“In the middle of a pedagogical triangle” – Native-language support teachers constructing their identity in a new context

• The native-language support teachers had a strong commitment to the students.
• This teacher group expressed satisfaction with their work in many respects.
• They felt that their position was marginalised and insecure due to short contracts.
• They stressed their role as teachers, not as interpreters.

The purpose of the article is to analyse how foreign-born teachers who support migrant children's studies experience their work and their position in Finnish schools. This is strongly related to their professional identity. The study is based on interviews with seven teachers from different ethnic groups. The informants expressed commitment to their work and the students but felt that they were marginalised in the schools as a new professional group. They wanted to stress their role as teachers, although they also viewed themselves as mediators between the school and the migrant families.