As primary architects of the 'global classroom,' local faculty who teach visiting U.S. students at study abroad centers across Europe play a critical role in the study abroad experience. This article draws on theories of commodification in study abroad as well as transformative learning theory to unpack how and why local faculty bend to the U.S. higher education system in their work. Drawing on interviews with eight local faculty teaching at four different study abroad centers in Florence, Italy, the article explores what motivates Italian PhD-holders to teach in study abroad centers and to deal with the precarity of securing that work. The article also explores classroom-based challenges related to cultural differences and student expectations, as well as the methods local faculty employ to overcome them. The article concludes with a discussion of how market-driven priorities in study abroad interact with pedagogical decisions in ways that undercut the best ambitions of international education.