The paper explores the perceptions of host national teachers in China's international school sector, focusing on their views of expatriate teachers. It addresses two main research questions: how do host national teachers perceive the professional status and ability of foreign teachers working in internationalised schools, and what do these perceptions tell us about China's international school sector in an era of education regulation? The study utilised semi-structured interviews with experienced host national teachers to gain insights into the changing dynamics of the internationalised school sector and the role of the expatriate teacher. The findings suggest that expatriate teachers are now perceived to play a marginal or auxiliary role, and highlight growing isomorphism between private internationalised and public schools in China. The paper also discusses the implications of the growing dominance of host national teachers and the evolving demographics of expatriate teachers in China, highlighting the need for further research to understand the implications of these changes and the future role of expatriate teachers in China's international education sector.