Employers
According to the U.S. Department of Labor, there are approximately 41,700 adult basic and secondary education teachers including those in literacy, such as ESL instructors. ESL teachers are needed at public and private schools, including parochial schools and vocational schools. Depending on the size of the school, its geographic location, and the number of students in need of assistance, some schools may hire teachers primarily as ESL instructors. Other schools may hire them to teach different subjects in addition to ESL classes. Larger cities and areas of refugee relocation and large immigrant populations provide the most ESL job opportunities.
Some community-based and government assistance programs may hire ESL teachers. Many adult education teachers are self-employed and work on a contract basis for industries, community and junior colleges, universities, community organizations, job training centers, and religious organizations. Relocation services might also hire ESL teachers on a contract or part-time basis.
Overseas employers hire ESL teachers, usually for short-term assignments. Many people become ESL teachers because it allows them to earn a living while seeing the world and experiencing other cultures.
Starting Out
After completing the required certification program for the state in which they want to teach, ESL teachers can use their college career services office to find a teaching position. State departments of education also may have listings of job openings. Most major newspapers list available teaching positions in their classified ad sections. Prospective teachers can also apply directly to the principals or superintendents of the schools in which they would like to teach. Finally, substitute teaching can provide experience as well as possible job contacts.
Contacting schools or community assistance programs, as well as adult education programs, may provide some job opportunities. College professors might have job-hunting suggestions as well as helpful contacts in the field.
- Adapted Physical Education Specialists
- Adult and Vocational Education Teachers
- Anthropologists
- Archaeologists
- Art Teachers
- Athletic Directors
- Biophysicists
- Book Editors
- Career and Employment Counselors
- Career and Employment Technicians
- College Administrators
- College Professors
- Community Nutrition Educators
- Computer Trainers
- Cooking Instructors
- Cultural Advisers
- Curriculum Coordinators
- Dance School Owners and Managers
- Distance Learning Coordinators
- Driving School Owners and Instructors
- Education Directors and Museum Teachers
- Edupreneurs
- Elementary School Teachers
- Environmental Education Program Directors
- Ethnoscientists
- Flight Instructors
- Foreign Service Officers
- Guidance Counselors
- Health Educators
- Instructional Coordinators
- Instructional Designers
- Interpreters
- Journalism Teachers
- Learning Innovations Designers
- Library and Information Science Instructors
- Linguists
- Localization Specialists
- Mathematics Teachers
- Music Teachers
- Nursing Instructors
- Physical Education Teachers
- Political Scientists
- Preschool Teachers
- Real Estate Educators
- School Administrators
- School Nurses
- Secondary School Teachers
- Sign Language and Oral Interpreters
- Special Education Teachers
- Speech-Language Pathologists and Audiologists
- Speech-Language Pathology Assistants
- Teacher Aides
- Translators
- Tutors and Trainers