‘Native English Speakers, I Cannot Say Them as a Teacher’: NEST Schemes and Teacher Identity

Abstract

Schemes that hire “native-speaker English teachers” (NESTs) are common around the world. Such schemes, where NESTs and local English teachers (LETS) work together, can provide opportunities for both teachers and learners, but they can also present many challenges. One challenge is the negotiation of teacher identity for both NESTs and LETs. Drawing a sociocultural linguistic approach to identity, this article analyses interview data to examine how LETs and NESTs construct both their own and each other’s identity. Through micro-analysis of the interviews, the study sheds light on the identities claimed and assigned by the participants, offering insight into NESTs and LETs and their “self” and “other” perceptions. The findings show the complexity and individual nature of positioning and identity construction, and give a deeper better understanding of team-teaching relationships, which can contribute to more positive classroom experiences for NESTs, LETs, and learners.