Transnational Teacher Education: Australian Student Teachers in Hong Kong as Contested Objects

Abstract

This paper seeks to contribute to theorising about the formation of complex teacher subjectivities within transnational contexts. The internationalisation of Australian education has provided pressures on Australian teacher education institutions to meet international markets. One of the outcomes of this movement has been that Australian students are undertaking practical teaching programs in a range of countries. This paper considers the dilemmas and tensions surrounding an Australian University teacher education program that prepares Australian teachers of English as Second Language for Hong Kong schools. Foremost among these dilemmas for teacher educators is the commodification of student teachers as they are inserted within Hong Kong educational markets, in particular the NET (Native English Teachers) Scheme.