‘More understandable than native speakers’: unequal Englishes and Filipino online English teachers’ use of neutral English

This study examines the notion of ‘neutral English’ among Filipino online English teachers (OETs) in the online English teaching industry. Drawing on interviews and classroom observations of 28 Filipino OETs, the study uses the framework Unequal Englishes to analyze how teachers understand and negotiate ‘neutral English’ in their professional contexts. Findings show that teachers frame neutrality in multiple ways: as closely aligned with American English, as a flexible hybrid register, and as a less intimidating form of English for learners. These framings suggest that ‘neutral English’ functions as a condition of employability, a corporate branding strategy, and a pedagogical resource within a neoliberal and native-speakerist industry that markets Filipino teachers as affordable, near-native speakers.