ESL Jobs

If you’re from the US or Canada, there are a wide variety of ESL teaching jobs at public middle and high schools, teaching students of varying ages and abilities who are not currently proficient in English.

The number of ESL job vacancies in the US has grown rapidly, due in large part to the fact that ELLs (English Language Learners) have become the fastest-growing population of students in the country, growing by around 60% over the past 10 years.

According to the US Census Bureau, over 61 million people in the US currently speak a different language to English in their homes, making ESL an increasingly high-need subject in schools across the country. The US National Center for Education Statistics recently stated that “27% of all schools with bilingual/ESL teaching vacancies found them very difficult or impossible to fill, more than for many other teaching fields.”

Along with English language classes for adults, ESL teaching positions currently on offer in the US and Canada include the following:

• ESL elementary teaching jobs
• ESL middle school teaching jobs
• ESL high school teaching jobs

Interested in becoming an ESL teacher? Wondering what qualifications you need to land a job teaching English abroad? Read on to find out all about the education requirements and credentials you’ll need to cover.

Note: If you’re wondering whether you need teaching experience to qualify for ESL teaching jobs abroad: you don’t! Depending on where you want to teach ESL abroad, teaching experience is typically not required.

For example, Teach Away’s Explore program are now accepting applications for hundreds of ESL teaching opportunities in China for the upcoming school year from new graduates without any formal teaching experience. However, any prior experience working with children (including tutoring or coaching) is still considered a bonus and well worth including on your ESL teaching resume.

Step 1: Get your bachelor’s degree

While the demand for ESL teachers is booming worldwide, some sort of bachelor’s degree (any major) is usually considered a base requirement by ESL schools and foreign language institutions overseas. Becoming an ESL teacher without a college degree, while not impossible in less sought-after ESL destinations abroad, is becoming more and more difficult as global requirements become increasingly more stringent.

If you’re interested in pursuing a career teaching ESL in the US or Canada, then a master’s degree, while not strictly required, is also considered a strong asset for many domestic ESL teaching jobs.

Step 2: Get your ESL certification

Requirements for teaching ESL abroad

TEFL certification

If you’re a college graduate interested in teaching English as a second language overseas, you’ll need to obtain an ESL qualification that’s recognized by international employers, such as a TEFL certificate, that’s at least 100 hours in length.

A TEFL certification is the globally accepted qualification to teach English abroad to students (both children and adults) whose first language isn't English.

There are many options available to suit different budgets and schedules, from online to in-person TEFL courses.

CELTA certification

If you’re strongly considering pursuing ESL teaching overseas as a long-term career, it may be worth considering investing in a CELTA (Certificate in English Language Teaching to Adults) course. However, a CELTA tends to be more expensive and time-intensive than most TEFL certification programs and is not required for most ESL teaching jobs abroad.

Requirements for teaching ESL at home

TESOL/TESL certification

If your primary goal is to teach ESL students in your home country, you can choose to opt for a master’s degree program in TESOL (Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages) or a 120-hour TESOL or TESL certification.

Want to teach ESL online from home? You’re in luck! We’ve got the best online English teaching jobs from the biggest online schools like VIPKID and ITutorGroup for native-English speaking teachers and graduates of all backgrounds and experience levels!

Best of all, you’ll get the flexibility to set your own schedule and work as little or as many hours as you'd like.

Apply to teach English online today >

ESL teaching jobs in public and private schools in large cities and towns throughout Taiwan offer ESL teachers a chance to advance their teaching careers in one of Asia’s most desirable teach abroad destinations. 

Teaching English in Saudi Arabia at private international schools, ESL language institutes, universities and colleges is a great option for new and experienced ESL teachers alike.