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Hi there,

Be patient, if you have all your documents in order, there are more jobs than teachers, so finding a place shouldn't be a problem.

Firstly there are jobs for South Africans regardless of the North American requirement. I do know that there are Sth Africans working in schools in Ulsan. It's just that the Koreans believe that the American accent is the best and easiest to understand. Thats really a lot of crap, I'm a New Zealander and don't sound a bit like an American and they do fine with me. It's really just a case of them listening a bit more intently.

Depending on where you want to work, have a look at sites like

koreabridge.net
korea4expats.com

Footprints and Kims recruiting are a good start as well.

If you need any other info, let me know.

Thanks!!

So, I got a position I guess I was just despondent about all the ADS requesting North-American accents and people on other forums telling me I might not be getting interviews because I'm a South African. I will admitted it was frustrating since they clearly state that South Africans as well as other citizenships can obtain an E-2 visa.

So KIWI, if I may ask do you change your accent in a classroom setting? I know its an American syllabus so I understand changing the spelling and certain pronounciations, but your whole accent?

I haven't signed anything, in fact I just got the news a few hours ago that I got accepted on the Jeollanamdo Language Program. I will still look at the sites you mentioned as I still can't believe that I got a position after all these months.

Thanks KIWI!

Wow! I haven't even thought about accent and the preference of Korean. Yes, I do understand and agree with the idea that Korean likes American accent because Korean are very familiar to Hollywood films and TV shows. I, Korean, also prefer American accent rather than British accent or others. No doubt!

If you have a look for a forum discussion on koreabridge.net, it really explores the 'accent argument', what is the best and worst. Reading for some time you will discover that there is no real perfect accent. I actually placed a post on it sometime ago suggesting that it's alright to think American is the best but what about colloquial accents? People from Kansas sound a hell of alot different from those in Washington. How about California versus New Orleans? When I was travelling in the states I often had to listen really intently at what was being said as some of the accents were really thick. It's certainly the same in the UK. And New Zealand too!
I have an American friend here, he's from the east around Boston. He sounds more like an Englishman than an American at times.
The question still remains:
What is the perfect accent?
I really don't believe there is one. I haven't changed my speaking at all. It really just comes down to listening and tuning your ear to one person. Initially they didn't understand and complained but after some time here, I have learned that this is really an excuse for them not listening. In fact it's the oldest excuse for them when they haven't done their homework or they are trying to cover up for poor results and behaviour.

Thats enough, am starting to ramble on a bit