Teacher Discussion Forums

Hello,
I have been volunteer teaching ESL through a nonprofit group in Memphis, TN. I now am interested in teaching professionally (to adults that is).
I am researching what kind of opportunities exist for teaching english to adults and what kind of credentials are necessary.
Do adult high schools have the most jobs available or is the community college route better...or are there other (domestic) possibilities I have not considered?
And What kind of degree is required/prederred for the type of teaching where there exist the most opportunities?
I have a BA in English. Should I get a MA in Education (adults/or high school students) or in English with a concentration on ESL, or just a tesol certificate.?
Please offer me your advice and/or point me in the right direction where I can find answers to these questions.
Thanks.
lee

Hello, tnlee

You will get as many answers to your question as there are school districts. I am only familiar with California, and even here there is a big variation. Some adult classes are taught through K-12 districts as adult education, and other adult classes are taught through community college districts as non-credit. In my district (San Francisco) it is taught through the community college system. You need an M.A. in TESL/TEFL or the equivalent. Part-time jobs are not too hard to come by; full-time jobs take years to get because of the large number of applicants and the small number of available jobs.

You might want to check the schools in your area to see what system they use, as well as what qualifications they ask for in their hiring information.

Hello, Lee:

I am in a very similar situation. I have been volunteering with a community nonprofit group, and now I am interested in pursuing a career in ESL teaching. The limited online research I have done suggests that a Master's degree is preferable to an ESL certificate. I am finding the following link to be helpful in my research:

www.tesol.org

If you go to this site and click on "Become Qualified," you'll find lots of information. Good luck!

Carolyn

I am actually just about to start volunteering and wondered if you had any advice for someone really just getting started. What specifically did you do? Mostly language partnering? Is there anything that the group you were volunteering for steered you away from, or anything you were not able to do as a volunteer, such as planning specific activities, bringing specific books, CD's, etc.? Thanks so much.

Leah
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LeahCatherine on MSN