English as a Second Language Classes

English as a Second Language classes (ESL) are offered in nearly every school district, academy, college, and private school. ESL programs also exist for immigrant adults, offering classes at low cost, in most areas of the United States. Wherever the need exists, ESL classes are formed. ESL (or EFL, for English as a Foreign Language) classes are also found in most of the world, as English remains the dominant language of commerce and technology.

In the United States, there is constant turnover in the teaching ranks, and so constant need for more teachers. There are always new opportunities to teach ESL. Overseas, the need is not only for teachers, but for teachers for whom English is not a second language. Many schools overseas offer ESL positions to those who don't necessarily speak English well. Our family once hosted a young Brazilian. He stayed in the US for six months before returning to Brazil and embarking on a career as an English teacher. We still get the occasional letter from him, more than 30 years later, and he still doesn't know English well. But he has had a full career as an ESL teacher. This is to illustrate that an average ability is adequate to get a job in some areas overseas, especially if it's backed up with some form of certification or other evidence that you have prepared yourself to teach.

European schools hire mostly European residents as teachers of English because of protective labor laws. It's a bit more relaxed in East Europe, beyond the European Union. Asia has the greatest need. China has a huge appetite for adventurous teachers to go into remote schools.

Colleges overseas are more demanding, and a degree is needed. Overseas teaching opportunities are most often found through the Web sites of large, reputable schools, or through sites that search out and collect ESL teaching job postings as well as offer resources and advice to teachers of English as a Second Language. These can be found with a simple search, refining the search for specific areas of interest.

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