You're American You're Hired

Today, I went around with my lovely friend, Ouafa, to meet with some French schools.  My goal was to meet with the Directors of schools and centers to share information with them about my business.  Our first stop was Sunderland University where I met with the Director who was from London.  He was very interested in my resume and my extensive experience and travelling around. I met with his Assistant who demonstrated even more interest with her eyes lit up seeing a Native English speaker.  This school and most schools are in need of Native English speakers, therefore she was quite eager to hire me without even asking anything about my qualifications or background. “You’re American. You’re hired.” She immediately reviewed the schedule with me and classes I would like to teach. Her presentation was a bit overwhelming, but I understood her eager objectives to hire Native speakers.

Our next stop was Yasmine school and Al Jabr, which one school was on holiday and Yasmine school the Director was in a board meeting.  We also stopped by the British Council where I met David, the Director. I told him about my services and he was very kind, but told me “People like you are our competition.” This statement was quite motivating for me as I thought about it and realized, “Yes, I am competition.”

Next, we stopped at Berlitz center for English where I met with the Center Director, a nice girl from my neighbour state Wisconsin.  When speaking about my business and being a referral service, she focused on her interest in having me teach with Berlitz. What happened to be a day of marketing for my company turned into two job offers without even knowing it.

While I was being offered jobs within a few hours, my dear Moroccan friend who is also US educated cannot find a job. While she was very happy and supportive, I could not help but feel bad as I was being offered jobs I did not even want while she could not find one job. It is the reality I have faced country to country seeing how privileged  I am to be an American.  Many times I have felt shame, guilt, and regret over the opportunities I receive and just having the label “American.” It is admired by so many and holds such a high standard in countries abroad.  My dear friend studied in US just like I did, but she does not have the American label rather she is Moroccan.   This slight difference leads to a change in job opportunities in Morocco and all over the world. 

I believe in my friend and her abilities and told her that we will find her something very soon. If my company grows enough, I can also have her work with me. INCHALLAH