Here's a link to the blog of a man who started TEFL Equity Advocates to "encourage schools and organizations to establish egalitarian employment policies which will give equal opportunities to both NNESTs and NESTs":

 http://teflequityadvocates.wordpress.com/

It's a great place to discuss issues related to the discrimination in hiring and compensation of NNESTs in the TEFL field and also to read success stories or ask questions.

When George Braine wrote his seminal work on the issues relating to NNESTs in 2010, it was estimated that 80% of the English teachers working in the field were NNESTs themselves. I worked as an EFL teacher at jobs in two public elementary schools, a private elementary school, and an ESL center that was open on weekends and holidays, in Thailand for over two years. What I learned while I was over there, outside of what related directly to me performing my job, was that I was in a position of relative privilege in the field because I was white (and thus looked the way they expected Westerners to look) and also because I was a native speaker of English.
   The native speaker term became a lot more familiar to me as I worked there and spoke more with Thai teachers and administrators as well as others working in my field in that area. It meant that I got paid twice or more than what Thai English teachers were paid and that I was automatically given a degree of recognition that was essentially unearned. Everyone grows up speaking some language (almost everyone, see Nell, 1994) but because my first language was English and English has become a global language I am assumed by many to be better qualified to teach it than those who have undergone years of training and have significant experience.
   Many English teachers working in Thailand were from the Philippines, and spoke English as a second language. These teachers were more highly regarded than Thai teachers because the standard of English in the Philippines is higher than in Thailand but were also paid less and given less respect than native speakers of English working with a bachelor's degree, in anything.
   My experience was an awakening for me and I would like it if those of you with experiences working in this field on both sides of this issue (native speakers and nonnative speakers) will share your stories here.
   It is my hope that those of you who read this blog will do what you can to combat this prejudice any way you can. If you are in a position of privilege you should use it to dispel myths of this nature. It will be a much harder struggle for those not in positions of privilege, for those individuals I hope to provide resources for support in the forms of both community and argument for change.

Braine, G. (2010). Nonnative speaker teachers: Research, pedagogy, and professional growth. New York: Routledge.

"Right to work, to equal pay for equal work, and to unionize." - Universal Declaration of Human Rights

Non-native English speaker teachers (NNESTs) are typically valued less as instructors than are native speaking English teachers in ESL and EFL for fallacious reasons unrelated to their professional qualifications.

Here I intend to provide links to what is happening in the field and also to the information that can dispel the myths behind much of the injustice being perpetrated.

This newsletter is a good place to start, as it is filled with the stories and thoughts of TESOL professionals who are NNESTs themselves:

NNEST Newsletter