2. What is ESL?
• ESL is teaching English to people who are not native speakers.
• Teachers help develop speaking, writing, reading, and understanding of the
English language (ESL).
• Jobs can be found in literally every country.
• Positions include working in K-12 schools to university level.
• There are also teaching opportunities with businesses, government,
NGO’s, individuals, and various organizations.
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3. Responsibilities
• ESL teachers core responsibilities include developing lesson plans
along with language instruction.
• Secondary functions include testing, introducing cultural aspects, and
maintaining any required records (Teaching).
• Beyond these basic requirements, responsibilities can vary wildly.
• Variations in responsibilities are due to the country, organization, age of
student, student competence level, available resources, and culture.
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4. Working Conditions
• Normal working conditions for an ESL teacher do not exist.
• Positions can be from rural poor areas of the world to affluent modern
businesses.
• These could include teaching at a local cafe with a few students, university
in major city, monastery in a small village, or some combination.
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5. Education
• Educational requirements vary wildly in the Field of ESL.
• Basic requirement is to be a English native speaker.
• CELTA, TESOL certificates are considered prove of competency.
• Bachelors degree and CELTA qualifies the teacher for most positions.
• ESL Masters degree, along with a second language is the gold standard.
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6. Getting Experience
• ESL teaching volunteer opportunities including Su Casa, Santa Maria
Community Services, and ESOL Acculturation Services (Volunteer).
• All universities have services and groups for international students
including language exchanges and tutoring.
• Student teaching possibilities at the university level when working on ESL
Masters degree.
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7. Required Skills
• Understanding of the English language.
• Listening along with the ability to analyze what the student is
communicating is a highly valued skill in teachers (Careers).
• As an ESL teacher also needs a great deal of flexibility in dealing with
different levels and styles of learning.
• Creativity is a valued skill as it can bring the subject alive, creating a fun
learning environment.
• Organization helps keep the class and students on track.
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8. Related Opportunities
• Volunteer work in communities throughout the world.
• Teach the teacher. Teaching positions at ESL certificate schools.
• Own or manage an ESL school.
• Work for the government in foreign or immigration services.
• Administer exams and certify schools.
• Paid NGO and Peace Corp positions.
• Sales positions with related material and organizations.
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9. Salary and Benefits
• There is a broad range of salary for people in the field of ESL. This can
range from zero to over six figures.
• Average salaries range from $30,000 - $50,000 per year (Sperling).
• Salary and benefits are determined by country, place of employment and
cost of living.
• Benefits can included fully furnished apartment including all utilities,
health insurance, transportation, and airline tickets.
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10. Market Trends
• The Global market for English language is growing (Review).
• The largest segment of new learners are students under 30 (Review).
• Increasing public - private partnerships for learning opportunities (Review).
• Market somewhat volatile based on currency fluctuations, terrorism, and
government regulations (Review).
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11. Disadvantages
• Scams and misleading job offers are common.
• Possibility of disliking job, location, or living situation once started.
• Working in unstable country or region.
• All the normal hazards of being a foreigner overseas.
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12. New Information
• Non-native English teachers now outnumber native English teacher.
• Explosive growth in private in-country english language schools Worldwide
(Review).
• Blended learning is the new trend in ESL.
• Governments are partnering with private organizations to increase the
number of citizens that speak English.
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13. Work Cited
• Careers and Employability Services. University of Kent. 23 March 2013.
<http://www.kent.ac.ukcareers/sk/skillsinjobs.htm#TEACHERS>
• ESL Directory. Envisage International Corp. 23 March 2013. <http://
www.esldirectory.com/blog/learning-english/what-is-esl/>
• Review of the global market for English language courses. 2006. British
Council. 23 March 2013. <http://secure.britishcouncil.org/
global_elt_review_2006-2.pdf>
• Sperling, Dave. Dave’s ESL Cafe. 23 March 2013. <http://
www.eslcafe.com/joblist/>
• Teaching ESL to Adults. 23 March 2013. <http://www.teaching-esl-to-
adults.com/duties-of-an-esl-teacher.html>
• VolunteerMatch. 23 March 2013. <http://www.volunteermatch.org/
search/index.jsp?r=msa&l=47060&categories=41>
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