Dear Steve,

I appreciate your question. In answer to your query, I personally do not feel that a local teacher would be better to teach beginners, or for that matter advanced students. In fact, I do not believe that a teacher has to have the ability to know and use a second language. Yes, it is helpful, but not necessary. What is necessary is the strategies/techniques that the teacher uses with the students in order to facilitate learning. These strategies would include such activities as role-playing, games, use of visuals, and hands on learning activities that use all of the different learning modalities- auditory, visual and kinestetic or hands on learning.