The TESOL Encyclopedia of English Language Teaching (original) (raw)

Although the term is controversial, and difficult to apply in some contexts, nonnative English speaker teachers (NNESTs) generally refers to those whose L1 is not English. Based on this broad definition, the majority of English teachers around the world (except in inner-circle English-speaking countries such as the United States and the United Kingdom) are NNESTs. In fact, even in inner-circle English countries, a great number of English teachers are now NNESTs, owing to the rapid, ongoing globalization of the world economy and increased access to education. However, despite being the major force in English teaching, NNESTs have always faced many challenges, including questions about their legitimacy and effectiveness as English teachers in comparison with native English speaker teachers (NESTs), and discrimination against them in both the job market and the workplace. To better understand and confront these challenges, many studies have been conducted on issues related to NNESTs in the past two decades (