Do the words “if you are a native English speaker (passport holder from UK, USA, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, South Africa) please contact us” sound familiar?
If you were in my shoes, as a teacher, a human being, and a user of languages, what would you perceive?
These discriminatory ads are causing teachers of English all over the world to come to terms with the reality of what the English Language Teaching profession looks like from the inside, and feel as though they are at fault.
As a non-native teacher there is nothing you can do to fulfil this requirement. You were born in the “wrong place” and put on the sidelines. No formation course you can complete, or any amount of years you can study or live in one of the English speaking contexts indicated, can quite help you with this application process.
In fact, if you’re anything like me, what you do feel by looking at these ads is a mixture of bewilderment, frustration, apprehension and powerlessness.
The worst part of it is that there are hundreds of thousands of people who claim they can justify why this kind of ad is actually acceptable and called for.
Isn’t it terrifying to have to go through all those years of teacher training, to later have to sit a proficiency test – with your own students – hoping for a C2 level in ALL skills?
Speaking more than one language, being proficient in more than one language is not a deficiency, and it has taken me years to realise this.
In fact, there was a time all this had a very detrimental effect on me, this “having to prove my worth” over and over again, and yet still never living up to the insane requirements for being hired!
Thankfully, I am past that hurdle and would love for you to reach out if you think I can help you, in any way, to reach a peace of mind.