Woah, guess I killed the discussion earlier
Missed out some of the good points brought out earlier...

aphasiac wrote:

istel wrote:

Well... I do understand that it's just net trolling but it actually leads in to my next question on the general standard of ALT in Japan generally and if they are "qualified" to teach without having received proper trainings on how to teach... I've seen arguments from different camps (namely those who with trainings vs. those without)

I also wonder if a perceived non-native English speaker whose first language is English is deemed as being unqualified to teach English in an official setting?

I'm currently working an English teacher; not in Japan, but pretty sure the situation is the same there. To answer your questions:

- The (white) Westerns ALTs at my cram-school are all there just to make the school look official and attractive to parents. Our (non-existent) teaching skills are pretty much irrelevant.

- The Chinese teachers (who do a majority of the work) are the opposite; they have real teaching training, but have poor English skills; certainly far worse than the blog poster you quoted. But they teach from set textbooks, and the parents can't speak enough English to assess them, so whether or not they're "qualified" to teach English is largely irrelevant.

- The entire point of learning English at these schools is to help the kids pass meaningless school English tests via rote-memorisation drills from textbooks, while at the same time keeping them busy until the parents finish work at 10pm. The overall effectiveness of the teaching and teachers is almost completely irrelevant.

I guess you're pretty much on the mark in regards to English education in Asia in general (i.e. learning for the sake of passing exams) where it's not used as the main language of commerce?

thurd wrote:

Through my whole public education I've never had a native English teacher. In most private language schools beginner levels always have classes with non-native speakers, not only is it cheaper for the school but also less intimidating for students.

Its a non-issue in my opinion. Do we require 1st grade math teachers to have a PHD?

To tell the truth. Any teacher who could hold the class's attention in my junior high class for more than 15 minutes on "boring" grammar usage is already a miracle in itself, never mind native or not... Which is why the issue of whether a teacher is native or not has never cross my mind.

I do understand having a native to emulate in order to master the correct pronunciation and intonation of the language you're learning though is extremely beneficial...