Hybrid Professional Becoming: Shaping and applying empirical theory to understand English teacher professional identity beyond the binary

Abstract This article introduces Hybrid Professional Becoming as a critical approach in English language teaching, challenging the native English‐speaking teachers and non‐native English‐speaking teachers (NEST–NNEST) binary. Grounded in postcolonial theory and a comprehensive literature review, the approach weaves together critical reflection, desire, solidarity and imagination. Using hermeneutic phenomenology and narrative inquiry, it explores the lived experiences of 16 immigrant English teachers from 10 countries in Australia. Professional identity emerges as fluid and productive, shaped by socio‐cultural, historical, spatial and relational forces. Themes of hybridity, agency, mobility and power underscore the concept's potential to reimagine belonging and legitimacy. The study calls for inclusive professional practices, policy reform and educator recognition across globally interconnected education systems.