grammar - As a(n) noun vs as only


I wonder about the use of as a and as (only) in writing. Can you explain when it is correct to quantify the noun when presenting oneself? I will paste some examples for clarity.


Are there any rules to follow?


Example 1



a) As teacher, I meet many children.


b) As a teacher, I meet many children.



Example 2



a) Working as pilot, I fly airplanes.


b) Working as a pilot, I fly airplanes.




Answer



In Germanic languages, like your (presumably) native German and Swedish, you avoid indefinite article for professions. However in English they are present. So in your case, "as a teacher, ... " should be the right form. Here's a ngram plot to support the idea.


Here's an interesting article on definite and indefinite article use in English, compared to some other languages, among which German. Note the following quote:



Although greatly simplified, English article usage still poses a number of challenges to speakers of other European languages. Let's compare the German sentence "Da er Botaniker ist, liebt er die Natur" with the corresponding English one "Being a botanist, he is fond of nature". You'll see that English puts an indefinite article in front of a profession but German doesn't. Conversely, English manages without articles in front of abstract nouns like nature, where German needs a definite article.



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