Fluent english, CA passport non-native?

[AlexAI]

Hey I am looking to move to China for a period of time and was hoping to clarify an issue about teaching. I am 24, caucasian lived in Canada since I was 14 and just finished my bachelor degree. My english is fluent I have a mild accent which only native speakers pick up on over time.

 

Would the fact that I am not a native speaker disqualify me from 95% of the teaching jobs in China? How would I still apply would it make sense to simply apply as a native speaker and see if they say anything during a skype interview? Are there jobs which would not require being a native speaker?

 

Basically I am not planning to make this my career and going to China for personal reasons. So I wouldn't have an issue making little money or being some kind of an assistant I just have trouble narrowing down on what I should be searching for.

 

Thanks!

[hedwards]

With the passport you'd probably be fine, especially if your accent is that close to that of a native speaker's. I had a friend when I was in China from Germany that spoke more or less flawless English and the passport was the main hang up at times. Supposedly, you have to have a passport issued by one of a few countries in order to get a visa, but I'm not sure how closely that's observed.

 

Without knowing how good your English is, I can't say definitively, but if you can routinely interact with native speakers without them noticing, then it probably would be best to just focus on your English level and ignore the part about not being a native speaker. That's essentially what my friend did and apart from the odd time when she'd say something German like drive her bike, I would never have known she wasn't American.

 

Also, the further you're willing to go from major cities the less likely it is for anybody to even notice. But, if your English is that good you might not even need to restrict yourself like that. I had colleagues in my orientation group with really thick accents, the man from Scotland was hard for me to understand, even as a native speaker.

[Lu]

I think your Canadian passport actually qualifies you for most teaching jobs, especially since you're white (this is, unfortunately, a factor. If you look Asian, many schools won't see you as a native speaker even if you would have been born in an English-speaking country). Your written English looks fine (judging from just this single post :-) ), and if native speakers can barely hear you accent, that shouldn't be a problem. For further qualifications, consider getting some kind of diploma in teaching English as a foreign language. And don't sell yourself short once you start looking for a job.

[simplet]

You're white with a canadian passport, you'll be fine. Even if you only had one of those two you probably would have been fine.

 

And a bachelor degree too?

[hedwards]

@Simplet, he just finished his bachelor's degree, so the other thing that he'll need to do things properly is make sure to have 2 years of work experience and a proper teaching certificate. With that in place, he shouldn't have any particular problem finding a job legally at a decent school.

 

But, since he doesn't really need the money, a cultural exchange would probably also be a possibility.

[AlexAI]

Hey guys thank you for the feedback my appreciated.

 

So to summarize would it make sense to send my application as the following: mention in my resume/cv that I moved to Canada say at age 7 which would explain the fact that my city of birth is foreign and that I have a mild accent if that gets noticed. Along with my Canadian passport and my caucasian photograph just apply to all places (native-required or not) assuming some of them won't be concerned with this detail in light of all the factors combined?

 

I also have two questions.

 

1. Once again I'm moving to a central city in China for personal reasons for the summer - I am really more concerned with offsetting some of the travel and living costs, what job/type of teaching would you suggest I should apply for (short term or have the ability to by fall without complications)?

 

2. I find it really hard to judge how 'legitimate' Chinese job posting websites are, does anyone have a link to some kind of an online guide that would link the major ones?

 

Thanks again..

[fanglu]

If I were you, I'd say I was a native speaker. No one will know the difference.

 

It's not even really a lie. Given your entire schooling has been in English (I assume), English is most likely your best language. I think a reasonable definition of 'native language' is the language you speak/read/write best.

[Lu]

So to summarize would it make sense to send my application as the following: mention in my resume/cv that I moved to Canada say at age 7

Why do that? Just leave out place of birth altogether, mention your Canadian nationality, and leave it at that. Perhaps don't go so far as outright lying, but there's no need to complicate things like this. You're Canadian, you have a BA, and you're white - making a point of not strictly speaking being a native speaker is pointless really. This is not some academic pursuit in determining the most standard Canadian-English, it's about teaching Chinese kids some basic English skills. I'm pretty sure your qualifications are a lot better than those of plenty of 'real' native speakers.

Again: don't sell yourself short.

[hedwards]

@Lu, that's precisely what I'd say, don't say either way and definitely don't lie if asked. If they can't tell the difference then the difference is probably immaterial. Especially if native speakers don't generally notice.

 

@Fanglu, native speaker means that it was the language you grew up speaking, and the OP might well be native-like, but will never be a native speaker. That's like me with German, Chinese and Spanish, I might work very hard and get to the point where people confuse me for a native speaker, but there will always be mistakes and slips that no native speaker would make. Doesn't mean I can't get to the level where the difference isn't important, just that I'll never be a native speaker of the those languages because I didn't grow up with them.

[AlexAI]

Thank you for the advice!! I've written a CV is there anyone that would be willing to give me a few pointers on it (I promise it's very short...)? It should be pretty evident a lot of my past experience is just basic volunteer positions since I've read somewhere putting things like serving/bartending jobs on your CV might actually hurt your chances.