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I agree with Timothy Perrott regarding the language the advertisement is written in.  If the role requires a good knowledge of German, that knowledge should at least be good enough to read the advertisement.

Far more serious is the use of the term 'native speaker'.  Some associations (to my knowledge IATEFL and BAAL) will not carry advertisements that use the term 'native speaker'.  I would suggest that EATAW might want to consider doing the same.  I am hoping that on this list we do not need to rehearse here the arguments that the definition of this term is problematic anyway (the Director of my Department and eminent applied linguist Ernesto Macaro came to the UK speaking only Italian at the age of eight - would that eliminate him from the shortlist?)?  I am hoping that we do not need to point out that the job advertised requires skills that may be possessed in greater quality and quantity by people who have not been born in a certain place?

This issue has been widely debated in the field.  I append a draft bibliography for those who are interested.

Best wishes to all, 

Catherine

Amin, N.  (2001).  Nativism, the native speaker construct, and minority immigrant women teachers of English as a second language.  CATESOL Journal 13(1):89-107. 

Beckett, G. H. and Stiefvater, A. (2009).  Change in ESL graduate students' perspectives on non-native English-speaker teachers.  TESL Canada Journal / Revue TESL du Canada 27(1):27-46.

Bonfiglio, T. P.  (2010).  Mother Tongues and Nations: The Invention of the Native Speaker.   Berlin: Mouton de Gruyter.

Boyle, J.  (1997).  Native-speaker teachers of English in Hong Kong.  Language and Education 11(3):163-181.  

Cook, V.  (1999). Going beyond the native speaker in language teaching.  TESOL Quarterly 33/2:185-209. 

Davies, A.  (2003).  The Native Speaker: Myth and Reality.  Clevedon: Multilingual Matters.

Grubbs, S. J., Jantarach, V. & Kettem, S. (2010). Studying English with Thai and native-speaking teachers. Teachers and Teaching 16/5: 559-576. 

Lasagabaster, D. & Sierra, J. M.  (2002).  University students' perceptions of native and non-native speaker teachers of English.  Language Awareness 11(2):132-142.

Liu, J. (1999). Nonnative-English-speaking professionals in TESOL. TESOL Quarterly 33/1:85-102. 


Llurda, E.  (2004).  Non-native-speaker teachers and English as an international language.  International Journal of Applied Linguistics 14(3):314-323.

Medgyes, P.  (2001).  When the teacher is a non-native speaker.  In Celce-Murcia, M. (Ed.), Teaching English as a Second or Foreign Language.  Boston, MA:  Heinle & Heinle, pp 429-442.

Moussu, L. (2010). Influence of teacher-contact time and other variables on ESL students’ attitudes towards native- and nonnative-English-speaking teachers. TESOL Quarterly 44/4:746-768. 


Moussu, L. & Llurda, E. (2008). Non-native English-speaking English language teachers:  history and research. Language Teaching 41/3: 315- 348.


Mullock, B. (2010).  Does a good language teacher have to be a native speaker?   In Mahboob, A. (Ed.) The NNEST Lens: Non Native English Speakers in TESOL.   Newcastle upon Tyne: Cambridge Scholars Publishing, pp. 87-113.

Musha Doerr, N.  (Ed.) (2009).  The Native Speaker Concept:  Ethnographic Investigations of Native Speaker Effects.  Berlin: Mouton de Gruyter.

Subtirelu, N. (2013). What (do) learners want (?):  a re-examination of the issue of learner preferences regarding the use of ‘native’ speaker norms in English language teaching. Language Awareness 22/3: 270-291. 

Wang, L.-Y. (2012).  Moving towards the transition:  non-native EFL teachers' perception of native-speaker norms and responses to varieties of English in the era of global spread of English.  Asian EFL Journal 14(2).




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Dr Catherine Walter
Associate Professor of Applied Linguistics
Vice Principal, Linacre College

Oxford University Department of Education
15 Norham Gardens, Oxford OX2 6PY    UK
tel +44 (0)1865 274010

http://www.education.ox.ac.uk/about-us/directory/dr-catherine-walter/

 

MSc / Postgraduate Diploma in Teaching English Language in University Settings:

http://www.education.ox.ac.uk/courses/msc-telus

Committee for Linguistics in Education:  www.clie.org.uk

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From: European Association for the Teaching of Academic Writing - discussions [[log in to unmask]] on behalf of Timothy Perrott [[log in to unmask]]
Sent: 23 August 2014 09:40
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: Job opportunity at Technische Universität München

Candidates for both roles are expected to have a good knowledge of German: gute Deutschkenntisse. I'd say anyone who can't read the advertisement in the original language or who can only understand it using google translate may not have quite the right profile for the post. More interesting is that they are specifically looking for an English native speaker. I wonder what native-speakerness is expected to bring to the post.

Timothy Perrott
Visiting Lecturer
University of Chester


On 23 August 2014 03:47, Gavin Melles <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
In fact I would argue the opposite regarding language
Zwei oder oben darauf Mehrsprachigkeit für diese Stelle wäre sicherlich einen Vorteil  
TUM is a great place to work
I've run writing Workshops in Industrial design there


Sent from my iPad

On 23.08.2014, at 12:12, "Christiane K. Donahue" <[log in to unmask]> wrote:

Just an alternative viewpoint: qualified instructors who understand they would be working in Germany could quickly use google translate to understand the essentials of the position and simply write with follow up questions or clarifications. In our globalized world, it could be seen as a communal responsibility to navigate languages, with give and take? That might even be a positive characteristic in a candidate.

I've pasted here a google-translated paragraph from the ad as an example.
Your Assignments 
Its main business is in the individual support of students, graduate students and academic staff in English-taught programs in their lectures and writing projects of 9 hours per week, in the care of teachers and peer tutors, as well as in the development of a Writing Fellows program at the three sites of TUM. They participate in the provision of information and online learning materials for different target groups and work closely with the faculties, central institutions and the Graduate School of the TUM with the aim of events on the topic, Academic Writing and Presenting in English to bundle '. Your duties will include the preparation and implementation of courses and workshops, collaborating in the development of language learning research in the area of ​​Academic Writing and other didactical issues that acquisition of organizational and administrative tasks of the Language Centre and participating in the cooperative and representative tasks a central service unit of the University. 

Just a thought.
Tiane Donahue


On Aug 22, 2014, at 6:43 PM, Miles White <[log in to unmask]> wrote:

Dear Heidi,
I understand that the positions are in Germany at a German university, but if you want to attract qualified English Native speakers and instructors in English, you should really consider sending this out in English if the program is going to be taught in English.
Dr. Miles White
Assistant Professor
Gyeongju University, Korea


On Fri, Aug 22, 2014 at 5:53 PM, Minning, Heidi <[log in to unmask]> wrote:

Dear Colleagues,

 

We are very happy to inform you of a new job posting for a half position at the TUM English Writing Center and look forward to hearing from enthusiastic qualified applicants.

 

This position can possibly be combined with another half position in our English Coaching Program, for which you will find a second announcement attached.

 

Best regards,

Heidi

 

Dr. Heidi Minning

Bereichsleitung Englisch

Technische Universität München

Sprachenzentrum

Room 0174

Arcisstr. 21

80333 Munich

 

Email: [log in to unmask]

http://www.sprachenzentrum.tum.de/academic-english-cluster/