Promoting the Value of Non-Native English-Speaking Teachers

There is a common, but mistaken, assumption that language teaching should best be placed in the hands of native speakers. Although the misperception of the superiority of native speaker teachers has been challenged in the professional ELT literature, many continue to hold fast on this misguided belief, often resulting in discriminatory practices towards non-native speaking teachers. The purpose of this paper is to raise greater awareness among stakeholders about this issue, so that they can make more informed decisions about hiring and pedagogical practices. We first look closely at current practices that wittingly or unwittingly support and exacerbate the ideology of native speakerism and then offer some suggestions on how ELT professionals can promote nonnative speaker teachers� professional credibility. We also propose a set of qualities that all teachers, regardless of their language or geographical backgrounds, should have.