The Commodification of English as Development: An Examination of English Language Teaching Voluntourism Programs

With over 100 countries employing English as an official or second language (Selvi Yazan, 2013), English is becoming increasingly popular around the globe. One way this spread of English has manifested is in the rise of the English language teaching voluntourism industry, where individuals from primarily Anglophone countries travel to teach English in the Global South. These trips promote volunteer English teaching as a way to contribute to local economic development. Additionally, qualifications to participate are minimal and often require only native English fluency (Jakubiak, 2016). This work explores the phenomenon of volunteer English teaching through examining discursive strategies used by organizations to construct the presence of English as linked to development outcomes. Additionally, it examines how volunteers are situated to contribute to development, and what sort of implications the framing of volunteers, English, and development have for relationships between volunteers and Global South community members.M.A