TEFL without Training: What are the Consequences?: An Investigation of the Role of Assistant Language Teachers on the JET Programme

In the field of Applied Linguistics, there are lively and critical discussions about the impact of the spread of English in the world. It is not clear, however, to what extent these discussions are being taken up by native English speakers who are hired to teach English as a Foreign Language primarily on the basis of their native speakership. This M.A. thesis study addresses this gap. The context for the study is the Japan Exchange and Teaching (JET) Programme. Participants are former Assistant Language Teachers (ALTs) from Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, and the United States. Results show that participants demonstrate little awareness of the macro level critical discussions. This has implications for language ideologies, teacher practices, and the broader socio-political goals of the JET Programme. Implications range beyond the context of the JET Programme, however, and into other foreign language contexts, where the practice of hiring untrained native speakers of English as teachers is commonplace and generally left unchallenged.