Teaching English as a Second Language is a career track which
has been growing at a remarkably rapid pace over the past few
decades. Whether this growth can be attributed to globalization, an
influx of immigrants, or simply a worldwide rise in interest in the
English language is unclear, but the statistics show that those
with the training to become ESL educators will not be without
employment opportunities anytime soon. Indeed, the market is
growing so quickly that the need for ESL teachers is becoming more
desperate and there is much greater demand for those with ESL
training.
The opportunities to gain the training needed for an ESL job are
many and vary widely. Some individuals pursue their ESL careers by
seeking online certification, while others enroll in course
programs designed to teach ESL skills. Many of these sorts of
programs are administered overseas, where there is an even higher
demand for ESL instructors at all levels. Students take courses to
train for ESL jobs, then spend a specified amount o time working in
a foreign school, giving them the experience they might need to get
a similar job in the United States. Still others apply to and
complete university-level bachelor's or master's degrees in the
Teaching of English to Speakers of Other Languages.
ESL jobs are quite varied, and the settings range from
elementary schools to universities to private businesses or
language schools. Some ESL teachers work with students in public
schools, while others teach international students in universities.
Many ESL educators are also hired by corporations to teach foreign
businessmen the language skills they will need to continue their
work in the United States. Others are employed full-or part-time by
private language schools to teach English to groups of adults who
enroll in classes.
As might be expected, the salaries that can be expected from ESL
jobs vary widely with experience level and job setting. The average
pay is around fifty-thousand dollars per year, with higher pay for
those who teach ESL in universities, and lower pay for those who
work as private instructors in language schools or
government-funded English as a Second Language programs.
