Advice on how to get a job- not a "native" English speaker
Posted: 08 May 2008, 10:09
I'm a 27 year old black South African and have just finished a hectic 3-month long TEFL course. I've been noticing the adverts looking for "native speakers", which I feel I cannot apply for because, although I come from SA and have 1st language English speaker proficiency, I am black and brown-eyed.
I must admit, before registering for the TEFL course I didn't do my research as well as I should have. I assumed that the TEFL/ESL employment environment would work just like any other corporate recruitment environment!
I was wrong!
I have a Diploma in Marketing, a 3-year qualification, which I completed with the University of Johannesburg. A Bachelor of Arts or a Bachelor of Commerce degree with the same institution also takes 3 year to complete.
The difference is that Diplomas are less theory based and actually require that you get about 3 months work experience before your graduate.
I am currently studying for a BA Communication Science degree part-time.
I have been working in the financial services/investments industry doing PR/Marketing/Corporate Affairs since I was 20 years old, with some of the most reputable institutions in SA. When I was 19 I tutored first year students
for 6 months in Business Communication English.
I thought my track record would count for something but it counts for nothing!! Again I blame my lack of research.
When I started appyling for TEFL jobs I got the shock of my life when I realised that my diploma, current studies, work experience and the TELF certificate mean nothing. I was even more shocked to realise that most jobs don't even require any form of TEFL training - you qualify just for being a "native speaker" (and in most cases, white) and for having a piece of paper that says "degree"... in any discipline.
I decided to go the TEFL route because I need a break from the corporate world and also because I want to do a bit of travelling. The fact that I'll be taking a huge pay-cut (earn about a third of what I currently earn in the corporate world) doesn't bother me. My student loans are long paid off!
All I want is to experience new things/cultures, be challenged and see the world. TEFL is the obvious means of doing this because I actually enjoyed the 6 months of tutoring that I did many years ago.
I'm a bit disappointed but I'm sure I'll find something.
Any advice on how to go about finding a job?
I must admit, before registering for the TEFL course I didn't do my research as well as I should have. I assumed that the TEFL/ESL employment environment would work just like any other corporate recruitment environment!
I was wrong!
I have a Diploma in Marketing, a 3-year qualification, which I completed with the University of Johannesburg. A Bachelor of Arts or a Bachelor of Commerce degree with the same institution also takes 3 year to complete.
The difference is that Diplomas are less theory based and actually require that you get about 3 months work experience before your graduate.
I am currently studying for a BA Communication Science degree part-time.
I have been working in the financial services/investments industry doing PR/Marketing/Corporate Affairs since I was 20 years old, with some of the most reputable institutions in SA. When I was 19 I tutored first year students
for 6 months in Business Communication English.
I thought my track record would count for something but it counts for nothing!! Again I blame my lack of research.
When I started appyling for TEFL jobs I got the shock of my life when I realised that my diploma, current studies, work experience and the TELF certificate mean nothing. I was even more shocked to realise that most jobs don't even require any form of TEFL training - you qualify just for being a "native speaker" (and in most cases, white) and for having a piece of paper that says "degree"... in any discipline.
I decided to go the TEFL route because I need a break from the corporate world and also because I want to do a bit of travelling. The fact that I'll be taking a huge pay-cut (earn about a third of what I currently earn in the corporate world) doesn't bother me. My student loans are long paid off!
All I want is to experience new things/cultures, be challenged and see the world. TEFL is the obvious means of doing this because I actually enjoyed the 6 months of tutoring that I did many years ago.
I'm a bit disappointed but I'm sure I'll find something.
Any advice on how to go about finding a job?