While the majority of English teachers around the world are non‐native
speakers, numerous cases of discrimination against non‐native English‐
speaking teachers (NNESTs) have been reported in the literature
(Braine, 1999). In an attempt to investigate whether students do show a
preference for native English‐speaking teachers (NESTs), the present
study examines Hong Kong secondary school students’ attitudes
towards NESTs and NNESTs. By administering an open‐ended
questionnaire, the study revealed that Hong Kong secondary school
students show favorable attitudes towards both NNESTs and NESTs,
and that they do not necessarily prefer NESTs over NNESTs. While
NESTs are perceived as good oral teachers who use interesting and
varied teaching methods, they are not preferred as their grammar
teachers. On the other hand, NNESTs are considered by students to be
competent grammar teachers who show care for them, but are
perceived to use less interesting and diverse teaching methods.