Traversing self and other: the professional identity of immigrant English teachers

The professional identity of immigrant English teachers (IETs) in Australia is profoundly shaped by their lived experiences and systemic positioning as the marginalized “Other.” Misrecognition stemming from non-native accents, linguistic varieties, race, culture, and foreign qualifications often situates IETs in deficit-based frameworks compared to white native English-speaking teachers. Employing hermeneutic phenomenology and narrative inquiry, this long-term study examines how IETs navigate systemic barriers and discursive contestations to reconstitute their professional identities informed by their lived experiences over time. Drawing on concepts of self and the Other, power, dialogism, and hybridity, the findings reveal that IETs employ critical reflection and agentive strategies to challenge dominant discourses of nativeness and non-nativeness. Despite persistent structural inequities, they demonstrate hybrid professionalism and envision themselves as cosmopolitan educators. The study calls for inclusive policies and practices that recognize IETs’ multilingual and multicultural expertise across migration, settlement, and professional practice phases. Educational institutions must recognize and normalize intercultural capabilities and intersectional understandings of diversity to foster inclusive teaching environments. Beyond education, these findings underscore the broader relevance of addressing systemic barriers for immigrant professionals across sectors. Further research is needed to examine the long-term impacts of such inclusive practices on professional integration, development, and contributions to multicultural educational landscapes.