Native English-speaking teachers in foreign language teaching in Turkey: a brief historical overview

Abstract

ABSTRACTWith the onset of globalisation, the world is turning into a global village and the need for a common language has become pressing. Increasingly, English has assumed this role as more and more people have begun to use it as an effective crosscultural communication tool. As the demand for learning English has increased, so has the number of lucrative job opportunities for English language teachers, especially native speakers, in the non-English-speaking parts of the world; indeed, in many such countries, teaching English has become a multi-billion dollar industry. This study attempts to introduce the journey of native English-speaking teachers and a historical overview of foreign language teaching in Turkey. In particular, this paper demonstrates that a distinct change has taken place in the field in Turkey regarding the level of professionalism native speakers are now expected to possess. Where once native English speakers could become teachers without any proper methodology background, many have since turned into professional teachers holding relevant, internationally recognised certificates in the field of English language teaching.