get bogged down in being a victim, lets his light shine no matter what.
No offense there jenigyrl. I also have a close friend who was born in Nigeria and raised in South Africa who was very successful here. Same thing; he just refused to let the bastards get him down. He was so busy doing things and enjoying his life, I don’t think he ever really noticed people who weren’t going to give him a chance, and he won over a lot of people who were on the fence with his enthusiasm and confidence.
My colleague was born in Taiwan and went to school in Canada and then Taiwan. She’s a great teacher and person and highly respected within our school, but she is also a certified teacher in the States with a masters in curriculum development…
Hey, I’m biracial (my dad’s chinese and my mom’s “white”) and I managed to get a decent job within a week or two. There were a couple potential employers who, either during an interview or before, were very straightforward and actually mentioned the rather overt racism here (especially by parents who want their kids to be taught with a stereotypical white guy). Just keep trying to get a job and you’ll find something. It may not be the best job (or the job you really want), but it will at least give you some experience (spoken before actually starting to teach).
Also, on the “certification” question. I actually have a CELTA (which is for adults, but still…) and not one employer actually seemed to care that I had it. They all just wanted someone with a year of local teaching experience.
Anyways, good luck finding a job.
I had little problem finding teaching work when I first got here over 10 years ago. You’ll naturally going to run into prejudiced people here and there, but if you genuinely like teaching and find the right place, you’ll find most Taiwanese students open-minded enough and generally motivated to learn.
I had very few problems in teaching adults and I felt that being an American of Asian descent even worked to my advantage at times in quickly earning trust and communicating honestly – although it matters little in the end.
Most importantly, it’s like any job. if you’re competent, earnest, students/peers will recognize and respect that.
My two cents.
If by Asian you mean Taiwanese/Chinese, I was once given the advice to never EVER let anyone know that you can speak Mandarin. Well, that is if you can actually speak it. Just tell them you’re an American and speak to everyone in English. That way, they won’t be able to force you into being a Chinese English Teacher. I’ve never tried this before (I’m not a teacher), but this certainly worked for the person who gave me the advice.
Anyway, just try to get your first year of teaching experience and things should get better from there. Keep looking!
I don’t know what the teaching market is like anymore, but I would suggest that the original poster check out Kojen or Hess first, or whatever chain school that has a set curriculum and program. Pay is not great but not bad for starting out, and it’s a good way to get some training on the fly. I worked at Kojen for a year or so, and went on to a better paying job with better conditions, etc.