How important is teacher training? : Untrained community tutors and professional teachers motivation and success in online second language teaching (SLT) and implications for future online SLT

Abstract

This study analyzes Chinese, Spanish, English, Thai, Japanese, Korean, French, and German speakers’ motivation to teach their first language as a foreign language (FL) online without being trained as a second language teacher (SLT) and compares them with professionally trained SLTs. The threshold for starting SLT without teacher certification in FLT has significantly decreased simultaneously with the increasing number of online platforms allowing untrained L1-speakers to teach it without the need for prior formal certification. Long-term implementation and SLT success in online teaching depends on motivation, contextual and personal variables, determining if professional teachers (PT) or untrained community tutors (CT) continue or stop their online SLT activities. To evaluate possible differences between PT and CT motivation and success quantitative data were collected (using a 22-item survey) from a sample of participants (N=135) teaching their first language (L1=Chinese, Spanish, English, Thai, Japanese, Korean, French, and German) as a FL online. Findings are discussed concerning CT and PT success, professional development and in-service training. Findings suggest, that despite initial difficulties untrained SLTs may face differ from early-career PT, they can succeed in online SLT being able to make a living from it and under circumstances become a competition for traditionally trained SLTs. This opens opportunities for individuals to participate in a field of labour they would have not had a chance otherwise.