Institutional exclusion and exploitation of language teachers

Abstract

Language teacher education programs and language teaching research often overlook the impact of precarity on the teachers, their practice, and their sense of professional identity. The lack of stable employment in the field creates barriers to the professionalization and development of teachers. Precarious employment is used to further marginalize teachers within their institutions by systematically excluding them from activities that would enhance their practice and professionalization. At the same time, precariously employed teachers perpetuate these power imbalances by unwittingly participating in activities that may further contribute to their precarity. Teachers enter the profession because they care, but they are also taken advantage of because they care. Language teacher education programs need to address these power imbalances to prevent teachers from being excluded or exploited where they teach.