Does your accent really hinder your job prospects?

Darth Vader issued a stark warning to Bristolians auditioning for a role in the new Star Wars film earlier this month. "You can't go, 'oo-aar my dear, here's my lightsaber,'" advised David Prowse, the actor who played Vader in the original films. He advised hopefuls to "disguise their accents" if they were serious about landing a part.

And it's not just in the realms of space where people are being told to alter how they speak. Just last week a teacher from Cumbria was given an official target to "sound less Cumbrian" and a school in the West Midlands recently banned pupils from speaking regional slang to improve their employability.

But do accents really make a difference when it comes to employers deciding who to pick? According to recent surveys, it does. Eight in 10 employers admit to making discriminating decisions based on regional accents, according to research from law firm Peninsula, and an ITV/Comres survey found that 28% of Brits feel discriminated against because of the way they speak.

But while the evidence suggests jobseekers would be better off in the job market by softening their accents, experts are wary of advising them to do so.

Francesca Turner, a National Careers Service adviser, says jobseekers shouldn't necessarily look to ditch their accent, but tells people to stay clear of using regional slang in interviews.

"It's pretty difficult to hide your accent," she says. "Some might say why should you – after all it's part of you. What you might want to be aware of is speaking 'properly' and avoiding regional slang."

Brian Staines, a senior career adviser at the University of Bristol, agrees and warns against attempting to change the way you speak. "I don't think I would ever suggest anybody to change their accent – I certainly haven't done so."

On ITV's Tonight programme when discussing their findings, a young boy from Middlesbrough told the presenter: "We sound right scruffy like. Not like you: posh. We won't be able to get proper jobs."

Would people be better off altering their accent at interviews? Many Brits do according to research which found that one in five Brits alter their accents to get a job or to impress on a date.

But not everyone trains to speak "posher". According to the same survey, 4% of Brits have tried to sound less posh – rising to 11% in London. In April, the chancellor, George Osborne, was criticised for adopting a mockney accent in a speech about welfare reforms.

Regional dialects can certainly be an asset in some industries and actively encouraged. Nicola Redman's strong Northern Irish twang has been her unique selling point in her career as a voice actor. By day she records voice-overs for TV and radio commercials and by night she uses her Ulster tones as a stand-up and sketch comedian. "There are positive and negative aspects to every accent," she says. "For me, accent is very much a part of who you are.

"There are certain stereotypes associated with particular accents but, if you are committed to your career and good at what you do, it is possible to overcome these and ensure it isn't a hindrance. You need to identify what the positive traits to your individual accent are and work with them, not against," she says.

For those who don't have English as their mother tongue, it can be even harder to disguise an accent. Turner's advice for foreign job-seekers is to take advantage of opportunities to get involved in community activities, which "help them to interact with others and practise their language skills."

Accents also have hugely varying degrees of impact on prospective employers and different dialects demonstrate different qualities and drawbacks. The Liverpool, Cockney and Brummie accents come off badly, whereas received pronunciation (RP) or the "Queen's English" fare better, according to the ITV/Comres poll. 16% of Brummies have attempted to reduce their natural accent – this figure drops to 2% for Scottish people.

Sam Newsome was brought up in Birmingham and has found himself altering his accent in his mission to break into City law firms. "I had to tone down the Birmingham accent," he says. Fellow Midlander Josh Nock agrees: "I do put on a posher voice; I suppose I do it to make sure because the brummie accent can sound a bit common."

As it's highly unlikely the Star Wars directors are looking to give Darth Vader a regional accent, those planning on travelling to future auditions in Glasgow, Dublin, Manchester and London might want to start practising their "disguised" accents now.

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