Less than four centuries ago, no more than a few million people spoke English. Today, it is the primary language of more than 390 million people; more than 1.5 billion people speak English as a second or third language. English is considered necessary to conduct international business, and people everywhere choose to speak English in order to communicate. However, English is considered one of the most difficult languages to learn, primarily because of its many irregularities. It has a larger vocabulary than most other languages and incorporates numerous slang terms and newly coined words and phrases.
While English has been taught in the American school systems for decades, ESL instructors have emerged to meet the needs of the increased numbers of immigrants, refugees, and children born to non-English-speaking parents.
According to the Census Bureau, the estimated foreign-born population of the United States was 44.5 million in 2017. A record 67.3 million U.S. residents (native-born, legal immigrants, and illegal immigrants) spoke a language other than English at home in 2018. Of those who speak a foreign language at home, 38 percent told the Census Bureau that they spoke English less than very well. These statistics demonstrate that a large number of immigrants need assistance learning English, which will increase the demand for ESL teachers. According to the National Center for Education Statistics, the demand for placement in ESL classes has grown and there is a long waiting list for ESL classes in many parts of the country.
- Adaptive 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
- Education Directors and Museum Teachers
- Edupreneurs
- Elementary School Teachers
- Environmental Education Program Directors
- Ethnoscientists
- Foreign Service Officers
- Guidance Counselors
- Health Educators
- Instructional Coordinators
- Instructional Designers
- Interpreters
- Journalism Teachers
- Learning Innovations Designers
- Library and Information Science Instructors
- Linguists
- Mathematics Teachers
- Music Teachers
- Nursing Instructors
- Physical Education Teachers
- Preschool Teachers
- 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