Foreign Student OCI Forum

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puppytiff

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Foreign Student OCI

Post by puppytiff » Thu Jun 28, 2018 1:13 pm

Someone posted here earlier about international student's trouble of landing a legal job from T13 because of their visa status.

What about for someone who has US citizenship, but speak English as second language?

I'm wondering if language barrier can be a big issue for OCI.

sparkytrainer

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Re: Foreign Student OCI

Post by sparkytrainer » Thu Jun 28, 2018 1:43 pm

puppytiff wrote:Someone posted here earlier about international student's trouble of landing a legal job from T13 because of their visa status.

What about for someone who has US citizenship, but speak English as second language?

I'm wondering if language barrier can be a big issue for OCI.
I mean, did you think it wouldn't be? Of course its going to be a barrier. How big depends on your language skills. If your english is mediocre, then you will have a harder time than someone who is perfectly fluent but just has an accent.

puppytiff

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Re: Foreign Student OCI

Post by puppytiff » Thu Jun 28, 2018 3:03 pm

sparkytrainer wrote:
puppytiff wrote:Someone posted here earlier about international student's trouble of landing a legal job from T13 because of their visa status.

What about for someone who has US citizenship, but speak English as second language?

I'm wondering if language barrier can be a big issue for OCI.
I mean, did you think it wouldn't be? Of course its going to be a barrier. How big depends on your language skills. If your english is mediocre, then you will have a harder time than someone who is perfectly fluent but just has an accent.
I don't think anyone with a decent LSAT score (above 160) can only speak mediocre English. I came to US since 15 and spoke English fluently, with an accent. But I admit that I don't speak English as well as many eloquent Americans.

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Mullens

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Re: Foreign Student OCI

Post by Mullens » Thu Jun 28, 2018 4:22 pm

In my experience, English language skills have a noticeable impact on OCI performance. Firms want attorneys who can produce flawless work product and who can communicate clearly and professionally with their clients. Imperfect English is an impediment to both of those things.

For that reason, I’ve seen in my experience that native speakers who need visa sponsorship tend to outperform non-native speakers with similar credentials.

That’s not to say that everyone will openly discriminate against you or not hire you if you have an accent. But some people might. And other people might have implicit bias against you for your accent for the reasons stated above.

I think the impact of grades is magnified in this scenario too. If you have a heavy accent but strong grades, you’re far more likely to have success than someone with a heavy accent and median grades.

Doesn’t mean you won’t be a great attorney or aren’t qualified to practice big law, just that your road to get there is harder.

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