Is all hope lost for non-native English speaking Teachers?
A bit about myself first. I (25M) am a teacher from an Asian Country. I have a CELTA and an online TESOL from Arizona State University and a Bachelor's in English. I also have experience working for big names like Wall Street English and International House. I'm going to get a formal teaching qualification, but currently I don't have enough funds to do that right now.
I've been working as a teacher in a public school in a Central Asian Country as a foreign teacher for a while. I'm paid quite a substantial amount of money but I feel like I'm fighting a losing battle everyday here with difficult students and no support from the school system whatsoever, so I've been looking for new opportunities.
But hell...... it's been a tough ride. Almost all the schools have rejected or outright ignored my application for the past few months. What broke the camel's back was a rejection from a school in Bangkok. They explicitly said that I was a good teacher and they liked me but they can't offer me a position because I was not a native speaker after a second interview. I was so excited for the role because I thought I could finally give a good life to my wife in a nice apartment in BKK. I also had a good rapport with their head of teaching (He even recommended to offer me a position but the school refused his proposal).
It's been draining. I love teaching and I love making a difference in people's lives. And I just want to work for a decent school for a decent living wage... I suppose I'm feeling burnt out and also disappointed in myself for not being able to land a decent job.
Thanks for listening to my rant. I know this is not your problem and if you made it to the end of my nonsensical whining post, I do really appreciate it. If you could give me a piece of advice on what I should do next or refer me to someone, that'd be wholeheartedly welcome, too.
Cheers. I wish you all the best in your career!😊