Answers collected February 2018. These are a typical cross section of responses we get.
Vin, Financial Advisor
Q: What are your biggest issues?
“My biggest problems are rhythm and stress (and some vowels). Biggest frustration is people thinking I arrived in Australia last week (I’ve been living in Melbourne for 12 years)!”
Q: Have you missed out on promotion opportunities?
“Indirectly, probably, by avoiding certain situations such as public speaking because of my English.”
Jonathan, IT support
Q: What are your biggest issues?
“Articulation and Pronunciation. Inflections and emphasis on the wrong syllable. Speed and gobbling up the end of words sometimes.”
Q: Have you missed out on promotion opportunities?
“Possibly. My Job is client facing and with the occasional presentation.”
Eezt, IT Support worker
Q: What are your biggest issues?
“Understanding/ Talking like natives”
Q: Have you missed out on promotion opportunities?
“Yes. People assume they have to sponsor me”
Ravi, social worker
Q: What are your biggest issues?
“Sometimes people don’t understand some words I said in a conversation.”
Q: Have you missed out on promotion opportunities?
“Possibly. My Job is client facing and with the occasional presentation.”
Eezt, IT Support worker
Q: What are your biggest issues?
“Understanding/ Talking like natives”
Q: Have you missed out on promotion opportunities?
“Yes. People assume they have to sponsor me”
Ravi, social worker
Q: What are your biggest issues?
“Sometimes people don’t understand some words I said in a conversation.”
Q: Have you missed out on promotion opportunities?
“Yes, people has concern about that my English is not good enough.”
Harshita, Telesales
Q: Have you missed out on promotion opportunities?
“to some extent, yes. Since, most of the time its based on telephone interview at the initial stages, I believe, there’s an impact if the English doesn’t sound like local.”
Azam, Programmer
Q: What are your biggest issues?
“Assimilating with the local culture & people”
Q: Have you missed out on promotion opportunities?
“Yes. they don’t understand me sometimes”
Siriam, Financial Controller
Q: Have you missed out on promotion opportunities?
“Could be. I hope I could work overseas. If I speak English better, I would have more opportunities to be hired.”
Juanita, graphic artist
Q: What are your biggest issues?
“Yes. Better communication”
Q: Have you missed out on promotion opportunities?
“Yes, it has. The wrong accent reduces your real English skills. If you have a right accent, you are considered efficient person from your colleagues.”
Mary T, Web designer
Q: Have you missed out on promotion opportunities?
“Definitely my career has been compromised.”
Andrea L, Speech Pathology
Q: Have you missed out on promotion opportunities?
“i think so. Because i am doing speech pathology which requires me to have nativelike pronunciation”
Manu, Accountant
Q: Have you missed out on promotion opportunities?
“Yes, it’s not easy to do customer service over the phone with Aussie clients. So I am limited to do more back office support”
Lucia, Retail
Q: What are your biggest issues?
“Yes, I get nervous and sometimes I cannot communicate as I could I Spanish.”
Marty, IT Support Worker
Q: What are your biggest issues?
“Being understood by other person”
Q: Have you missed out on promotion opportunities?
“Sometimes, lack of communication skills.”
