Job Discussion Forums

[moosickboy1]

Does anyone know which US cities are the best for ESL jobs?

I'm currently teaching in Prague but I'm thinking about coming back the US next year. I'd like to continue working in ESL if possible.

[bonanzabucks]

I cannot speak for other cities, but I had an interview with this Korean-owned
ESL school here in Queens (NYC). I was looking to do some part-time work as I have another full-time job. Anyways, they asked me what I was looking for in terms of salary. I said I was looking to do this on the weekends and I assumed they'd pay between $12-$15/hr. The lady told me that the starting wage was $25/hr, which soon goes up to $30/hr. They were looking for someone FT, but the hours were supposedly flexible.

Don't know how others pay, though, but I was told it was a lot less than that.

[Vanica]

You can get a fast track to public school certification in New Orleans (TeachNOLA) and Memphis.

[fraup]

A lot of ESL jobs are at community colleges, which don't always advertise online except on their own websites. I'm in Kansas City, which has a lot of jobs, but when I was looking in 2005 I found nothing, and then in June 2006 suddenly there were a number of positions. Also, my dept. gets inquiries from other places around here, and these openings are then forwarded to all the instructors.

I'd pick about 5-10 possible cities and see what colleges/universities are in the area, and then check their employment needs. Also do a craigslist.com search under education jobs.

[ramble right]

Seattle is particularly popular for South Korean English students, and both Boeing and Microsoft are major companies that bring in decent numbers of foreign nationals year round. This makes for a solid private-student base.

Aside from that, however, Seattle's job market in general is tough for anyone, including teachers, that don't have years of experience and high credentials. A majority of Seattle's private or non-profit English language schools require teachers to have an MA in TESOL and a minimum of 5 years experience, whereas similar schools in, say, Los Angeles, do not.

There are of course many ESL programs that service the immigrant community, but finding good pay with these is highly unlikely. For newbies, these programs are a great way to obtain classroom experience at an entry level, but this is likely the case for any major US city.

[Noelle]

San Diego
San Diego

and
SAN DIEGO.

Great place for teaching and living... just beware the traffic and cost of living. Not as bad as L.A. though. A bit safer too.

[mishmumkin]

[MGreen]

I taught at Seattle Central Community College several years ago and if you can get into the system, it's not a bad gig. I made $48,000 (sans benefits), granted thats poverty level in Seattle.

Most of the Korean students study at Shoreline Community College.

The competition in Seattle is pretty tough, the ESL market is flooded with people who've taught a few years in Asia and university grads from the MA TESOL programs (University of Washington, Seattle Uni...)

Mishmumkin, if you haven't done it already, I'd join WAESOL (WA State TESOL). The Bill/Melinda Gates Foundation does some VESL/ABE.

[mishmumkin]

Thanks for the tip, MGreen. I'm joining them tonight!

[smadrie]

San Francisco is a very diverse area. There are lots of English learners with lots of backgrounds.