Abstract
Student-teacher exchange programs push society and education towards internationalization, involving teachers from various countries to experience education in a foreign environment. Naturally, this challenges one’s capacity to adapt to changes and cultural differences. Using a qualitative method, semi-structured focus group discussions positioned this phenomenological study to discover experiences shared by six Southeast Asian Teachers Project Pilot Batch 2 interns from Japan, Indonesia, and Thailand and determine the importance of intercultural competence in cross-cultural education, evaluated through thematic analysis. By socializing with local Filipino students and professionals, intercultural competence was determined as a crucial aspect when interacting with students from different cultural backgrounds. Despite struggles in their first teaching experience, such as communication, cultural adaptation, and technological differences, it was noted that English as a second-acquired language paved the way for efficient communication, thus understanding the international language’s significance in a globalized world. Concepts of intercultural awareness and competence should be applied to international student-teacher exchange programs to make the overall process more accessible, making a lot more socially mobile for student-teacher experiences. The SEA Teacher Project offers opportunities for student-teachers to foster cross-cultural understanding. Global competence is only the beginning of gaining innovative perspectives on internationalizing education.
