Opportunities and Challenges of a Filipino Educator in a Home-based Online EFL Industry: A Single Case Study

Abstract

Filipino educators are known for their remarkable traits in the teaching profession here and abroad. One of the most in-demand fields is English teachers. Studies have shown that non-native speakers have high regard for Filipino teachers in ESL/EFL schools. Because of the availability of technology in today’s time, Filipino teachers do not need to go abroad to teach international students. This study utilized a single-case research method with a single participant who has been in the online industry for almost eight years now. Teacher John of Company A shared his experience highlighting the opportunities and challenges he encountered as a home-based online teacher. The study is guided with constructivism as the main framework of the study and thematic analysis to generate the themes of the data. The themes identified include: background of the participant; the application process; adjustment and investment to the company; handling a class; company rules and regulations; personal and professional development. The findings of the study showed that the opportunities and challenges faced by online teachers paved the way for their personal and professional development. The researcher recommended that other researchers could explore factors affecting the computer-mediated set-up of English language teaching.

Crossing the Borders in Utilizing English Varieties: Filipino Teachers' Experiences and Perceptions

“…Several studies confirm Filipino teachers' diverse experiences in teaching English in ENL/ESL/EFL contexts. They range from investigations of the Filipino teachers' experiences in handling various language education programs in diverse cultural and linguistic settings (Cabiladas, 2023;Reyes et al, 2020;Bautista, 2020;Pontillas, 2021;Lemana, 2022) to lived experiences focusing on the benefits and challenges or pitfalls in language teaching (Ulla, 2019), and students' perceived competence of the Filipino teachers' performance (Ozaki, 2022). Although the studies showcased the Filipino teachers' experiences in teaching across the three linguistic contexts identified by Kachru (1992), the question of how Filipino teachers utilize the English varieties in teaching across the three linguistic contexts still needs to be solved.…”

Assessing the English Grammar Proficiency of Online Filipino English Teachers

“…Institutions from non-English speaking countries openly invite qualified Filipino English teachers to teach in their countries (Llurda, 2004), luring talented and skillful English teachers out of the Philippines. However, when the global COVID-19 pandemic struck, businesses all over the world shifted to working online, and the online English teaching industry has become more competitive for Filipino English teachers since employers are looking for more qualified candidates than ever before (Pontillas, 2021).…”