Despite growing criticisms of native-speakerism in English Language Teaching (ELT), the ‘native speaker’ concept is still used in the recruitment of teachers (Mahboob & Golden, 2013; Ruecker & Ives, 2015). This study critically evaluates the impact of native-speakerism on ELT hiring practices in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). To identify qualifications desired by employers and to document the role of the ‘native speaker’ criteria, 53 online job advertisements are analysed. The data are analysed using Legitimation Code Theory (LCT) to understand what characteristics, knowledge, and skills are discursively legitimized in the advertisements. Our results suggest that the ‘native speaker’ is indeed used as a model against which ELT applicants in the UAE are benchmarked. Because native-speakerism reflects a knower code orientation, which downplays specialized knowledge and skills, we argue that to challenge discriminatory hiring practices, employers should place more emphasis on teachers’ language proficiency and relevant knowledge and skills.

尽管在英语教学 (ELT) 中对母语者的批评越来越多，但“母语者”的概念仍被用于招聘教师（Mahboob & Golden，2013；Ruecker & Ives，2015）。本研究批判性地评估了以母语为母语对阿拉伯联合酋长国 (UAE) 的 ELT 招聘实践的影响。为了确定雇主所需的资格并记录“母语人士”标准的作用，分析了 53 个在线招聘广告。使用合法化代码理论 (LCT) 分析数据，以了解广告中的哪些特征、知识和技能被话语合法化。我们的结果表明，“母语人士”确实被用作阿联酋 ELT 申请人的基准模型。因为以母语为母语的人反映了一个知道代码我们认为，为了挑战歧视性的招聘做法，雇主应该更加重视教师的语言能力和相关知识和技能。