Teaching English as a non-native speaker

Hi all,

I'm from The Netherlands but was raised bilingual (my father worked abroad a lot and thought it would come in handy at some point). I have lived and worked in Australia for a year and speak English fluently. I have a Master degree in history - some courses were held in English.

Still, most ESL companies reject my application because I'm not a 'native speaker'.

I would love to work in this inspiring country so I'm looking for every opportunity I can find.

What I can do? Tips, suggestions are greatly appreciated!

Because you are not from an anglophone country, it's not going to be easy for you to get a teaching job. You have to prove 12 or more years of your education have been all in English in order to get a visa. Not just a few courses.

I'd suggest talking to an immigration lawyer to see how he can spin your background.

Ever taken an English language test to prove you have a super high score? TOEIC? TOEFL? IELTS? BULATS? Might help.
Ever taught the language anywhere (despite having a history degree)? Might also help.

You mentioned TOEIC TOEFL IELTS BULATS - which one would you recommend to take?
I did a TEFL a lifetime ago, taught English for years here in Thailand (have contracts to prove it) and am thinking of doing a language test.
Will one of the above mentioned tests improve my chances of getting hired?
If so, which one would you recommend?

Glenski said:

Because you are not from an anglophone country, it's not going to be easy for you to get a teaching job. You have to prove 12 or more years of your education have been all in English in order to get a visa. Not just a few courses.

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It's not 100% exact, if I may.

To get a "specialist in humanities" visa, the OP doesn't need 12 years of English education. With a "S in H" visa, you can work at an eikaiwa.

To get an 'Instructor" visa, the OP needs 12 years of English education UNLESS he can land a joukin job. This visa is for working at schools (primary,JHS, SHS and these are mostly hijoukin jobs).

To get an 'Instructor" visa, the OP needs 12 years of English education UNLESS he can land a joukin job. This visa is for working at schools (primary,JHS, SHS and these are mostly hijoukin jobs)."

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You should probably explain joukin and hijoukin for readers. The latter is part-time work, and you don't get sponsored for a visa on that status.

You mentioned TOEIC TOEFL IELTS BULATS - which one would you recommend to take?

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Japanese employers don't really care about certifications; they hardly know what they are. For language cert to appease immigration, you might be better off with a TOEIC or TOEFL because they are more widely known. For jobs, if they want a cert, CELTA is better.

I guess my best chances as a non-native speaker are to get a specialist visa to work at eikawas.
I've taught at high schools here (I did about everything there is here, from EP first graders to private lessons for adults) and am not too fond of big classes of unruly teenagers, especially if I am just an ALT who is something of a prop.
In 1990 I went to study Japanese in the morning, which I can only recommend to everybody, and taught at private schools in the afternoons; I also squeezed in some karate training and went to auditions. The second year I got a student visa again but had so many lessons lined up that I didn't have time for school. Hopefully things haven't changed too much!
Since I have a TEFL (and more than 12 years of experience) I guess there's no advantage of getting a TOEIC or an IELTS if they don't improve my chances of getting hired.