American Accents And Teaching English In Taiwan

There are a lot of opportunities to teach English as an English teacher in Taiwan

. Many people that teach here come from many different countries from around the world. Spend sometime in Taiwan teaching and you'll meet people from the USA, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa who are here as English teachers. While all these countries have English as their official language, it doesn't mean that the accents are all the same. People from different countries naturally speak English with different accents. Does it matter what kind of accent you have? Do schools care if you speak with an American or Australian accent when teaching classes?

While officially it doesn't matter what flavour of English you speak, the truth is that many schools do care. Taiwan uses American English for all of its English education. As a result you will see that most books and pronunciation are based on the American way of spelling and speaking. Most Taiwanese you meet will speak with an American accent and it isn't their fault as that is how they were brought up and it is all they know. With the entire country using the American system it means that all the private schools that hire foreign teachers will most likely prefer their teachers to be either American, Canadian or speak with an American accent. It isn't uncommon to see newspaper ads that clearly state they will only hire teachers who are from the USA or Canada.

If you find yourself in the situation of not being from North America then this is what you can do. The first solution is to just speak as best you can like an American. Most schools are happy if you can do this and while you may not be able to copy the accent perfectly, it will keep most children and parents happy. Many children complain when a school changes teachers and if they complain the parents complain. Schools don't want to make the situation worse by little Johnny saying that his new teacher speaks English with a weird Australian accent and he can't understand a word. If you aren't happy with the idea of speaking like an American, the other solution is to just find a school that is happy with non-American accents. There are many schools around that promote themselves as Australian or New Zealand English education based and actively hire non-American native English speakers to teach their classes.

As long as you speak English you shouldn't have any trouble finding a job as an English teacher in Taiwan. If you can speak like an American you will also find that most schools won't care where you are from. What can cause problems is if your accent is VERY heavy and children have trouble understanding anything you say. Either try your best to sound American or possibly consider looking for another school that is happy to let you speak English the way you normally would without having to pretend your from another country.

by: Creztor Tessel

POST COMMENT

Enjoy The Experience Of Surfers Paradise Gold Coast - A Paradise Down Under Chiropractor In Londonderry Nh | How To Prevent And Treat Back Injuries Valentines Day Gifts: Personalized Jewelry Is A Great Valentine Gift For Women Occidental Hotels And Resorts Reservations - Where Travellers Post Experiences With Hotels The Top Places To Visit In The States, Even If Your American! Why You Should Consider Holiday Camps For Your Next Holiday How To Shop Smart For The Christmas Holidays Burnishing A Tip And Shaft On American Cues What Makes Sri Lanka A Different Place To Holiday? Nationwide Foreclosure Statistics - How Did The Country Fare In 2009? The Perfect Family Holiday Aspects Of Sardinia Beach Holidays You Will Like