Boost Your Career

The Advantages of Mastering a Native English Accent

The world speaks English. Do you speak it natively? The most spoken, studied and sought after second (or third or fourth or greater!) language today is English. A 2022 survey by Pearson found that 91% of global employers say English language skills are important for their organization [2]. The same Pearson study revealed that 90% of HR decision-makers believe that employees with good English language skills are more likely to be promoted within their organization [2] It is the modern language of business and commerce.

“If I speak English,” you may think, “is learning a native accent necessary?” The short answer is yes!

I'll outline just a few of the benefits of English mastery in this part 1 post and the rest in my part 2 post. They are part of a broader series on introducing American and Canadian accents to fluent, non-native speakers of English. A native accent in English translates directly into career growth for a host of reasons - but refining an English accent can make the difference between career advancement and career stagnation. 

Here are a couple more:

1. Communication in the workplace. How often do people ask you to repeat yourself in English? Does this happen in your native language? If not, ask yourself, is it because of your accent? Improved clarity and efficiency in verbal interactions with colleagues and clients comes with a clearer more standard accent.

   Translation: Less misunderstandings! The workplace is fast paced and complicated, as every corporate employee knows. Less misunderstandings, less need for repetition leads not only to less frustration for all involved but to increased confidence in professional settings. If your communication is a non-issue, your work life, coworkers and clients all benefit by your increased confidence. 
   

2. A whole new world of job opportunities. I have been an accent coach for 5 years and an English teacher for 5 years before that. My husband and I are native English speakers but we have lived and studied in China and experienced being “the foreigner”. It is isolating to say the least. But upon returning to the English speaking world (first in the US and then in Toronto) we were shocked at the hurdles that non-native speakers had to jump to obtain the opportunities that we as native speakers were handed. Several of my husband’s coworkers passed over because of their accents - it was obvious because they were well qualified (or overqualified) in every other area. Research supports this!

   A study conducted by OET (Occupational English Test) suggests that professionals with advanced English skills can earn 30-50% higher salaries compared to their peers with lower English proficiency [3] This need not be the case! Being fluent in two languages should always be an asset, not a liability. And fortunately this is possible through accent coaching.

   Refining your English accent leads directly to a broader range of positions in North American Companies. You have improved chances for customer-facing roles and, since you are still fluent in your first language, you are highly eligible for advancement in multinational corporations that do business in your native country. 

Sources:

1. EF Education First, "EF English Proficiency Index 2023"

2. Pearson, "Global Learner Survey 2022"

3. OET (Occupational English Test), "The Economic Value of English Proficiency in the Global Workplace", 2022