Ng, M., J. & Rodrigo, R. (2021). Barefaced: Challenges of non-native English-speaking teachers in English language teaching industry. 14th National and International Conference on Humanities and Social Sciences, Prince of Songkla University Phuket Campus, Thailand. Conference proceeding.
The struggles of Non-Native English-Speaking Teachers (NNESTs) in the English language teaching (ELT) industry still exist up to this day and have caught the attention of several researchers. This paper aimed to analyze the challenges of NNESTs in the ELT industry. Six recent studies were subjected to analysis using the thematic analysis approach. This study found three challenges; qualification, hiring, and linguistic competence. The study yielded typical results inside each challenge. NNESTs need to present pertinent documents supporting their eligibility to teach English.
Hence, the hiring process becomes stricter for NNESTs applicants. Further, NNESTs remuneration is still low compared to their NESTs counterpart, making this a discrimination in the hiring process. These recruitment and hiring process discrepancies boil down to the perception that NNESTs have inferior linguistic competence. The results of this study could lead other researchers to pursue studying other issues and challenges about NNESTs, or in the ELT industry in general. Further, this research is also an eye-opener to clients (students or parents) about NNESTs per se and the changing world of ELT.
This study also has imperative implications for practice, particularly for recruiters who plan or have not yet hired ‘non-native English language speakers.
