Abstract
Although the global workforce becomes increasingly diverse, many minority groups are still standing in the path of multiple forms of exclusion. Among them are the non-White and non-native English-speaking teachers who are striving to prove their credentials and secure their careers throughout the world. The purpose of this paper is to examine the challenges faced by two Vietnamese ESL teachers pursuing their careers in Ontario, Canada. The researchers utilized a collaborative autoethnography approach developed by Ngunjiri et al. (2010) to share and analyze their experiences. This involved four key steps: preliminary data collection, subsequent data collection, data analysis and interpretation, and report writing. Through this iterative process, they engaged in both individual and team activities, revisiting previous steps to enhance data collection, analysis, or interpretation as needed. The findings revealed the unique obstacles that they encountered from various sources, including society, schools, students, and native-speaking colleagues. These challenges encompassed systemic discrimination against minority Asian professionals when recrediting their credentials, marginalizing the hiring process and being treated as outsiders within the field. By amplifying their unheard voices, the researchers aim to contribute to a more inclusive and equitable English as a Second Language (ESL) industry in Ontario.
TopLiterature Review
As the primary objective of this study pertains to investigating the experiences of two minority teachers within the context of Ontario, Canada, the literature review predominantly concentrates on this specific setting. An overview of career prospects in Ontario, especially for internationally trained workers, will be presented, followed by a closer look at the opportunities and challenges in the educational sector. Lastly, the problem that ESL teachers face will be discussed in greater detail.
Overview of Career Prospects in Ontario and Challenges Faced by Immigrant-Skilled Workers
According to a report from Statistics Canada (2022), Canada has the highest percentage (57.5%) of working-age people with tertiary credentials, thanks to internationally-trained immigrants and international students. However, the educated workforce is underused, while Canadian labour market shortages remain. There is a substantial gap between the Canada-educated population and the actual numbers of working professionals.
One reason for this situation is that skilled immigrants and international graduates are likely to be stuck in survival jobs. Instead of continuing their careers as doctors, nurses, engineers, or educators, they take entry-level jobs at restaurants, fast-food chains, and call centers. According to CBC News, 60% of the 372,000 job vacancies in Ontario during the third quarter of 2022 required no more than high-school education, paying, on average, less than $20 an hour, and more than one-third of them are in sales and services (Crawley, 2023).
Figure 1. Job Vacancies in Ontario for the third quarter of 2022
With record high inflation of more than 5%, living costs have become unaffordable (Bank of Canada, 2023). Survival jobs may cover the basic living expenses, but keep internationally-trained workers further away from their career trajectory. According to Spillane (2023), the main barriers that skilled workers face in breaking free from the cycle of survival jobs are credential recognition, official language proficiency, and a fixation on having local work experience. These barriers hinder their abilities to fully utilize their skills and potential in Canada, thereby limiting their contributions to the country’s society and economy. The government of Ontario also acknowledges this fact:
In 2016, only one-quarter of internationally trained immigrants in Ontario were employed in the regulated professions for which they trained or studied. Currently, internationally trained immigrants face multiple barriers to getting licensed in their field including unfairrequirements for Canadian work experience, unnecessary, repetitive and costly language testing, and unreasonable processing times. At present, licensing time in some regulated professions takes up to 18 months or more, while workers wait in limbo, wasting valuable time when they could be contributing to the economy (Ontario Helping Newcomers Start Their Careers, 2021).
Key Terms in this Chapter
Collaborative Autoethnography: A qualitative research approach that combines elements of autoethnography (auto-, ethno-, and graphy-) with collaboration among multiple researchers. Applying this approach, researchers come together to explore their personal experiences and stories, sharing their narratives and interpretations.
White Supremacy: White people are superior to those of other races, so in the context of this study, white ESL teachers are better than others.
Organizational Challenges: Obstacles or difficulties that NNESTs encounter caused by schools, for example the hiring process and being treated as outsiders.
Interpersonal Challenges: Obstacles or difficulties that NNESTs encounter caused by students and native-speaking colleagues, for example linguistic discrimination.
Employment Discrimination: Discrimination in the workplace where internationally trained teachers are treated unfairly and barred from getting jobs and work-related benefits.
Nativism: Protecting interests, including workplace interests of native-born against immigrants.
Institutional Challenges: Obstacles or difficulties that non-native English-speaking teachers (NNESTs) encounter caused by society or systems, for example Canadian credentials and experience.