The present study investigated how nonnative English-speaking teachers (NNESTs) working in K-12 schools in the United States perceive their identities in relation to the school environment and its norms, their coworkers and administrators and the students and their families. Specific attention was given to the teachers' concerns prior to arrival and how initial challenges were overcome, their experiences in establishing authority and creating a positive self-image in relation to the school community and the role that language (in particular their status as NNESTs, and their bi/multilingual skills) played in defining these concerns and experiences. Results showed that teachers' bi/multilingual skills were crucial in defining their identities as unique professionals with cultural sensitivity to students' realities. However, it was also evident that native-speakerism (Holliday 2006) still affects the ways in which NNESTs are perceived (both by themselves and by others) in the school environment.