Jeff Lu, 16 Phillips Academy, Andover
Yes. Native English speakers are naturals in the language and make better teachers in an English-language class.
Hong Kong students want to be confident in their spoken English, and so want to speak with fluent English speakers. Their concern is speaking English, not so much reading and writing English.
Students who hear less-than-accurate English pronunciation in the class end up speaking the same way outside the classroom. Unlearning wrong pronunciation requires a huge effort.
Many local teachers are as competent as their native English speaking counterparts, but they have less credibility in the eyes of their students. It's a bit like having an ex-gym teacher teaching history; no matter how good he is, students will question his credibility. This makes locals slightly less effective as teachers in a classroom.
Also, many local teachers speak a formal, grammatically precise English. This Queen's English is suitable if you are meeting the Queen, but not for everyday conversation.
Native English speakers speak 'street' English, which can be used to interact with any fluent English speaker. When you use street English you are responding in a contemporary, non-formal conversational manner.