Good point. Do you need a native speaker to learn a language? No. Clearly lots of people learn English (and many other languages without a native speaker). What to native speaker offer? Access. A native speaker brings with them the living language. They provide intimidate feedback. They provide assess to a foreign culture--one not seen on tv, in movies or magazines. Native speakers bring a corner of the world to students who wouldn't otherwise have direct and tangible contact with it in a way that pop culture media cannot. At I'll add at the risk of being completely over the top, the best native speakers make the language real and the world seem smaller and in the process I hope that this inspires students to learn even more.