Racism in english teaching job in Taiwan

[ay1128]

I been to numerous job interview throughout my life mostly in the United States where i have lived my whole life. There may be some racism in job search in the US but it's nothing close compared to the discrimination in TW...

I'm 22, i just moved back to TW, hoping to land a english teaching job. I'm of mixed Chinese (Han, Hakka) and Dutch ancestry. Having grown up in Los Angeles, my English is equivalent of a native speaker but i also have very little problem communicating in Mandarin either. So far i went to a few job interviews, the problem i have encountered were my work experience, my visa complication, etc... but the one i can't stand is that I'm not "white" enough to teach in this school?!?! i get the feeling that there is a certain myth in TW's english school that you must be White to be able to teach english... i have encountered one Canadian Caucasian teacher who was a cab driver back in Canada with a huge debt, and he has came to Asia to find a job; and due to his skin color, he easily found a teaching job here in TW; but this guy can't even spell some of the english words correctly... i have a friend who is also a fellow eurasian (thai/polish), she said she was given a lower wage because she wasn't "white" enough, and she told me she had parents complained to the school about her, saying that their kids weren't getting the full "english" education getting taught by her. She actually has a degree and was more qualified than the Canadian cab driver, but due to the skin color, i guess she was still viewed as being more disqualified by the Twnese parents to teaching their children...

obviously some eurasians probably won't encounter this problem since some of them could easily pass of as a caucasian... but thats not really the point, i just think that this hiring process "skin color" is just complete garbage... so i was wondering if there were also any other eurasian in a asian country teaching english???

[Ganbare!]

I personally know one non native English speaker, European though, that's been teaching English in HK for years. An old member by the name of Yongfook used to be a teacher (passively obsessed by sex too) in rural Japan.

[helles]

yeah, it does happen.. a lot of parents are charged lots of money for the 'overseas' teacher teaching their child english, so they want the full blown blond haired/blue eyed experience - regardless the level of English that they have.

my ex-bf (EA) taught in HK with no problems, and i have many BBC friends who teach english here too. they are at the language centres / local schools, not really the big money International schools tho. most of those seem to have mainly the caucasian-look teachers.

[palavore]

English. You can't describe it, but you know it when you see it.

Sorry, I've got a one track mind today.

Hey, any one familiar with that Japanese game show hosted by a white American? He wanders around in public testing the English skills of ordinary Japanese citizens. The ladies surely like him. If it was a Japanese guy, I think the reception might have been different: "Who is this Japanese guy to criticize my English skills? F**k off!" Or so my thinking goes. Race might be the only authority capable of defeating some defense mechanisms people might have about being judged by someone they consider their equal--regardless of whether that someone studied in Europe. In other words, race trumps the race card.

[ay1128]

i actually went to another job interview today that i think went fairly well... but the hard part about the job is that you have to try to teach english to bunch of 3-5 years old little rascals...

[palavore]

Mar 16, 2010 11:52:04 GMT -5 @ay1128 said:

but the hard part about the job is that you have to try to teach english to bunch of 3-5 years old little rascals...

It is easier for children at that age to learn a new language than say... mature 40 year old adults. They'll be learning a lot from you.


Anywho, race and English an interesting history. When Received Pronunciation (Queen's English/BBC English) was first being taught, many Asians learned this form. Many English officers also spoke the "Queen's English". The enlisted soldiers, however, retained their cockney accents. The soldiers upon hearing Asians using Standard Pronunciation felt spoken down to--as if Asians had become their uppers, their officers. Of course, that situation added to the racial tension and probably instigated a few wild bar fights.

[tbw]

I don't know how racist it is. On the surface they are seeking a 'white' person.. It looks like they are trying to set an image for learning english - that english comes from 'white/foreigners' and it is more of an experience to learn from them first hand rather than a native who knows english (like you suggest, often a higher level of english than the 'white' person.)

It could also be the parents of the school that push this as well - "if I can't speak english well then someone else like me should be able to as well, it should be taught by a foreigner."

I don't see this as different as using models to sell clothing. You chose the right model that is going to show off the clothing the best. The clothing could be all ripped/torn up, but if the model makes it look good, then that is what you are going to remember.