New ESL Students on Course to Aid New Immigrant Citizens

Of the over 300 million people who currently live in the U.S. today, over 450,000 immigrants were granted legal permanent residence each year. According to the Department of Homeland Security, the main nations of origin were Mexican (15%), Chinese (6%) and then from the Philippines (5%). You may note that none of these nationalities speak English as their first language.

That's why one of the largest growing areas of the teaching profession is ESL (English as a Second Language). While this is not a new field (it actually was formalized back in the 1930s) the current growth of immigrants has made the demand for new teachers absolutely critical.

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First and foremost, it should be understood that ESL is not restricted to children from kindergarten to high school. A very large segment is actually adult education. It's also not just teaching how to speak and read language. In many ways, the ESL teacher is the gateway to an immigrant's understanding of American culture, mores and laws. In other words, the ESL teacher is the key towards the goal of making citizens out of those who want to live here instead of their country of origin.

Interestingly, it doesn't really matter if English is a student's first language or not. In fact, it's been reported that many of the best ESL instructors had something else as their original language. In reality, those considering entering the field should sit down and consult not only with a college career counselor, but also with their local state board of education as each state has different requirements.

Still, probably the best way to approach this profession is to matriculate with an on campus or online college. The reason is, this way, one gets a much more well-rounded approach not only to the different languages one intends to work in (such as Chinese, Spanish and/or English), but also teaching techniques and theory. Depending on the state, one can start with just a 2-year or 4-year degree; others require some form of state-licensed teaching testing and certification. Still some others require a combination of these degrees.

It should be noted that if one wants to teach on the college level, one will have to go on for a masters degree and even a PhD. There are many ways to do this, from obtaining various fellowships through work-study where one teaches underclassmen. Still, the majority of jobs are on the K-12 level or adult immigrant schools.

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, K-12 salary ranges from ,000 to ,000. Salaries for other types of schools depend on type, experience and other factors. The Bureau states the rate of growth is good to excellent, meaning they expect the number of positions needed to be filled will increase by 20% in the next decade.

New ESL Students on Course to Aid New Immigrant Citizens