ABSTRACT
This chapter introduces a history of the construction and implementation of schemes to recruit Native English-speaking Teachers (NETs) in Hong Kong, and discusses how these schemes were received and interpreted by different stakeholders that include the local school personnel, the NETs themselves, and the students. It summarizes different perspectives of the NET schemes in Hong Kong. Importing NETs from Anglo countries to teach English locally is not a unique phenomenon in Hong Kong. The NET scheme in particular was criticized by Boyle, who is a well-known native English-speaking academic experienced in English language education in Hong Kong, as an example of "linguistic imperialism in the story of English in Hong Kong". In view of the current globalized economy, it seems to be perfectly reasonable to expect Hong Kong young people to be proficient in English to conduct transnational communication in English.
