Hiring a Training Consultant - Language Discrimination?

[GaryK]

I work for a tech/comms company and look after one of the tech platforms.
We have a relationship with the platform vendor that includes periodically paying them for professional services (assistance & training).

We recently took on board a couple of off-shore guys (non Native English speakers) and want to get them as well as a couple of UK guys some training through the vendor's PS.
The vendor is multi national and to date, the consultants have all been foreign with varying levels of English proficiency (difficult to understand what some are saying).

My question is, would I be walking on thin ice from a discrimination point if I specifically request a consultant whose first language is English?

I think not, because to get the most out of paid for training (not cheap either!), the trainer must be easily understood.

 

[IanM]

Possibly, you can be language proficient with it being your first language.

You can insist on sufficient competence though. That is not the same as "first language."

 

[CliveW]

In all seriously, I recently called my bank (Bank of Scotland) and was answered by a Liverpudlian. I could not understand a word he said and eventually hung up.

 

[phillarrow]

Are you their client or are they your client? Who pays who in this scenario?

You can ask for anything but in reality, what you can expect to insist on might come down to who is the client here.

Maybe a better way forward, rather than asking for English as a native language, would be to raise a concern with someone high up about the quality of communication in recent examples of this training?

 

[Deleted member 23270]

Are you dealing with Indians?

 

[Lord Tyrion]

I deal with many European customers who have English as their second language. Some are fluent, hugely impressive, others are patchy. Heavy accented English is as difficult as poor English in my experience.

I think @IanM has it right, the phrase is language competency rather than first language. That then allows you to select people who can be easily understood, if you are actually allowed a say in the selection of course.

It's a tricky one for you. Good luck in walking the tightrope.

 

[SocketRocket]

Native spoken English can produce very difficult to understand people. I would agree you should ask for someone with well spoken English.

 

[GaryK]

Are you dealing with Indians?

In this scenario, no - not Indians
However the recipients of the training are not UK based and English is not their native language.
Similarly in my experience the person presenting the training has also not based UK based, English not their native language and they are from completely different regions of the World to the recipients.

The irony is that the head of the vendor's professional services org originates from an English speaking country where people tend not to mince their words or be overly bothered about being PC.
So I would be happy to ask him the question directly, but have been warned by over cautious manager who has no experience of the prior training challenges and does not know anything about the person that I am working with on the vendor side.

 

[Mudball]

This was a fairly common scenario with Indian offshoring for many years. You can ask for a minimum level English competency as part of contract. So you could be covered. Ensure there is a feedback loop by which you know who are not able to communicate rather than tar everyone.
If the contract (and price) allows you, you can ask for English native. However there is no guarantee people understand U.K. regional accents.
Philippines is an excellent case of American accent speakers.

I would start with knowing what is in contract, what is the feedback/escalation route and the vendor’s ability to pivot to use different speakers.

Lastly I see you mentioned the recipients are also not native English speakers. So the problem could lie elsewhere.