1. Purpose and Scope

This document outlines Inkstone's institutional stance against Native-Speakerism—the ideology that "native speakers" are inherently superior language teachers. This policy aims to eliminate discriminatory hiring practices and promote a meritocratic environment where pedagogical expertise, linguistic proficiency, and professional qualifications are the primary criteria for employment.​

2. Theoretical Framework: Beyond the Native-Speaker Fallacy

"Native-speakerism" is a pervasive prejudice within the English Language Teaching (ELT) sector (Holliday, 2006). It functions as a form of "linguicism," where individuals are judged not by their professional merits but by their birthright or accent.​

2.1 Limitations of the "Inner Circle" Model

While traditional recruitment has historically favored the "Inner Circle" (Kachru, 1985)—namely the US, UK, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand—this model is now widely regarded as static and outdated. It fails to account for the transnational and digital circulation of English, which has blurred traditional borders. This institution rejects the notion that a passport from these specific nations serves as a valid proxy for teaching competence or linguistic authority.​

2.2 Global Englishes and Translanguaging

Modern sociolinguistics recognizes that English no longer "belongs" to any single geographic hub. In cities such as Manila, Singapore, and Delhi, many individuals identify as first-language speakers of English within complex multilingual environments.

Instead of enforcing a monolithic "Standard English" (often synonymous with American or British norms), this policy aligns with contemporary scholarly shifts toward:

• World Englishes: Recognizing the diverse, localized varieties of English that have developed globally.

• English as a Lingua Franca (ELF): Prioritizing communicative efficiency and intelligibility over the imitation of specific regional accents.

• Translanguaging: Acknowledging the fluid ways multilingual speakers use their full linguistic repertoire to communicate effectively, rather than viewing languages as isolated, competing silos.​

3. Key Areas of Discrimination and Redress

​3.1 Recruitment and Job Advertisements

The Issue: Ads or services specifying "Native Speakers Only" create a systemic barrier for highly qualified Non-Native English Speaking Teachers (NNESTs).​

Policy: All job descriptions must focus on competencies. Required qualifications (e.g., MA in TESOL, DELTA, CELTA) and documented language proficiency levels (e.g., CEFR C2) shall replace "native-speaker" status as the baseline requirement.​

3.2 Remuneration and Professional Benefits

The Issue: The "Wage Gap" (Selvi, 2011) often results in NNESTs receiving lower base salaries or being excluded from relocation benefits provided to their "native" counterparts.​

Policy: Salary scales must be transparent and tied to years of experience and level of education. Benefits (such as housing, flights, or visa assistance) must be applied equitably based on the contract type, not the teacher's country of origin.​

3.3 Fee Structure and Pricing Differentiation

The Issue: Market-driven discrimination often manifests as "price tiering," where students are charged more for classes taught by native speakers. This practice commodifies identity, devalues professional expertise, and reinforces the false narrative that NNESTs provide a "discounted" or inferior educational experience.​

Policy: This institution explicitly prohibits discriminatory pricing. Tuition fees and course rates shall be determined solely by the course level, curriculum intensity, and instructional hours. We do not differentiate prices based on a teacher's native-speaker status, as such practices are fundamentally unethical and undermine the professional integrity of our faculty.​

3.4 The "Authority" Bias

The Issue: Students and administrators often mistakenly view native speakers as the only "authentic" sources of language (Medgyes, 1994).​

Policy: The institution will actively promote the "Learned Authority" of NNESTs, highlighting their unique ability to serve as successful learner models and their explicit knowledge of English grammar and syntax.​

4. Research-Based Justification for NNEST Inclusion

Research indicates that NNESTs often possess specific pedagogical advantages over native speakers:

• Empathetic Teaching: NNESTs have personal experience with the language acquisition process, allowing them to anticipate student difficulties and provide more effective scaffolding (Medgyes, 2001).

• Explicit Linguistic Knowledge: Because NNESTs learned English through formal study, they are often better equipped to explain the "mechanics" of the language compared to those who acquired it intuitively.

• Model of Success: NNESTs serve as "achievable role models," demonstrating to students that professional fluency is a reachable goal.​

5. Institutional Commitments

• Blind Review: Where possible, initial recruitment phases will be blinded to nationality and name to mitigate unconscious bias regarding accent or origin.

• Professional Development: All staff receive training on Global Englishes and English as a Lingua Franca (ELF), moving away from a "Standard English" monopoly (Jenkins, 2007).

• Complaint Mechanisms: Clear procedures are established for staff to report instances of linguistic discrimination without fear of retaliation.​

Selected References

• Holliday, A. (2006). Native-speakerism. ELT Journal, 60(4), 385–387.

• Jenkins, J. (2007). English as a Lingua Franca: Attitude and Identity. Oxford University Press.

• Kachru, B. B. (1985). Standards, codification and sociolinguistic realism: The English language in the outer circle. Cambridge University Press.

• Medgyes, P. (1994). The Non-Native Teacher. Macmillan Publishers.

• Medgyes, P. (2001). When the teacher is a non-native speaker. In M. Celce-Murcia (Ed.), Teaching English as a Second or Foreign Language.

• Selvi, A. F. (2011). The non-native speaker teacher: A review of the issues. ELT Journal, 65(2).

 

 

Last updated: March, 2026