The worldwide migration waves of the recent decade have led to social changes and population heterogeneity inevitably affecting the field of education, as an increasingly vast number of people seek instruction in the host language challenging teachers and making their work even more demanding. In Greece, besides the governmental initiatives, non-governmental organizations (NGOs) have orchestrated Greek language courses to facilitate migrants’ communication and help them achieve their academic and professional goals. In this context, the aim of the study was to make teachers’ voices heard regarding the challenges they confronted and the suggestions for improving second language (L2) teaching to adult migrants/refugees in non-formal educational settings. The qualitative research was conducted using semi-structured interviews among a group of 17 Greek teachers employed by NGOs and volunteer organizations and involved in L2 learning to adult refugees/migrants. The results of the study indicated that teachers, though highly qualified, faced a number of challenges regarding their students’ linguistic, cultural, educational and socioeconomic background. Simultaneously, according to teachers’ suggestions, they needed to receive interculturally oriented training aiming to help them manage classroom diversity, identify and meet students’ needs through the use of proper plurilingual and multi/intercultural practices and materials. Overall, the findings of the study pointed to the line of research highlighting the need for teacher education and state initiative for adopting a holistic approach to refugee language education to facilitate their social and linguistic integration in the Greek context. © 2023 by Nova Science Publishers, Inc. All rights reserved.

DOI: 10.52305/YZWI6174

ISBN: 9798886978414