What is the reason you believe you need a native speaker as opposed to someone fully competent in the language. Can you objectively justify it?

In reply to Keith:

Hi Donna

Yes, I think saying you prefer 'native speakers is saying you'll be happier with  certain ethnic origins and not others and this may indeed amount potentially to unlawful discrimination - saying you require fluency in French language or even total or perfect fluency is surely sufficient - being 'natives' or not isn't relevant is it?

In reply to David:

You might also find (apart from the potential discrimination, which I agree with) that you run into visa difficulties if your native speaker does not already have the right to work in the UK (and depending on what salary and skill level the role is at). Why reduce your recruitment options unnecessarily? You could, of course, ask candidates to undertake an assessment of their ability in the language as part of the selection process.

In reply to Helen:

I believe that for serious translators being a first language is better but if we are talking about a school then it is unlikely to be justifiable

Probably discrimination
Better to say “native speaker equivalent”