Whose English Counts? Raciolinguistic Gatekeeping in Hiring Foreign Teachers in Thai Secondary Schools

• In Event: Evolving Issues in Education: Teacher Preparedness, Policy, and Identity

Abstract

This study investigates how raciolinguistic ideologies shape the recruitment of foreign English teachers (FTEs) in Thai secondary schools. Despite Thailand’s policy discourse of global competence, hiring practices often favor whiteness, Western accents, and select nationalities. Grounded in decolonial theory and raciolinguistic perspectives, the study uses discourse analysis of interviews with three administrators and three FTEs. Findings show that recruitment reflects racialized preferences linked to institutional branding and parental expectations. Teachers of color report linguistic marginalization and racial surveillance, especially those from the Global South. These dynamics challenge conventional notions of language ownership and teacher legitimacy. This research urges TESOL stakeholders to question: Whose English counts? Who gets to teach? It calls for decolonial, equitable frameworks in ELT recruitment globally.

Author

• Piangpitcha Inthiti, The Ohio State University