Set against a background of international concern about teacher stress and attrition, this paper reports the results of a qualitative study which investigated the experiences of one group of primary school English language teachers in Vietnam. Drawing upon positioning theory and Bakhtin’s dialogism, results suggest that the professional positioning of these teachers takes place within a struggle for centripetal status between multiple discourses circulating within Vietnamese society. These results also indicate that this struggle results in emotional dissonance for many of the participants—reflected in feelings of stress, frustration, and sadness—which lead some to reconsider their long-term commitment to the teaching profession. Arguing that proposals for English language teacher professional development in Vietnam which are limited to enhancing teachers’ linguistic proficiency and teaching competency do not adequately respond to the needs of these teachers, the paper sets out suggestions for supporting teachers of English to young learners in ways that address their emotional struggles. Suggestions for future research in Vietnam and other analogous settings are also considered.

在国际关注教师压力和损耗的背景下，本文报告了定性研究的结果，该研究调查了越南一组小学英语教师的经历。利用定位理论和巴赫金的对话主义，结果表明，这些教师的专业定位发生在越南社会内部流传的多种话语之间的向心地位斗争中。这些结果还表明，这种挣扎导致许多参与者的情绪失调，反映出压力，沮丧和悲伤的感觉，这导致一些人重新考虑他们对教学行业的长期承诺。认为仅限于提高教师的语言水平和教学能力的越南英语教师专业发展建议不能充分满足这些教师的需求，本文提出了以以下方式为年轻学生提供英语教师支持的建议：解决他们的情感斗争。还考虑了在越南和其他类似地区进行未来研究的建议。