Walter Evans Lasula
About
Walter Evans Lara Lasula works as a Lead Teacher at Language Link Vietnam. He is a DELTA and CELTA qualified teacher with 12 years of ESL teaching experience. He has taught Japanese, Koreans, Turkish, Filipino, and Vietnamese learners. Half of his career is spent preparing Vietnamese learners for IELTS, TOEFL, and Cambridge English Exams. He has finished his Master’s degree in English Language Teaching at Cebu Normal University where he found his passion for qualitative research. His research interests include bilingualism, pedagogy, and assessment.Sessions
The Lived Experiences of Non-native EFL Teachers in Vietnam: A Phenomenological Inquiry more
Fri, Apr 29, 09:00-Tue, May 31, 23:55 Asia/Seoul
The increasing demand for English as a Foreign Language (EFL) instructors throughout Asia, particularly in Vietnam, has resulted in a large diaspora of both native and non-native teachers to assist students in improving their English language proficiency. The objective of the research was to conduct an inquiry into the personal experiences of non-native speakers teaching EFL in Vietnam and the essence attributed to it. This study utilized a comprehensive semi-structured interview with 12 non-native English-speaking teacher-participants from Philippines, Vietnam, Netherlands, Venezuela, Brazil, Spain, India, Ghana, Russia, France, Ukraine, and Poland. The study revealed major themes namely: Professional Rewards, Personal growth and contentment, Promotions and Career Opportunities, Professional Predicaments, and Personal Drive. The benefits of non-native English-speaking instructor in Vietnam were all emphasized, including the strong demand for EFL Jobs, simpler hiring processing, and many advancement possibilities. There were professional issues on discrimination and biases from employers aside from the racism experienced by students. Despite the challenges encountered, there were relevant pieces of advice shared to cope with the challenges such as getting qualified, adapting to culture, and possessing passion and optimism towards teaching as non-native teaching in Vietnam.