Top Frustrations of Real Clients

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.”