This inquiry assays interview and written data collected from well‐trained Malaysian ESL professionals at university‐affiliated centers. The data is explored relative to Kirkpatrick's ‘lingua franca approach’ principles that presume the worth of studying English in the ASEAN context where ‘the native speaker is absent’ and ‘English is employed as a lingua franca’. Distinguishing an (in)compatibility between Kirkpatrick's principles and the reality (e.g., Malaysian Ministry of Education's reference to ‘Standard British English’ as a model), the inquiry provisionally proposes altered principles to the teaching of English in non‐mainstream ESL classes that take into account local (un)official language policies/practices, international students' socioeconomical reasons for studying in Malaysia and Malaysian teachers' professionalism and challenges. The inquiry closes with pedagogical and research implications.