A few days ago
mykatgirl

Is TESOL/TEFL for a near-native english speaker from non-Western country?

I’m thinking about taking CertTESOL/TEFL course and teaching abroad.

But I am not from a Western country, I’m from Malaysia. I have a Bachelor degree from a university in US (Not an online degree!). I worked in the corporate world where English is dominantly used. I even teach in English at my church’s sunday school. I considered myself a near-native English speaker.

I have researched online for TEFL jobs and 99.9% of the job requirement read like this: “Native English speaker or 12 years in an English Speaking Educational Institution / Native English speaker with British, Canadian, Irish, American, Australian, New Zealand or South African nationality / Native English speaker – Must be a holder of a native English passport eg. UK, Irish, Australian, New Zealand, USA, Canadian.”

Would I be wasting my time pursuing TESOL/TEFL when I can’t meet those requirements?

What are my job prospects if/when I have obtained my CertTESOL/TEFL?

Top 3 Answers
A few days ago
terminator_two

Favorite Answer

Here in Colombia,TEFL courses outdo any University diplomas. You may have a degree in Computer Sciences, but if you show your teaching and language talents, you’re sure to get a job a t a good school or college.

If you are certified (preferably CETLA or Trinity) you can get a job even easier. It doesn’t matter if you are not US, AUS, CAN, or UK, so long as you are utterly fluent AND have a TEFL certificate.

I had to turn own a job applicant, who despite boasting a completely native command in the language (an American citizen), had to be rejected because he could not teach. He assumed common sense and a passport was all you needed.

t is a discriminatory myth that no one outside the Anglophone countries can speak English properly. Besides, nowadays, there is no such thing as the Queens English.’

So do not be discouraged. Get certified and off you go!

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A few days ago
?
The certification wouldn’t help you for a job that requires that type of passport, but it would for many other jobs, including teaching English abroad, translating, interpreting, and international business. You should do very well on it after four years in a US university (that is to say, you would not have to spend too much time studying for it), so I think it would be a worthwhile investment for your future options. Good luck!
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A few days ago
jateef
Having a B.A./B.S. from an American university will demonstrate that you have near-native like fluency.
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