High ESL Job Market Demand in US

Guide to ESL Job Training Programs

If you've ever thought about changing professions to become an ESL teacher, now is the time. Increasing demand for ESL teachers has created a multitude of ESL job opportunities in the US. These ESL jobs are being offered by states which are offering a number of job training opportunities for those not already qualified to teach ESL. There are two principle types of ESL jobs that are in demand; positions which require bilingual teachers (Spanish and English) to teach bilingual classes, and ESL positions for English only classes for speakers who have a limited ability in English (LEP - limited English proficiency).

ESL Job Demand Facts

Here are some statistics that point to the great need:

• According to the National Center for Education Statistcs, "In school year, 27 percent of all schools with bilingual/ESL teaching vacancies found them very difficult or impossible to fill, more than for many other teaching fields." Since this report, the number of ESL job vacancies has grown rapidly.
• From the same report: "As the number of children with difficulty speaking English has increased (from 1.25 million in 1979 to 2.44 million in 1995), so has the burden on school systems to recruit teachers with the skills necessary to teach these classes. The difficulty schools have in filling such positions is one indication of whether the supply of bilingual and ESL teachers is adequate to meet the demand."
• The number of LEP speakers grew 104.7%, from 2,154,781 in 1989 to 4,416,580 in 2000 according to a survey performed by the National Clearinghouse for English Language Acquisition.

Now for the good news, as a means of meeting the ESL job demand a number of special programs have been implemented around the United States for non-certified teachers. These programs provide an excellent means for teachers who have not taught in the State education system to take advantage of these opportunities. Even more exciting, it provides an opportunity for those from a wide variety of backgrounds to become ESL teachers. Some of these even provide a financial bonus (for example a bonus of up to $20,000 in Massachusetts) for joining their programs!

Make sure to continue reading as the next page provides a guide to these training programs.

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