A Young Teacher of a Foreign Language at a Russian University: His Professional Competencies and Identity

The article examines the professional identity and competencies of young foreign language teachers at a Russian university as a subject of sociological research. An online survey of university foreign language teachers across Russia was conducted (the focus is on young teachers under the age of 35), and monitoring data from the MSLU Sociological Laboratory was also used. The author’s definition of the professional identity of foreign language teachers was formulated, based on the concept of a “second language identity”. This theory is fundamental, since the professional identity of foreign language teachers differs from other subject teachers. The author also examines the concept of “professional competence” and the existing classifications of this phenomenon. In the course of learning a new language, an individual develops a new identity comparable to that of a native speaker, due to immersion in culture and the implementation of intercultural communication. As part of the empirical analysis, professional competencies were divided into 3 groups: knowledge, teaching and use of a foreign language in professional and everyday life, as well as possible barriers in the teaching process. Language teaching is impossible without immersion in the culture of the country, so respondents become «bridges» between the worlds for their students, not only teaching the basics of the language, but also introducing them to the life of native speakers. However, starting a teaching career and not having much work experience, young professionals may face certain barriers, which are mainly related to the lack of a mentoring system at the university during the period of adaptation to a new professional teaching role.