21 May 2026: International teachers support the drying pipeline of teaching workforce in MFL

International teachers support the drying pipeline of teaching workforce in MFL.

As the government withdraws bursaries for international students training as teachers in the UK, Juliette Claro argues that international teachers are, on the contrary, absolutely central to the future of modern languages education.

By Juliette Claro, Lecturer in Education - Secondary PGCE MFL, St Mary's University of London.

The decline of Modern Foreign Languages (MFL) in UK schools and universities is well documented. Megan Bowler’s recent HEPI report The Languages Crisis: Arresting Decline (2025) highlights stark realities: recruitment of language teachers in 2024 reached only 43% of the government target, fewer than 3% of A-level entries were in languages, and undergraduate enrolments in language degrees have fallen by 20% in five years. As universities close their languages and culture undergraduate courses, the picture for the supply of future linguists looks bleak.

Against this backdrop, the employment of international teachers in MFL is not simply a stopgap measure: it is a lifeline for our subject. It is also an important source of authenticity in the classroom which our young people crave. The presence of international teachers sustains our provision, enriches pedagogies, and offers another route to decolonising language education.

Sustaining the pipeline

Bowler’s report makes clear that the domestic supply of MFL teachers is insufficient to meet demand. Following two decades of optional GCSEs in MFL and declining numbers at A Level, closures of language degrees at 17 post-1992 universities since 2014, we have obvious signs that we cannot rely solely on homegrown graduates. International teachers have always provided relief to such staffing shortages, coming in the recent past from Europe. Indeed I came, myself, to England in 2000 and trained as a teacher alongside other trainees from France, Spain, Germany. Post-Brexit our schools continue to be enriched by international trainee teachers. Applicants coming from West Africa have opened a new pipeline alongside Europeans into our teaching profession.

Initial Teacher Education colleagues from the University Council for the Education of Teachers Special Interest Group in Supporting International Teacher Education report single figure applicants from the Domestic Workforce (HM government, 2025) on their PGCE MFL courses. Sustaining an ageing domestic workforce in languages requires a long term strategy from the government. Meanwhile, our international teachers bring their experience and expertise into our languages classrooms, and also support the inclusive practice we should be aspiring to.

Inclusion and representation

Employing international teachers strengthens schools’ commitment to provide teachers with whom our young people can relate. Teachers with varied accents and linguistic repertoires challenge the native speaker myth, modelling authentic global communication. International teachers bring the ‘liberation from insularity’ (National Curriculum for Languages p1) at the centre of our practice. This is particularly important for students from bilingual or multilingual backgrounds, who see their identities better reflected in the classroom. As Meighan argues in his work on colonialingualism, privileging certain accents and linguistic norms perpetuates exclusion and colonial hierarchies in language education. International teachers disrupt this by legitimising diverse voices, accents and cultures (Meighan, 2025 p656).

Decolonising the curriculum and our workforce

Decolonisation in languages is not just about curriculum content, but also about curriculum delivery, and who gives it a voice. International teachers bring perspectives shaped by different histories and geographies, helping students interrogate the colonial legacies embedded in language learning. Their presence challenges the dominance of Eurocentric norms and opens space for plurilingual, global approaches. Meighan’s call to dismantle colonialingualism (2025) resonates here: diversifying the workforce is a necessary step toward decolonising language education.

However, as numbers of teachers from the Global South increases, the hierarchy of the languages they can offer is still limited to satisfy a Eurocentric and colonialist curriculum denying the importance of world, home, and heritage languages (Panford, 2025). Integrating our international community of teachers is also about celebrating and valuing the languages they offer from Serbo-Croat to Yoruba or Swahili.

International teachers also enrich professional development for colleagues in English schools. Their varied pedagogical approaches, often shaped by multilingual schooling systems, introduce fresh strategies for oracy, grammar, and intercultural learning. As Clutterbuck (2016) notes, diverse professional backgrounds enhance reflective practice and foster inclusive leadership. In this way, international teachers contribute not only to student learning but also to the growth of school cultures.

Reframing MFL as relevant to young people

Bowler’s report warns of declining student uptake, but international teachers can help reframe MFL as a vibrant and globally engaged subject. Their lived multilingualism demonstrates that languages are not abstract academic exercises but tools for connection, identity, and global citizenship. In an age of AI translation, Bowler reminds us that languages cultivate skills, critical thinking, adaptability, and clarity of expression that machines cannot replicate. International teachers embody these skills, making the case for a more diverse community of MFL teachers which truly reflects our British Values.

If we are serious about reversing the decline in MFL, international teachers must be recognised not as temporary fixes but as central to building a sustainable, inclusive, and decolonised future for language education.

References

Bowler, M. (2025) The Languages Crisis: Arresting Decline. Higher Education Policy Institute. Available at: HEPI.

Clutterbuck, D., Megginson, D. and Bajer, A. (2016) Building and Sustaining a Coaching Culture. London: CIPD.

DfE (2014: National Curriculum for Languages available at: National curriculum in England: languages programmes of study - GOV.UK

HM Government (2025), Restoring control over the immigration system. London: The Stationery Office. Available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/restoring-control-over-the-immigration-system-white-paper/restoring-control-over-the-immigration-system-accessible

Meighan, P. (2025) Colonialingualism and the Decolonisation of Language Education. University of Glasgow. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1002/9781405198431.wbeal20412

Panford, L (2025) The Recruitment and Retention of Languages Teachers of Colour from the Global South in England Languages, Society and Policy Journal