We got together to go through another one of my DSB webinars (DSB stands for Defeating Systemic Bias), where we had an inclusive, accepting, honest, and open conversation about the industry and PERCEPTIONS. I write this in capital letters because I find this word to be fitting for the topic. I won’t mention names as I haven’t asked for permission to use them, but I wanted to write these thoughts as quickly as I could so they remain fresh in my mind for future reference.
I have been trying to understand the perspective of those who say native speakers are used as scapegoats. I get it. As language teaching professionals, it’s quite upsetting to native speakers that these biases keep coming up. Native speakers often say the dichotomy between native and non-native speaker teachers is still being used to discriminate and perpetuate outdated narratives – narratives that supposedly don’t constitute a problem anymore in a field where job ads are now more inclusive, requiring people to hold certifications before taking on positions as English language teachers in private language schools.
I have tried very hard to understand this point of view because it does not reflect reality from my perspective – and please correct me if I’m wrong – nor the perspective of any non-native teacher who has taken part in hiring processes across the world. Other participants of DSB from across the world have confirmed this, time and time again.
If native speaker teachers are upset today, and you happen to be a native speaker teacher, I would like to invite you to think about how upset non-native teachers can be.
One of the participants, who was far more qualified, eloquent, experienced, and patient than me, explicitly stated: “I have witnessed much worse things in staff meetings and interviews than what I’m seeing in the chat. There have been managers who couldn’t get over the fact that a non-native speaker could speak with such confidence. If I keep reacting to what I’ve been through, I would give myself an early heart attack. I used to feel insulted; I’ve learned to be amused by it. While it’s not fair and annoying for native speakers to hear this again and again, for us it is still a lived reality, where we get told we still need to improve.”
We have reached a point where native speakers are ready to call out unqualified native speakers accepting jobs, but they are not willing to call out when highly qualified non-native speakers don’t get positions. While we understand genuinely qualified native speakers being annoyed for constantly being accused and made to feel guilty for these practices, when will they understand that the problem we have is with the system, not with them as individuals?
This is NOT a personal matter. It is the system that is denying us, not you as a native speaker.
All we want is to reach a point where our qualifications are recognized while our nationalities stop influencing hiring choices by academic managers and recruiters. This isn’t something that’s being “overplayed” – it is our daily reality. You may think this is all we hear, while we think this point isn’t driven home enough times.
While you are upset and triggered, imagine what it feels like not benefiting from a privileged status which you are not to be blamed for, but you should still recognize you have. Your 4-week course matters more than my master’s degree in teaching English as a second or foreign language, all because of your passport! We cannot avoid mentioning it and still address it. This is not for you to agree with or deny. This is the truth.
You are not at fault. Your perceptions are faulty because you’re not looking at the sociolinguistics behind that perception. Why? Because you haven’t been made to think about this enough and educate yourself on the topic. Why? Because you were not the one being discriminated against. It’s really a political matter.
As an ELT professional, I’ve observed a concerning pattern: while qualified native speakers rightfully feel frustrated when blamed for systemic issues, many highly qualified non-native speakers face daily discrimination despite superior credentials. It’s time we moved beyond the native/non-native dichotomy and focused on what really matters: teaching ability and qualifications. What’s your experience?
You can acknowledge non-native teachers by saying you’re not trying to downplay their legitimate grievances of being discriminated against, yet your actions do not reflect your support. Let’s do better.
