1. Introduction

This chapter introduces the issue of discrimination against non-native English speaking teachers (NNESTs) in the English language teaching (ELT) profession. It discusses the impact of discriminatory hiring practices and the lack of equitable opportunities for NNESTs. The motivation for the study is to unpack the literature on job advertisements in ELT and raise awareness about the prevailing discrimination. The research question addressed in the study is to identify the facts and fallacies revealed in the literature on ELT job advertisements.

2. Review of Literature

The chapter addresses the concept of native speakerism, also known as the native speaker fallacy, and how this has led to the discriminatory practices faced by non-native English speaker teachers (NNESTs). It discusses the movement initiated to challenge the dominance of native speakers and promote equity in English Language Teaching (ELT), but notes that the NS-NNS dichotomy continues to persist. The chapter also presents findings from a range of research studies on discrimination in ELT job advertisements, highlighting various aspects such as the preference for native speakers from inner-circle countries, qualifications, and experience requirements, race, accent, and age discrimination.

3. Methodology

This chapter describes the corpus and selection criteria for the literature on the analysis of job advertisements in ELT. It also explains the data analysis method, including the constant comparison method and the open coding process, which were used to cluster the main themes of meaning from the literature. Additionally, the reliability of the data analysis is ensured through independent analysis by a second coder.

4. Findings and Discussion

This chapter discussed the facts found in job advertisements for English Language Teaching (ELT). The focus was on the hegemony of native speakerism ideology, the discrimination NNESTs faced based on race, age, and location, the shift from hiring NSs to Anglo-English speakers, and the competitive marketplace to attract NSs using different marketing strategies. The analysis revealed that nativeness is the most common requirement for potential candidates, with discriminatory attitudes having a detrimental impact on the quality of ELT pedagogy and NNESTs’ professional identity. Discrimination based on the variety of English spoken, country of academic/professional training, location of residence or citizenship, appearance, and race were also evident. Moreover, the criteria for ideal teachers were depicted primarily through imagery rather than explicitly. It was also found that job advertisements have shifted from hiring NSs to hiring English speakers from specific white, Anglo-English-dominated countries, which was seen as a thin veil hiding discrimination based on race and candidates’ mother tongue. Additionally, the competitive marketplace is using different marketing strategies to attract NSs.

5. Conclusion

This chapter discusses the facts and fallacies discovered in the literature on job advertisements concerning the ELT profession. The discriminatory policies and practices work toward the institutionalization and entrenchment of prejudice and injustice in the field and have serious financial consequences for NNESTs. It suggests that laws should be enforced, and government programs should be undertaken to rule out the recruitment of NSs solely on the basis of their native status. This study is an attempt to enhance our understanding of what the literature on job advertisements manifests about the ELT profession and calls for further research to probe the institutional motives behind recruiters’ discrimination against NNESTs and the impact of this discrimination on NNESTs’ identity.