TeachingEnglish
Any obstacles for non-native English speaking teachers?
Submitted by ajarnmay on 17 November, 2009 - 06:59
I'm Thai and will take CELTA in Jan. 2010 at IH. I finished high school from the States, BA in English in Thailand and MA in European Studies in the Netherlands.
I doubt if non-native English speakers, having CELTA qualification, would ever have a difficulty finding a teaching job outside their own countries. I have experienced working as an English teacher in the university in Thailand, but would certainly like to do that abroad (that is the reason why I take CELTA..) However, I have seen limitations in doing so; many language schools (even in my own country) simply want to recruit British, Australian, American, etc.
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Yes, in my experience schools/companies/organisations are much more likely to hire people from the UK, the US, Australia, New Zealand and Canada (and in some, but not all, cases South Africa) than people from other countries.
It's a bit of a tricky situation and in some of the places that I have worked (only within China) it causes conflict between 'foreigners' (the native speakers) and local staff (Chinese) for the opposite reason you might think.
There are two sides to running a language school - the business side (out to please customers) and the academic side (out to help learners). Most students are both, they are learners and they are customers, but while they understand good service and expectations they don't necessarily understand good teaching and education. The learner side needs good teachers (native or non-native speakers with good qualifications, like the CELTA), but the customer side wants native speaker contact (native speakers with or without good qualifications).
In a market-driven world what the customer wants seems to hold a bit more sway than what the customer needs... and so the Chinese staff (managers and sales staff) argue for native English speakers while the 'foreign' staff (teachers and academic staff) argue for qualified teachers. You can guess who wins most of the time - the manager.
Less of a problem in internationally owned businesses than locally owned ones, but there will always be customer expectations to deal with and that can make it tough at times, unfortunately.
(nb. That's what it seems to be like in China. I'm not sure about other countries).
You have a chance to get a job abroad with CELTA being a non native speaker :)
I teach EFL in Turkey and before was offered jobs in China and Spain.
It usually takes a lot of stamina and effort though :(
Sir,
It is a fact that native teachers of English are preferred to non-native teachers of English even in the countries where English is taught as a second or foreign language. It is somewhat difficult to change the mind set of the people. But if you are highly talented you can get opportunities any where in the world. Most of the Indians are working as teachers, lecturers, and even as professors in the native English speaking countries like England and America. It depends on your capability. No one can crush the talent. I hope you will enhance your teaching skills in English and teach English even to the native speakers. I wish you the best of luck.
Yours sincerely,
JVL NARASIMHARAO
Woww..your profile is quite impressive! May I ask where you are from littlemissbossy? How could you find and get this current job in Turkey (or been offered jobs in China and Spain)?
PS: After finishing CELTA, I guess I'll just have to try and put an effort in finding a teaching job in countries where native English teachers do not choose to go (don't know where though). By doing so, I might have more chance to be selected to teach (plus enjoy life abroad as an expat!) with a status of "non-native".
Hi!
I'm from Poland and very proud of that :)
The jobs from Spain and China were offered to me after I had completed my profile on www.tefl.com.
The one in Turkey I found after completing my CELTA in Istanbul. I guess that's very good tactics and it has worked for many people before. Being an EU citizen also helps a lot as in some European countries it's difficult to get a job if you are from the outside of the community.
My advice - invest in yourself and your education. Read a lot and keep in touch with people who know how to deal with things in the ELT world.
If you have any questions, contact me through my blog and I'll do my best to help you :)
Anita
It is unfair that non-native English speakers (even if they are very highly qualified like yourself) get pushed aside for under-qualified native speakers.
However that doesn't mean you'll never leave Thailand! If you're keen to travel and teach abroad, I'd recommend China - I'm teaching in Xi'an at the moment and the demand for English teachers is so huge that there are TEFL jobs available for non-English speakers, although it is a sad fact that they sometimes prefer white non-native speakers. That being said I'd get on sites like www.tefl.com and www.eslcafe.com to see what employers are after - and remember that often they say that they want a native English speaker, but due to your level of experience you should be in a good position to negotiate.
Good luck!
Hello Everyone;)
I have a question concerning the requirements for non-native teachers of English in the UK(or anywhere). Undoubtedly, having CELTA is a must BUT...CELTA is for people with no previous experience in teaching which means that a person having CPE certificate (I'm talking about non-native teachers) and CELTA is enough. What about teachers with linguistic education? I got my B.A. in English Philology (teacher training specialisation with 2 yrs of methodology courses etc plus teaching practices) which entitles me to teach English as a second lg in my country. Besides, I have my diploma and qualifications in both languages. So, doing CELTA would be a repetition for me, still (and the question is:D) - my qualifications are not recognised in the UK?
Hi Jackie,
I have to reply in two parts, because there are two possible answers depending on what your BA in English Philology encompassed:
1) What I understand is that a BA TESOL (I assume the equivalent of BA Eng Philol) is relatively theoretical in nature whereas the Cambridge CELTA (and any equivalents, such as the Trinity Cert) are exteremely practical in nature. While I'm sure any BA includes practical components, I think it unlikely that the CELTA would be repetition for you. You would be bound to find lots of new ideas and practical techniques that are extremely useful (not to mention personal and holistic development - it's an amazing course).
Consider also, that the CELTA is accredited at Level 5 on the UK Qualifications framework (not a BA, but equivalent to many 2 year courses - so you can imagine how intensive it is to take in just 4 weeks... learning ANYONE could be proud of).
2) Of course, if it's just a matter of having the qualifications (without the time and expense), there is also the TKT (Teacher's Knowledge Test). The TKT is, as far as I'm aware, designed for teachers who already have TESOL qualifications and experience in their own country but who desire additional qualifications to ensure that their knowledge is recognised internationally. There are TKT training programmes, but it is also available as a set of exams that don't require specialist training. If you have a BA TESOL equivalent, the TKT may be just what you are looking for.
I personally would recommend the CELTA, though. It's hard to imagine just how impressive the course is until you've taken it.
Thank you for the reply:)
As for my B.A. - yes, I had both theoretical part (1 year plus exam), and practical classes - 1,5 year plus observation and teaching practices.
I guess that CELTA would be the best for me for many reasons, I suppose it is still one of the most important certificates acredited in the UK (and not only). Some practical skills and repetition would come in handy.
I'm not sure about TTK, the description of the course by Cambridge says "It is ideal for all teachers, whatever their background and teaching experience, and is also suitable for people who would like to teach English but do not yet have a teaching position." It seems that CELTA is better even for those who already have teaching qualifications.
I have completed my CELTA from Thailand this January. Now that I am trying to find a job, I see that employers only want native Engish speakres to apply for the open positions. So what does a non-native speaker do?