The International Language Teachers: An Introspection

This qualitative study entitled “The International Language Teachers: An Introspection”, ascertained the personal, professional and social experiences of the International Language Teachers at AMA International University-Bahrain (AMAIU), specifically on their motivations to teach language subjects, their expectations and how these expectations were met, their common adjustments while working in this country, the professional issues that confronted them as language teachers, and the social cost of their teaching in a foreign country. All the fourteen teachers teaching the different languages were the participants of the study. Conducted from December 2011 to May 2012, the findings are as follows: Generally, the teachers were concerned about the empowerment of the students to be globally competitive in their career as a lifelong investment. Only one out of 14 participants had not taught in the country where she came from before teaching at AMAIUB; An international university may be attractive among jobseekers; Teachers expect that university students are better communicators of the English language; Common adjustments include learning the culture of the country to fit the need of the students; Professional issues include the difficulty of the students in understanding the concepts taught, undermining the capacity of the language teachers, and difficulty in transferring skills from common language used to another; and Social cost was common among the participants such as adjusting to the manner of dressing, limited recreational avenue, public display of affection should be done very discretely, not growing old with family, cannot share talent with countrymen, less time for friends, and difficulty adjusting with different nationalities. On the other hand, some participants mentioned that social cost is relative, for working in other countries is a privilege for cultural exchange. Another consider it self-fulfilling and enriching.