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England’s modern foreign language (MFL) teaching and learning has suffered from a ‘double whammy’ of both dwindling pupil uptake and an ongoing teacher shortage. Pupil exam entries have declined by almost half since 2004, when compulsory study after age 14 was removed. This has created a knock-on effect of lower numbers of language graduates and a reduction in the domestic language teacher pipeline.

A national pattern of targets has been well documented with language teacher targets having been missed for 11 out of the last 12 years. As a result, linguists educated outside the UK, whether now domiciled in Britain or recruited through international channels, have become essential to address the language teacher shortage. Yet, evidence suggests that many trainees encounter barriers linked to language, accent and ethnicity during their training periods. This raises important questions about whether national teacher education policy aligns with the aim of that language education seeks to promote.

Currently, only of MFL postgraduate teacher trainees are UK nationals compared with 86 per cent across teacher education overall, illustrating the unusually high reliance on international trainees. Domestic numbers will also include non-UK born citizens. England cannot solve its MFL teacher shortage without continued international input. The wider political context into which these trainees enter is highly relevant to language teaching, given that the subject itself is rooted in looking beyond national boundaries.

Public surveys have revealed towards multilingualism in England since Brexit. More broadly, research has documented the rising scrutiny of speakers whose may identify them as having non-UK heritage. This is accompanied by a shift in the perceived value of language learning in schools. According to one study, over a third of state secondary schools reported a negative impact on student motivation and parental attitudes towards learning languages after Brexit (Parrish, 2025). Other studies suggest that is an overlooked reason why England fails to retain minoritised teachers, with a combination of shown to influence completion rates (Basit, et al. (2007).

More recently, England has witnessed increased hostility towards migration entwined with ideas about who belongs in the country. These issues are particularly relevant because the profile of internationally recruited trainees is changing. Trainee numbers from the European Union have declined to the with increasing contributions from non-European countries. The shift to more global recruitment means an increase in trainees from a wider range of linguistic and ethnic backgrounds. Ethnic minorities now make up 31 per cent of total initial teacher training admissions. Research reveals to those speaking world languages compared to European languages, in addition to widely documented accounts of within education, often in the form of micro-aggressions. Consequently, questions of language, accent and race may intersect in ways that affect trainees’ experiences of belonging, identity and professional assessment.

‘Questions of language, accent and race may intersect in ways that affect trainees’ experiences of belonging, identity and professional assessment.’

While current policy reflects a commitment to equality in teacher education and requires trainees to learn in environments that are free from discrimination, it is important to note that language is not a specific protected characteristic under UK law. Therefore, trainees may be discriminated against if they fail to as stipulated in current guidance. This is despite research demonstrating that accent and pronunciation are socially judged rather than objectively measured (see Labov, 1964). This creates a risk that internationally recruited trainees may be evaluated according to the subjective expectations of native English speakers rather than assessed objectively on their ability to teach a different language.

These issues matter given that internationally recruited language teachers possess valued linguistic expertise which England alone cannot supply. While we currently lack explicit data on the profiles of those internationally educated and recruited, if aspects of teacher education inadvertently discourage or disadvantage these trainees, then recruitment and retention may be even more difficult. An urgent review of current assessment guidance in relation to international recruitment is needed, as is training for education providers on both conscious and unconscious linguistic bias. To align with national ambitions for pupil language learning, multilingualism must be recognised as an educational asset instead of a barrier.

References

Basit, T. N., McNamara, O., Roberts, L., Carrington, B., Maguire, M., & Woodrow, D. (2007). ‘The bar is slightly higher’: the perception of racism in teacher education. Cambridge Journal of Education, 37(2), 279–298. 

Labov, W. (1964). Phonological correlates of social stratification. American Anthropologist, 66(6), 164–176.

Parrish, A. (2025). Ideological monolingualism and the languages classroom in England. In W. Wei & J. Schnell (Eds.), The Routledge handbook of endangered and minority languages (1st ed.). Taylor & Francis Group.