The exploration of The Professional Identity of Chinese English Teachers in The Field of TEFL

The co-existence of native English teachers and Chinese English teachers in the Chinese educational system ushers in a new and fascinating research area. The SLA field has already had native English teachers as a perfect role-modeling of using English. Why do Chinese English teachers bother? Are there any space left for Chinese English teachers in the field of TEFL? Is their existence something accidental? This paper attempts to address the issue of professional legitimacy of an increasing amount of Chinese English teachers in the field of TEFL. By analyzing the deep-rooted assumptions and customary biases in the field, this paper tries to proposal a new professional identity for Chinese English teacher to imagine.