Tuesday, May 15, 2007

Asian Americans Teaching ESL Abroad

I’ve got another Best Answer over on Yahoo! Answers. The question was:

Is there a chance for a Filipino to teach ESL in Korea and Japan?

My answer was:

My guess is that it's a slim chance, unfortunately. This isn't from personal experience, but from stories I've heard of other Asian-Americans getting jobs in Asian countries. When they have shown up for the job, the schools refused to hire them.

This is only the experience of a couple of people I've known, so it certainly doesn't mean it would happen to you. Maybe things have changed.

If you are looking at EFL teaching positions in Korea or Japan, I would send a photo of yourself or specifically ask them if there are any issues with you being Filipino before you make all your plans to go there.

It's an unfortunate reality, but maybe things are changing. Good luck.

--end--

1 comment:

Almira said...

I have read your blogs and I like it because it's very informative for a person like me who is also teaching English.

I'm a Filipino and I've been teaching English here in the Philippines. I would just like to comment your blog about Asian American Teaching ESL...

I might sound biased but I think there are a lot of Filipinos who are competitive enough to be ESL teachers abroad.I felt like it's a discrimination.

Anyway, I like your blogs. I'll try to vist your page as often as I can.