A Critical and Postcolonial Perspective on the Impression Management Strategies of Non-native English Speaking Online Filipino ESL Tutors in the ELT Industry

Abstract

Colonialism and imperialism play an indispensable role in shaping the experiences of people from postcolonial nations like the Philippines. While the Philippines is a major contributor in the English Language Teaching (ELT) industry, Filipino ESL tutors still experience unpleasant working conditions due to their NNES status, causing them to resort to various impression management strategies in their organizations. Guided by Gardner and Martinko’s framework for impression management in organizations, Bhabha’s postcolonial theory on mimicry, and Ray’s critical theory of racialized organizations, my study aimed to critique the role of online NNES Filipino ESL tutors’ impression management in preserving Western colonial and imperial power. I used a critical phenomenological qualitative research design and conducted semi-structured one-on-one interviews with 3 former ESL tutors. Findings revealed that ESL companies were active communicators of native-speakerist and racist ideologies and influenced tutors to mimic NES in their impression management strategies. Although this mimicry negatively affected the tutors’ self-perception and sense of control, it ironically also had the ambivalent effect of making them feel empowered and able to resist Western colonial and imperial power. This research contributes to a critical understanding of the dynamics within the ESL industry and calls for further interventions to address the challenges faced by online NNES Filipino tutors.