ABSTRACT
This chapter presents the history of the Native English-speaking Teacher (NET) schemes in Hong Kong and points out the inextricable connection between the emergence of the NET schemes and the status and perceived falling standards of English in Hong Kong. It explores the nature of the NET schemes as compared to similar schemes in other Southeast Asian countries, and discusses how the NET schemes were received by different stakeholders such as local English teachers (LETs) and Hong Kong students (HKSs). To many people, a native speaker is that idealized person with a complete and possibly innate competence in the language. Learning a language from somebody who is a native speaker of that language seems highly reasonable and natural because there should be no doubt about his or her expertise and experience in that language. The sociopolitical implications of native English speaker teachers were most effectively brought to our attention by Robert Phillipson in his book named "Linguistic Imperialism".
