qualitative study published in Language and Intercultural Communication sheds light on the complex roles of English language teachers providing private supplementary tutoring in Kazakhstan. Driven primarily by financial pressures and post-COVID inflation, schoolteachers in Astana navigate multifaceted identities—ranging from commercial education providers to "Robin Hood" tutors offering free lessons. However, the study warns that a lack of industry regulation leads to ethical dilemmas, including teachers providing paid tutoring to their own regular classroom students under parental pressure. Researchers call on policymakers to reform teacher compensation and establish regulatory oversight for the shadow education sector.

In post-Soviet Kazakhstan, English language proficiency and high-stakes examination performance (such as Grade 6 and Grade 11 selection exams) carry immense weight for students' future academic and career prospects. This high demand has fuelled a booming private supplementary tutoring (EPT) market, often referred to as "shadow education." While private tutoring is widely recognized globally, little empirical research has examined the supply side: the mainstream public schoolteachers who double as private tutors outside regular school hours.

Conducted by researchers Anas Hajar and Syed Abdul Manan, the study involved two rounds of in-depth, semi-structured interviews with 22 Kazakhstani English teachers across five state-funded schools in Astana's Yesil district.

The findings reveal that:

• Economic Drivers: 18 out of 22 participants cited low base salaries, urban living costs in Astana, and post-COVID inflation as their primary motivation for offering private tutoring.

• Complex Identities: Teachers construct dynamic, overlapping professional identities within this market:
  Commercialised Education Providers: Viewing English as a market commodity and acting as service providers in a consumer-driven landscape.

  "Robin Hood" Teachers: Offering fee-free, altruistic tutoring sessions to low-income or academically struggling students.Ethically Conflicted Practitioners: Experiencing moral distress and professional friction due to market demands.

The study highlights significant systemic vulnerabilities in Kazakhstan's shadow education market. Notably, 15 out of 22 participants admitted to having provided paid tutoring to students from their own regular public school classrooms at some point in their careers.

Participants reported confronting ethical dilemmas, such as parental pressure to grant higher marks or show favoritism to tutored students in regular school classes. While some teachers used tutoring sessions purely for remediation, many recognized the inherent conflicts of interest and ultimately chose to discontinue tutoring their own classroom students.

The authors emphasize that resolving the challenges of private tutoring requires systemic action rather than placing the burden solely on individual teachers. Key recommendations include:

1. Targeted Industry Regulation: Establishing clear national guidelines and monitoring mechanisms for private tutoring to eliminate conflicts of interest and potential malpractice.

2. Mainstream Education Investment: Enhancing baseline teacher compensation and working conditions in public schools so educators do not feel financially compelled to take on excessive tutoring workloads.

3. Evaluating Fee-Free Tutoring: Further investigating the impact and equity of non-commercial, fee-free support systems within public schools.

• Title: Unpacking the complexity of English language teacher-tutor identities in Kazakhstan: a qualitative inquiry

• Authors: Anas Hajar & Syed Abdul Manan

• Journal: Language and Intercultural Communication (2025), Vol. 25, pp. 539–554

• Publication Date: Online 23 January 2025

• DOI Link: https://doi.org/10.1080/17501229.2025.2455000