Minorities Teaching Abroad

by Jeannie-Barry Sanders

I interviewed nineteen minority teachers born and educated in the USA, asking them to discuss the special challenges they faced while teaching abroad. While some minority educators say they found
themselves at times having to explain race relations in the United States, and some state that media portrayal of American minorities contributes to a lot of misconceptions, many minority educators report very positive experiences teaching in other countries.

Without a doubt, minority educators indicated their most negative experiences occurred in Asia. Korea was at the top of the list, with Thailand a close second. Agencies in other Asian countries, such as Japan, ceased all contact with the applicant once they received a photograph. The most positive experiences happened in South and Central America and Africa. Europe was listed as okay, but not overly welcoming.

Finally, working as an independent or casual worker was the preferred choice for minorities teaching abroad. Programs were described as manipulative and somewhat dishonest in their dealings. Several specific programs were mentioned, but educators, concerned about a “blackball list,” were apprehensive about naming them. Several educators suggested readers review Dave’s ESL Cafe web site (www.eslcafe.com) for stories on the victimization of teachers abroad.–JBS

IN RESPONSE TO his query about teaching opportunities, Wilfred Eagles received a letter from Thailand describing the ideal teacher. To be ideal, one needed to be young, female, blond, and blue eyed.

Suffice it to say, Wilfred Eagles, a 65-year-old Native American and African-American, didn’t fit the profile. Wilfred speaks Lakota, Spanish, Japanese, and a little Swahili. He has been teaching
for 25 years and is a Ph.D. candidate at University of Nebraska-Lincoln. His qualifications, however, fell short of the main requirement for the job in Thailand. Instead, Wilfred took his
experience, his love of teaching, and his credentials to South America, Central America, and Kenya. “South America is a place where you feel good about what you are doing and good teachers are respected,” he says.

Wilfred works independently. He pays his own way to the country where he wants to teach, does not sign contracts, and has no interest in schools that have restrictions on obtaining private students. Although he has had close calls, primarily in Kenya, most of his experiences have been overwhelmingly positive.

He recommends minorities seek out international experiences. “The experiences I have had in other countries help me to understand my country better,” he says. He adds that he feels respected overseas. He is of an age where he remembers Jim Crow, of having his competency always questioned. Coming back to the United States is great, he says, but he sometimes feels as if he has been slammed back into the Civil Rights era-and frankly, he is tired of the battle.

Rosa Mae Graham, 33, an African-American from Alabama, had a significantly different experience in Korea last year. She says that a part of her is willing to give Korea another chance, because she
does not want to let the treatment of the adults she met there stop her from fulfilling one of her dreams. Nevertheless, she has one word to describe her experience: “horrible.”

She contracted with a program and says they lied about location, housing, money, and the position. Although she loved teaching the children, the parents were rude and judgmental. She says she was
pointed at and ridiculed because of the way she looked. “Also, this culture is centered around drinking. I do not drink or smoke. On several occasions I was yelled at for not drinking or eating the right thing.”

In addition, Rosa says her contract stated she would be teaching in Seoul, but she ended up in rural Ulsan. After the long flight, upon arrival, she was expected to teach immediately. Her apartment was dirty and took her three days to clean.

Rosa had been in Korea almost a year when she became ill. The director of her program, according to Rosa, cancelled her tonsillectomy and threatened to keep her final pay and her ticket home. Needless to say, she did not have the operation. Rosa left Korea and returned to the United States in December, at the end of her contract.

James H. James III, a 27-year-old African-American from North Carolina, is an ESL teacher and health/fitness specialist. He has been in Yosu City, Korea, for over fifteen months. He teaches
students from ages five through 60 and is enjoying himself. He says the world is becoming more globalized every day, and he wants to be a part of it.

James went to Korea as an independent teacher. He was homesick at first, and he handled that by e-mail, phone calls, and letters. When asked if he would teach abroad again, James says, “I’m still here.”

Among the nineteen interviewees, minority males tended to adapt to teaching abroad more easily than females. Tips from these teachers? Be adaptable, flexible, open, and understanding. Learn
the culture; teach them your culture so that the experience is mutually rewarding. It may be significant that all but one of the men negotiated directly with the schools where they taught,
or found their positions through friends or contacts. The women, who traveled abroad using the program/agency method, in general had less positive experiences.

The moral of this article for the innocents yet to come and yet to travel: Check out every aspect of the situation before you leave home. Be adaptable, flexible, open, and understanding. Learn about the hosts’ culture and teach them your culture, so that the experience is mutually rewarding. If you have the opportunity, travel to the country where you want to teach before committing to a yearlong program. Negotiate the terms of your employment. If you don’t receive what you agreed upon, try another program — or another country.