Should I take ESL(English as a second language) classes to get rid of my accent?

deepshikha · Nov 10, 2010

I am fluent in written and spoken English. I had English as medium of instruction since school and have a Masters in Humanities. Despite this I feel that my accent comes in way of getting a job in US. I am looking at Office administration jobs. Should I take up ESL classes offered in my community? The classes have many levels from beginner to advanced and I am looking at the advanced level class which is designed for people who want to write TOEFL and go forward for a university course. This class includes pronunciation classes too. My main aim is to reduce the accent I have(not sure if its possible at this age) and be able to speak more of American English. This will help me a lot in getting a job.

Please suggest do I need ESL classes, will it help?

Mehana · Nov 10, 2010

Hi Deep,

Have u did Masters in India or US?

One thing I wanted to let u know that to work in US, a simple english is enough with good grammar. Many people(from India) who works here used to speak simple english and u should understand from them to response properly.

Attend more interviews to get experience, this is the only way u can get used to people how they speak and the technical type questions.

deepshikha · Nov 10, 2010

Mehana, I did Masters from India. Yes I know if I am able to speak proper grammatical English that should be sufficient, but the jobs I am looking at have a lot of answering calls and dealing over the phone.
I have done some voluntary work over the phone in US and it was really hard, I was constantly reminded by people over the phone that they are unable to understand me due to my accent and even I found it hard to understand them due to the thick American accent.
Most administrative and office jobs come with a lot of telephone work. This is why I am concerned about my accent. I feel that the voluntary job I did reduced my confidence instead of giving it a boost.
This is why I want to get rid of my accent, although it doesn't make sense because today half of US population is immigrant and they all speak so different. :crazy

Mehana · Nov 11, 2010

Hi Deep,

I do no much about this job, as I have experience only in software prg.

Do u have EAD or H1B or any other work permit?

deepshikha · Nov 11, 2010

Mehana our GC is in progress and I am expecting to get EAD within a year, I want to be prepared with some skills to get a job as soon as I get my EAD.

Mehana · Nov 11, 2010

Good if u r expecting EAD, lots of openings are there in EAD deep not like h1b or l2 visa. Try to chat with ur neighbors and get information about the types of jobs they are enrolled with ur kind of degree because having expecting EAD dont waste time in enrolling class.

But still good to take such kind of classes as u mentioned earlier as it improves the accent, after completing such course u can go for doing Master degree in US or any job that suits ur degree.

As I know office admin will pay u low salary, try to pursue some other job if u wish. I am sorry if I said anything wrong, with my experiences I am posting my opinions.

All the best.........

Srama · Nov 11, 2010

Deepshikha, if you feel the program will help you, you should take it up. Well spoken English is mostly understood everywhere but if your job involves interactions on telephone, it is a good idea to take these classes. As such when you learn, it will not go waste. Just don't stress out too much if you cannot perfect it. More often than not, for me personally I feel my speech is affected by the way I am feeling for eg., I tend to talk faster when I am emotional about things. So trying to constantly remember to speak slowly and deliberately will help you along the way. There are many Americans who speak fast and I find it as hard to understand them so try to keep things in perspective - you will do great!! Good luck!

deepshikha · Nov 11, 2010

I don't think I will be able to do Masters as I need to start working as soon as I get EAD. I know Office Admin doesn't pay great, but I don't have any work experience, never worked, moved to US immediately after marriage and been on H4 for a long time with no job. And my degree is in humanities, which has very little scope in US unless you have a US degree.I cannot expect to get a great job with my profile right away. I have to start small. That is why I am looking at office admin jobs.

Srama, you got my point, even I find it hard to understand those Americans who speak fast, especially the younger people, college students and all, I never get a word they say. I think I will take up these classes so that at least I am familiar with their ways of speaking.

glascobaby · Nov 12, 2010

Hi Deepshika,

Get in touch with me with your personal e-mail id through private message. I'd sent across American Accent training materials if you require it at most!