The aim of this study is to investigate whether upper-secondary school students, studying English as a foreign language (EFL) in Sweden, prefer to learn from Native English speaking teachers (NEST) as opposed to Non-native English speaking teachers (NNEST). Furthermore, the present study seeks to identify, from the EFL learners’ perspective, why certain characteristics of both NNEST and NEST are felt to be more prestigious than others which in turn might affect the students’potential to acquire a desired identity.