Can a non-native English writer be an excellent academic writer?

Are you sure others including you and your friends don't do this?

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Of course it's possible, but it's obviously harder to write an academic language in a 'foreign' language than in your native tongue. A British-born writer would face equal problems if he tried to sell his services as a writer of academic essays in, for example, Finnish.

Right, with the reason being that a person is, quite naturally, immersed in his/her first language, culturally, academically, etc etc. Think of it this way ... you learnt all about the world around you through your native language; you grew up and matured through that language ... your native language is part and parcel of who you are and, to a large degree, you define yourself through it. Certainly, there are some excellent ESL writers (so am not putting any down here and have openly stated that we do take on ESL writers) and am not denying that at all. For the majority, however, it is pretty tough and, more often than not, they do not attain the level of proficiency particular to native speakers.

written and spoken English are inherently different. if a good ESL writer is well trained enough in prescriptive grammar, odds are that they will actually write as good or better than a native speaker.

Correct, which is why I owe my success to saturday morning cartoons, cheap Marvel Comics back issues, and threadbare paperbacks of Arthurian tales.

Right. I don't think that anyone contests that fact. The problem is that the vast majority of ESL writers in the "essay industry" do not possess such qualifications.

So what do you think should the minority of ESL writers who do possess the necessary qualifications do? Should we move to the U.S. and sign up with "legit" companies? :P

believe it or not, but I agree :)

Short answer: Yes.