Contents
- ESL Job Demand Facts
- What is the ESL teaching certificate required?
- How much do ESL teachers get paid?
Now is the time if you have ever thought about changing your profession to become an English as a foreign language teacher. The growing demand for ESL teachers has created many ESL job opportunities in the US.
These ESL jobs are offered by states that offer a range of professional training opportunities for those not yet qualified to teach ESL.
Some posts are needing bilingual instructors (Spanish/ English/Portuguese) to teach bilingual classes, as well as ESL positions for English-only programs for native speakers with weak English skills, which are in high demand (LEP: Limited English Proficiency).
The industry recently moved away from ESL talk and turned to ELL (English Language Learners) as the preferred abbreviation.
ESL Job Demand Facts
Here are some statistics that indicate a great need:
· According to the National Center for Education Statistics, "In the school year, 27 percent of all schools with bilingual / teaching English as a foreign language vacancy found them very difficult or impossible to fill, more than in many other fields of study." Since this report, the number of ESL spots has grown.
· From the same report: "As the number of children who find it difficult to speak English increases (from 1.25 million in 1979 to 2.44 million in 1995), the burden falls on school systems to recruit teachers with the skills needed to teach in these classes. The difficulty that schools face in filling such vacancies is one indicator of whether the number of bilingual teachers and teachers of English as a foreign language is sufficient to meet the demand. "
According to a survey conducted by the National English Language Learning Center, the number of LEP speakers increased by 104.7%, from 2,154,781 in 1989 to 4,416,580 in 2000.
Now for the good news: To meet the demand for ESL jobs, several special programs for non-certified teachers have been implemented in the United States.
These programs offer excellent chances for instructors who have never taught in a public school setting.
What is even more exciting is that it empowers people from all backgrounds to become ESL teachers. Some of them even provide a financial bonus (like a bonus up to $ 20,000 in Massachusetts) for joining their programs!
Teachers are needed throughout the country, but in large urban centers with many immigrants.
What is the ESL teaching certificate required?
A bachelor's degree plus some type of ESL qualification are the minimal requirements for teaching in the United States.
Depending on the school, the required qualifications can be as simple as a monthly certificate such as CELTA (Certificate in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages).
CELTA is accepted all over the world. However, other educational institutions provide online and weekend courses. If you want to teach at a community college or university, you will need at least a master's degree, preferably with an ESL specialization.
States require further certification for people who want to teach in public schools (where demand is booming), with varied criteria for each state.
It is best to research the certification requirements of the state in which you would like to work.
Outside of the country, Business English or Special Intent English teachers are in high demand and are frequently engaged by particular businesses to train their employees. Unfortunately, in the United States, private companies rarely employ in-house teachers.
How much do ESL teachers get paid?
Despite the need for quality ESL programs, fees remain low, except for larger accredited institutions such as universities. You can find out about the average wages in each state.
Universities pay best, followed by public school programs. Private institutions can range widely from near-minimum wages too much higher-paying positions.
To meet the growing demand for teachers of English as a foreign language, many websites have created invaluable teacher recruitment resources. This guide contains some tips on how to become a teacher of English as a foreign language.
Others are available to individuals who are in the middle of their careers or do not have the specific teacher qualification necessary by any state to teach ESL in public schools.
For more information on Teaching English as a Foreign Language in the United States, TESOL is the leading information provider association.
