Job Discussion Forums

[acornrevolution]

Hi, I am currently starting an ESL job in Korea, and am probably still going to be interested in doing it when I come back to the states in a year or two. My question is what are the requirements for landing an ESL job in the states in public, private, or community-college level schools?

Thanks,
A

[denise]

Most require an MA. And be warned that it is hard to make a living! A lot of jobs are part-time--no set monthly salaries, hours dependent on enrollment, no pay for prep time...

d

[chinagirl]

If you want to work in a public school K-12 setting, you will have to have a teaching license from your state. Requirements vary from state to state but generally require at last 1 year of university past the BA (assuming you already have a BA/BS) plus student teaching. People complain that there is little work for ESOL teachers in the US, however that is untrue. Public school teaching jobs seem to be the only secure ESOL work in the US that pays on a professional salary scale, much more than most other ESL positions teaching adults. I am always amazed when I see ESOL teaching jobs at university IEPs being advertised that pay far, far less than public school positions do.

[naturegirl321]

Teachers for K12 schools are often in short supply in some places. YOu might be able to get an emergency cert and then work towards the classes while you are teaching.

[Henry_Cowell]