ABSTRACT
The separation of English teachers into native and non-native teachers (NESTs and non-NESTs) is an everyday currency despite its dubious value. Although it is a disturbing fact that non-NESTs are often discriminated on the international job market and even in their own locale, this paper is rather concerned with the plight of NESTs working abroad for an extended period of time. The data we collected from 79 expatriate NESTs show that they are often hired irrespective of their professional qualifications or qualities under the convenient pretext that “customers want the real stuff”. It is perhaps inevitable that such policies lead to tension between non-NESTs and NESTs. Furthermore, our findings show that expatriate NESTs may experience prejudice and even discrimination both in their everyday and professional lives, and these have an impact on the quality they bring to their work.
