ESL Jobs Forum

[song2x]

Is it possible for an chinese person (myself) with native English speaking proficiency to become TESOL certified and teach in Asia?

[Gerard Denaro]

In reply to your question , I must sadly say the answer is no! Even though your native tongue maybe English, in my experience you wont get a look in , because schools want "foreign-looking" people, preferably young, blonde, blue eyes etc. Why?
Every chance they get, schools will parade their foreign staff in front of prospective parents. Dont take it personally, it just comes down to dollars and sense. So you're there as much to wave the school flag as to teach English, even more so. You may find yourself on radio and TV, newspaper articles and heaven forbid, a star of a national foreign talent quest all in the name of free advertising for your chosen instituion.
My advice if you're Asian, is to try a country where Asian looks might be the exception rather than the rule.
Zhu nin hao yun!!!!
Gerard Denaro
g_denaro@hotmail.com
_________________
Xianzai wo zai Qunsilan Daxue Xuexi Zhongwen san nianji

[bjwellgo]

possible. I know only a few schools who select "foreign teachers" or ESL teachers based solely on their merit. That's the reality. Sad.
_________________
360.yahoo.com/bjwellgo8

[mikara.travel]

I still haven't decided where I want to teach but I'm doing a lot of job hunting. As an Asian-American Native Spearker would I not have any chance in China of being accepted? I mean English is my first language. I'm not of Chinese descent but Asian, and I wanted to got there or Taiwan possibly.

What is the problem there is it something cultural like a reverse racism?

Also I'm a young female, what effect will that have?

[linguring]

For anyone still reading this thread, just wanted to say it is definitely possible here in Japan. Some schools still want the 'European look' for their teachers, but, even with the ailing economy, friends of mine in similar situations have decent jobs.

[busecoteach]

Unfortunately, it is a sad fact that schools in Asia, owned and run by locals and in some cases owned by overseas investors do go for the "look" rather than the substance in terms of teaching.

I have taught ESL in Asia some years ago and have been in mainstream teaching in Europe and UK and found that ASIANS who can teach, are passionate about teaching and passing on genuine knowledge do not fair as well as their Caucasian folks because of the ingrained perceptions created by media, especially western media.

During my time in teaching I have come across the so-called native speakers who cannot teach and are not even able to spell crumbley (oops crumbly!!). Recent example from last week. Yet, they land jobs in places like China, Taiwan and Korea. Why? The parents are gullible, have been tricked by locals and overseas investors about the quality of education they are getting and do not really know that their children are not getting the "real" knowledge of the language - all because of money!

So to people like Song, Mikara and others; yes there are hurdles BUT once you have established yourself in the communities and local schools, parents and children will flock to you and who knows, one day you might have your own school. Someone has to persevere and lead by example, so please keep trying and do not give up. Someone also has to take the lead and inform parents that they have been wronged with so many "fake" teachers, many who do not even have any qualifications. There are many who are students in their "gap year" and teaching in Asia, getting jobs on "looks" rather than substance.

I would put all this to propaganda and naivety and someone has to break that cycle. Why not Song, Mikara and perhaps many others?

So good luck to all Asians from an asian with some experience

[itoi]

Hey there,

It is not completely out of the question by any means; however there is some truth in what people have been saying. It is still definitely a possibility for you to find a job and I would say if you want to do it, go for it!

You might be interested in looking at i-to-i’s community Chalkboard. There are articles and blogs about people who have been out there and found jobs successfully.

In particular, you could get in touch with Sandy Chow: : http://www.onlinetefl.com/tefl-chalkboard/sandychow17 whom you can find searching in the 'people' section of the website. She was in exactly the same position to you however she has successfully worked in Thailand.

Alternatively, you might want to take a look at TEFL Uncovered: How to Teach Your Way Abroad with TEFL : http://www.onlinetefl.com/contact-tefl-team/tefl-ebook.html It is a free resource that you can download and it will give you the lowdown on how to find work, where to start, and where would be best for you.

Hope this helps!

Wish you the best of luck finding work!