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Message board > For the non-natives: do you also face this problem?
For the non-natives: do you also face this problem?
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Jayho
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Hi Raquel
I am a NS in an English speaking country. Our adult students want native speakers but my institution chooses teachers based on qualifications. When they get a NNS our director informs them that our country is multicultural and as such they will need to be able to communicate in English with people from many countries not just Aussies. Our staff are 50%NS and 50%NNS. I find that the NS are weaker in grammar and NNS are weaker in colloquialisms and idioms even for those who lived here for decades.
Cheers
Jayho |
18 Oct 2009
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**********
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My dear, just think twice; in fact, the situation you mention only occurs in private schools such as British Council and some of the kind. Except for that, you can teach in a either private or public school, being selected according to your qualifications.
We must understand that it �s only fair that schools such as British Council and alike would rather have native speakers as teachers. It �s only fair to the type of education/training they are providing.
I, myself, attended the BC when I was very young (started when I was 13) and I remember choosing only British teachers, I actually refused to have lessons with teachers of other nationalities, because it was a big deal to learn British English.
I �ve been to Cambrige and Oxford for my training and I wouldn � find it fair to have a non-speaking teacher as a trainer. Would you?
My children have always studied English with Portuguese teachers in public schools, but when they wanted to improve their skills, I chose (no one but) the British Council.
Keep on improving your skills, learning more, as much as you can and focus on what really matters.
My best regards.
Idalina Jorge |
18 Oct 2009
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ARaquelSP
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Dear colleagues,
Thanks for your replies. I actually never focus only on Grammar because I know that people mostly want to learn how to SPEAK. I only teach Grammar when they are confused about something and want to KNOW why they �re making some mistake. Some people like to know why they are being corrected.
As to the British Council, nikadixon, I also studied there for 4 years and if I had good teachers, the truth is that I had at least 2 who were terrible. They did nothing but ask us to do exercises and then correct. This is not my idea of a good teacher, native or not.
I don �t see why I would refuse a non-native, too. I could find it strange the first time, but I definitely would give him/her a chance. If after a couple of lessons, I realised he/she was bad, than I would complain. However, nationality would NEVER be my criteria.
I admit that perhaps non-natives might sometimes lack of idiom knowledge, but then I also think that there are words and expressions in my own language that sometimes I don �t know the meaning of, so why this discrimination? Teachers teach, but they are no walking dictionaries or Grammar.
Thank you all!
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18 Oct 2009
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