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Considering ~85% of El Paso's population is hispanic, then yes, it is difficult to get a job in El Paso if you do not speak spanish. This is ESPECIALLY true in any service related work, where you are expected to interact with spanish speaking customers on a daily basis.
It's exactly the same as a hispanic person that only speaks spanish who ends up moving north to a predominantly white community. They will have a very difficult time obtaining any work outside of basic labor. Call it reverse discrimination, or call it what you want. It's just the way it's going to be so long as there is a large hispanic influence in El Paso.
I'd recommend to your friend that he look into one of the many call centers in the area. Most call centers support the US, and require predominantly English speaking employees. I'm sure he will also do fine on Fort Bliss so long as they are hiring. Beyond that, it's hit and miss, and he may have to settle for labor type work (warehousing, back kitchen, construction, etc.).
I have been looking for a job myself in EP (A move from Tampa) and I have had the same issue. I am frustrated to no end. I will note that I had an employer hire me BUT all the clients spoke Spanish leaving me obviously looking like an idiot. It became impossible to do my job (as brief as it was) because I do not know spanish. I have found that even though the percentage ratio here says 85%-I feel that's not very accurate. I think it's more along the lines of 95%.
Interviews I have been to since...They take one look at me once I walk in and I can literally see their demeanor change. I am VERY white with light hair (yes it's natural) and a fair complexion. As soon as I sit down the question comes within a moment "Do you speak Spanish?" I had one interviewer outright tell me honestly (which I did appresheate) "Once you learn to speak Spanish then you will find something". I sat there with my mouth agape but acknowledged the point. He was right...
The Spanish requirement is not necessarly a form of discrimination. One can not communicate with people (aside from charades and stick man drawings) if you don't know the language. That's the cold hard fact of this area. As for learning the language-Sure that's a great point but I need a job now, not 3 years from now.
There are serious cultural differences from what I have known (Born in the Dallas Ft Worth area, which does have a medium diversity level) and understood. The Hispanics/Spanish that I have known (up until EP) were completely different culturally than here. It's truly a 'different world'.
Each race tends to gravitate towards their own. I crave with utmost certainty the same. I understand and respect their viewpoints and with that note, I feel that I do not belong here. (That statement is made and was confirmed when I had a Spanish male get in my face and yell at me. He asked "What are you even doing here? You don't belong here! You need to move!")
For someone who loves:
*The sound of Spanish music booming every night through your own walls
*The neighbourhood animals running through your yard and scaling your rock fence to get into your back yard and dig holes
*Being pushed in lines by small 'clusters' of Spanish and given dirty looks for being obviously white
*The sight of trash all over the place (they dump it everywhere...I have never seen so many tires dumped all over a city. Google Earth it and zoom on in. It's astonishing)
*Being the one in that said line at the store who does not pay with an EBT card
*When purchasing common household items to find they are in Spanish packaging
*Having 2 radio stations out of 20 that are English (One is 80's the other country)
*Being bombarded by children and teens (with their parents on the side in their cars) by LOTS of 'fundraising' everywhere you go
*Dirt and sand LOTS OF DIRT AND SAND
*Sonic booms that rattle your walls every week from the military bases and the constant overhead choppers chasing the latest person on the hunt
*The 'friendly fire' from the boarder (that actually hit a building in down town EP and NOTHING was done about it)
*Having your car inspected and your American status questioned when you go out of town per 'checkpoints' (Heavy X-ray equiptment, cameras, Government officials checking your car with drug sniffing dogs...and I am not talking about going to Mexico. I am talking about going North, East or West)
*People eating food out of the packages and placing it half eaten back on the shelf (Very common)
*Extreme Catholic belief system
*The sight of crumbling buildings and infrastructure as you pass on the boarder Hwy
*Your car being dinged up from others smacking their doors into yours
*Running over debri on the Hwy (I hit a pallet that went flying off a truck and tore up the entire front end of the car I previously had) which includes anything you can imagine
*Hanging out at Spanish bars and drinking endlessly (which I do not do, thank you)
*The smell of drugs floating through the night air
I will stop there. If this sounds like the life you want them come to EP!
I have been looking for a job myself in EP (A move from Tampa) and I have had the same issue. I am frustrated to no end. I will note that I had an employer hire me BUT all the clients spoke Spanish leaving me obviously looking like an idiot. It became impossible to do my job (as brief as it was) because I do not know spanish. I have found that even though the percentage ratio here says 85%-I feel that's not very accurate. I think it's more along the lines of 95%.
Interviews I have been to since...They take one look at me once I walk in and I can literally see their demeanor change. I am VERY white with light hair (yes it's natural) and a fair complexion. As soon as I sit down the question comes within a moment "Do you speak Spanish?" I had one interviewer outright tell me honestly (which I did appresheate) "Once you learn to speak Spanish then you will find something". I sat there with my mouth agape but acknowledged the point. He was right...
The Spanish requirement is not necessarly a form of discrimination. One can not communicate with people (aside from charades and stick man drawings) if you don't know the language. That's the cold hard fact of this area. As for learning the language-Sure that's a great point but I need a job now, not 3 years from now.
There are serious cultural differences from what I have known (Born in the Dallas Ft Worth area, which does have a medium diversity level) and understood. The Hispanics/Spanish that I have known (up until EP) were completely different culturally than here. It's truly a 'different world'.
Each race tends to gravitate towards their own. I crave with utmost certainty the same. I understand and respect their viewpoints and with that note, I feel that I do not belong here. (That statement is made and was confirmed when I had a Spanish male get in my face and yell at me. He asked "What are you even doing here? You don't belong here! You need to move!")
For someone who loves:
*The sound of Spanish music booming every night through your own walls
*The neighbourhood animals running through your yard and scaling your rock fence to get into your back yard and dig holes
*Being pushed in lines by small 'clusters' of Spanish and given dirty looks for being obviously white
*The sight of trash all over the place (they dump it everywhere...I have never seen so many tires dumped all over a city. Google Earth it and zoom on in. It's astonishing)
*Being the one in that said line at the store who does not pay with an EBT card
*When purchasing common household items to find they are in Spanish packaging
*Having 2 radio stations out of 20 that are English (One is 80's the other country)
*Being bombarded by children and teens (with their parents on the side in their cars) by LOTS of 'fundraising' everywhere you go
*Dirt and sand LOTS OF DIRT AND SAND
*Sonic booms that rattle your walls every week from the military bases and the constant overhead choppers chasing the latest person on the hunt
*The 'friendly fire' from the boarder (that actually hit a building in down town EP and NOTHING was done about it)
*Having your car inspected and your American status questioned when you go out of town per 'checkpoints' (Heavy X-ray equiptment, cameras, Government officials checking your car with drug sniffing dogs...and I am not talking about going to Mexico. I am talking about going North, East or West)
*People eating food out of the packages and placing it half eaten back on the shelf (Very common)
*Extreme Catholic belief system
*The sight of crumbling buildings and infrastructure as you pass on the boarder Hwy
*Your car being dinged up from others smacking their doors into yours
*Running over debri on the Hwy (I hit a pallet that went flying off a truck and tore up the entire front end of the car I previously had) which includes anything you can imagine
*Hanging out at Spanish bars and drinking endlessly (which I do not do, thank you)
*The smell of drugs floating through the night air
I will stop there. If this sounds like the life you want them come to EP!
Everythig you list is true, but, this is true in any city. I can name neighborhoods in "beautiful" Austin as well. Houston, Dallas, Ft Worth, San Antonio all have the exact same culture in certain areas, so El Paso is not unique.
From what I know of my own family and friends, the "you must speak Spanish" notion to get a job thing rings true, but I think it is usually because there is already a preferred candidate, and being told that one needs to know Spanish is an excuse not to hire. I have siblings who were born and raised in El Paso who cannot speak a word of Spanish, yet they are employed and get by. It's more of who you know unless you are applying for a professional job which requires a degree and would be a career, not a job; those openings are usually available by employers who go by the books and need the expertise, not some employer who needs to hire his friends and family. Nepotism and cronyism is alive and well in El Paso though.
I have been looking for a job myself in EP (A move from Tampa) and I have had the same issue. I am frustrated to no end. I will note that I had an employer hire me BUT all the clients spoke Spanish leaving me obviously looking like an idiot. It became impossible to do my job (as brief as it was) because I do not know spanish. I have found that even though the percentage ratio here says 85%-I feel that's not very accurate. I think it's more along the lines of 95%.
Interviews I have been to since...They take one look at me once I walk in and I can literally see their demeanor change. I am VERY white with light hair (yes it's natural) and a fair complexion. As soon as I sit down the question comes within a moment "Do you speak Spanish?" I had one interviewer outright tell me honestly (which I did appresheate) "Once you learn to speak Spanish then you will find something". I sat there with my mouth agape but acknowledged the point. He was right...
The Spanish requirement is not necessarly a form of discrimination. One can not communicate with people (aside from charades and stick man drawings) if you don't know the language. That's the cold hard fact of this area. As for learning the language-Sure that's a great point but I need a job now, not 3 years from now.
There are serious cultural differences from what I have known (Born in the Dallas Ft Worth area, which does have a medium diversity level) and understood. The Hispanics/Spanish that I have known (up until EP) were completely different culturally than here. It's truly a 'different world'.
Each race tends to gravitate towards their own. I crave with utmost certainty the same. I understand and respect their viewpoints and with that note, I feel that I do not belong here. (That statement is made and was confirmed when I had a Spanish male get in my face and yell at me. He asked "What are you even doing here? You don't belong here! You need to move!")
For someone who loves:
*The sound of Spanish music booming every night through your own walls
*The neighbourhood animals running through your yard and scaling your rock fence to get into your back yard and dig holes
*Being pushed in lines by small 'clusters' of Spanish and given dirty looks for being obviously white
*The sight of trash all over the place (they dump it everywhere...I have never seen so many tires dumped all over a city. Google Earth it and zoom on in. It's astonishing)
*Being the one in that said line at the store who does not pay with an EBT card
*When purchasing common household items to find they are in Spanish packaging
*Having 2 radio stations out of 20 that are English (One is 80's the other country)
*Being bombarded by children and teens (with their parents on the side in their cars) by LOTS of 'fundraising' everywhere you go
*Dirt and sand LOTS OF DIRT AND SAND
*Sonic booms that rattle your walls every week from the military bases and the constant overhead choppers chasing the latest person on the hunt
*The 'friendly fire' from the boarder (that actually hit a building in down town EP and NOTHING was done about it)
*Having your car inspected and your American status questioned when you go out of town per 'checkpoints' (Heavy X-ray equiptment, cameras, Government officials checking your car with drug sniffing dogs...and I am not talking about going to Mexico. I am talking about going North, East or West)
*People eating food out of the packages and placing it half eaten back on the shelf (Very common)
*Extreme Catholic belief system
*The sight of crumbling buildings and infrastructure as you pass on the boarder Hwy
*Your car being dinged up from others smacking their doors into yours
*Running over debri on the Hwy (I hit a pallet that went flying off a truck and tore up the entire front end of the car I previously had) which includes anything you can imagine
*Hanging out at Spanish bars and drinking endlessly (which I do not do, thank you)
*The smell of drugs floating through the night air
I will stop there. If this sounds like the life you want them come to EP!
I disagree about the "extreme Catholic belief" -- most people here don't even go to church and many make sure you know they don't go to a Catholic church if they do. And look around at the very high illegitimacy rate -- that's not exactly "extreme Catholic belief". It's a different kind of Catholicism maybe that promotes sex outside of marriage and adultery and partying until dawn and drug use.
Everythig you list is true, but, this is true in any city. I can name neighborhoods in "beautiful" Austin as well. Houston, Dallas, Ft Worth, San Antonio all have the exact same culture in certain areas, so El Paso is not unique.
From what I know of my own family and friends, the "you must speak Spanish" notion to get a job thing rings true, but I think it is usually because there is already a preferred candidate, and being told that one needs to know Spanish is an excuse not to hire. I have siblings who were born and raised in El Paso who cannot speak a word of Spanish, yet they are employed and get by. It's more of who you know unless you are applying for a professional job which requires a degree and would be a career, not a job; those openings are usually available by employers who go by the books and need the expertise, not some employer who needs to hire his friends and family. Nepotism and cronyism is alive and well in El Paso though.
Yes -- you are right - only in other cities, it's not the whole city as it is here.
A lot of people will only fill a job vacancy with a relative they want to bring over. They can require fluent Spanish no matter what the job -- even automobile mechanics are required to be fluent in Spanish and cars don't talk. Many of the new restaurants from Juarez are to bring family and friends over -- and they'll put them in areas where many customers can speak English -- they could obviously hire someone who speaks English but that's not the point.
Many professionals aren't required to be fluent in Spanish. There is less discrimination in those jobs. Less nepotism and cronyism. Any time you see a business with 100% of one ethnicity all speaking a foreign language, it's time to take down the EEO sign as it obviously is not.
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True, but...
