Hypothetical of Native-Like and Non-Native; Communicative English Speaker in Perspective of Foreign Language (Personal Communication) 1 Augustus 2020 Thobias Sarbunan DOI: 10.13140/RG.2.2.26379.52002 [email protected] I. It is a Battle that has raged across Social Media Groups of Languages Teachers and Teachers’ Forums for Years With over (1) billion learners, English is the most learned language in the world and generally speaking, native speakers have the pick of the English teaching jobs. II. Wanted: NATIVE English Teacher i. Any NNEST (Non-Native English Speaking Teachers) who have looked for a job will have become well acquainted (and doubtless frustrated) by this phrase; ii. One thing is for certain: both NESTs (Native English Speaking Teachers) and NNEST (Non-Native English Speaking Teachers) can make great teachers; iii. However, particularly in a country like Spain, which has a huge number of TEFL positions compared to the rest of Europe, this type of ideal, a native teacher who ticks all of the boxes is something of a rarity. III. It wasn’t for Me i. The majority (but not all) of NESTs in Spain are inexperienced, under-qualified and - to put it bluntly - not there to teach; ii. It’s almost too easy for someone with the natural title of ‘Native’ and a university degree to walk into a job in a country like Spain where the demand for their language is high and jobs are plentiful. IV. Not Native? No Problem i. At the same time, there are advantages to your teacher being unable to speak your language, the main one being that your only way to communicate with them is to speak their language (the language you’re learning) but you can hit a dead end whereby neither of you has any idea what the other means and the point of the conversation or exercise is lost. Whereas a teacher from your country could explain it in seconds – without necessarily having to switch back to the language that you naturally share; 1 ii. This is perfectly natural and justified but don’t be so quick to allow nationality to influence your decision when choosing a teacher – there are much more important factors to consider! Iman, I. (2018). Native or Non-Native: Who Makes a Better English Teacher? [Web log]. https://www.europelanguagejobs.com/blog/native-or-non-native.php. 2
