Teacher Discussion Forums

Hi all. I'm writing because I'm considering teaching ESL as a potential career change and I wanted to get professional opinions on some questions I have. I'm living in Egypt right now, my wife (who is already a certified teacher) and I will be returning to the United States this summer. I'm thirty, with a background in English (B.A. in creative writing), hotel work and marketing. I speak Spanish and Arabic with conversational fluency, and have traveled, lived and worked abroad extensively. I've always been interested in language, love interacting with people from other cultures and linguistic backgrounds, and have always wanted to go into teaching. My wife and I intend to stay in the United States for at least a few years, and I'm considering a licensure program that would involve a year of study at the Master's level. My question is, what's the job market like? It seems like ESL is very much in demand, but are there enough jobs in the U.S. (i.e., public schools, etc.--we plan on moving abroad again, but not immediately)? Will conversational fluency in two foreign languages be looked on favorably, or is the demand more for bilingual educators? Would someone of my background be seen as a good fit, or is the need for experienced teachers? Thanks!

I think there is always a demand for teachers with a proper certificate. I m finding that a CELTA is not always sufficient to get work in the better international schools. So if you can go back to college and do the training of a year to get a proper certificate I m sure you will have no trouble finding work.

I've found work, it just tends to be at the s******r end of the market.

Also there seems more demand for American than British English.