Status, place and profile of non-native English teachers in Georgia

Abstract

In recent years mostly in non-English speaking countries research concerning non-native teachers of English has reached its acme. It has
resulted in a thorough analysis of the phenomenon. Nevertheless, the issue has not been exhausted. The more researchers, native and nonnative
instructors
add
their

colors to the portrait of teachers of English as a foreign or second language, the better insight of the subject we
have. The present article aims to understand what coincidences and discrepancies there are between the characteristics of non-native English
instructors abroad and in Georgia, how specific hiring practices, employment patterns, trainings for non-native English teachers are in the
country. The study has been conducted based on analyzing the theoretical background of the issue, a survey of English teachers and empirical
evidence.
All
the
procedures
applied
led
to
the
following
conclusions:
thousands
of
native
English
speakers
who
teach
English
in
Georgia

disclose
many
aspects
of
the
dichotomy
–non-native
English-speaking
teachers
(NNEST)
vs.
native
English-speaking
teachers
(NEST).
The

former
in
Georgia
demonstrate
similarities,
both
professional
and
personal,
with
their
peers
abroad.
Differences
pinpointed
as
a
result
of
the

research
represent
the
legacy
of
the
educational
system
of
the
soviet
past
and
of
the
post-soviet
transition
period
peculiarities.
Hiring
practices,

employment
patterns
in
the
Teaching
English
as
a
Foreign
Language
field
are
similar
to
foreign
ones;
discrepancies,
though,
are
caused
by

different
socio-economic factors in the country.