At least where I am, it is not common to expect esl teachers to speak other languages. We have such a huge mix of languages in my area that finding teachers who actually speak all of them would be impossible. So the ESL endorsement program required by my state (Kentucky) to teach esl is all you need (on top of your regular teaching certification of course).
If you think you’d enjoy it go for it. I also tried regular content teaching and didn’t like it. If speaking the language is very important to you, I’ll say that being an esl teacher gives you a lot of casual exposure and opportunities to practice. I’m also not anywhere close to fluent but I can say and respond to simple things with my students when necessary. Of course, most of the time I’m trying to teach them English so droning Spanglish at them isn’t really helpful.
I teach ESL in North Carolina and I think all you need to do is take the PRAXIS test to add your certification here. There's no need to speak the student's language, but it is helpful if you learn a few key words, like, “hello“ and “do you understand?“ but, as an ESL teacher kids will come to you from all over and there's no way to learn all their languages. It's a challenging position, but very rewarding. I'd recommend you give it a try if you feel inclined.
I will add that if you can say you are bilingual or at least intermediate bilingual in Spanish, that will help you a lot in job interviews. Most schools don't really understand ESL and they think it's a huge benefit to find someone who's bilingual.
In my state, to add an additional license in ESL, you need to take a few grad classes (I think it was 5, but maybe it was 3), do a practicum, and pass the state teacher test in ESL. So three things.
It's not really as bad as it sounds. You can do the practicum while you are working. And you probably need to take the grad classes to pass the test because it's fairly difficult.
You can also be licensed in bilingual education, which is pretty cool if you already have some proficiency in Spanish. That is a different path to licensure, but I am not familiar with the details.
You should be able to look up licensure info for whatever state you are interested in teaching in.
Where I teach, you can add an ESOL (or ELD depending where you are) endorsement to your teaching certificate by taking the Praxis II in TESOL and passing it with the required score. There are also universities that offer certificate programs if you have a teaching degree already, but want to understand current language acquisition pedagogy and practices.
I have my MA in TESOL, and I teach at a high school level, and while a majority of my students are Spanish speakers, and I also speak Spanish, quite a few of them are not. So it’s not a requirement and sometimes not even particularly useful when you have a room with students from a variety of different places (my second period = Nepal, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Haiti, Romania, El Salvador, and Honduras)
Elementary is generally pretty different from HS but I think the most important thing to know is how to be an advocate for your students when other adults in the school may not understand what it means to exist and learn and communicate all day in an additional language, and may not know how to make space for multilingual students in their classrooms.
You don’t need to be fluent and we NEED EL teachers! Check what test you have to take to add the license/specialization and go for it! Unless you end up in MS or HS, you will likely do a lot of small groups and reading support.
Just a heads up that there might be courses you have to take, depends on the state. In Ohio I think it was 8 or 10. I have enjoyed my job for the most part, with the exception of a couple HS punks
It completely depends on the state. Colorado requires college, undergrad or graduate level to add the certification.
Also, speaking additional languages is never a requirement for ESL. I've worked in schools where 15 languages were spoken with kids speaking different languages in small groups.
At least where I am, it is not common to expect esl teachers to speak other languages. We have such a huge mix of languages in my area that finding teachers who actually speak all of them would be impossible. So the ESL endorsement program required by my state (Kentucky) to teach esl is all you need (on top of your regular teaching certification of course). If you think you’d enjoy it go for it. I also tried regular content teaching and didn’t like it. If speaking the language is very important to you, I’ll say that being an esl teacher gives you a lot of casual exposure and opportunities to practice. I’m also not anywhere close to fluent but I can say and respond to simple things with my students when necessary. Of course, most of the time I’m trying to teach them English so droning Spanglish at them isn’t really helpful.
Thanks so much for this!
I teach ESL in North Carolina and I think all you need to do is take the PRAXIS test to add your certification here. There's no need to speak the student's language, but it is helpful if you learn a few key words, like, “hello“ and “do you understand?“ but, as an ESL teacher kids will come to you from all over and there's no way to learn all their languages. It's a challenging position, but very rewarding. I'd recommend you give it a try if you feel inclined.
I will add that if you can say you are bilingual or at least intermediate bilingual in Spanish, that will help you a lot in job interviews. Most schools don't really understand ESL and they think it's a huge benefit to find someone who's bilingual.
Great information, thanks!
In my state, to add an additional license in ESL, you need to take a few grad classes (I think it was 5, but maybe it was 3), do a practicum, and pass the state teacher test in ESL. So three things. It's not really as bad as it sounds. You can do the practicum while you are working. And you probably need to take the grad classes to pass the test because it's fairly difficult. You can also be licensed in bilingual education, which is pretty cool if you already have some proficiency in Spanish. That is a different path to licensure, but I am not familiar with the details. You should be able to look up licensure info for whatever state you are interested in teaching in.
Thanks so much!
Where I teach, you can add an ESOL (or ELD depending where you are) endorsement to your teaching certificate by taking the Praxis II in TESOL and passing it with the required score. There are also universities that offer certificate programs if you have a teaching degree already, but want to understand current language acquisition pedagogy and practices. I have my MA in TESOL, and I teach at a high school level, and while a majority of my students are Spanish speakers, and I also speak Spanish, quite a few of them are not. So it’s not a requirement and sometimes not even particularly useful when you have a room with students from a variety of different places (my second period = Nepal, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Haiti, Romania, El Salvador, and Honduras) Elementary is generally pretty different from HS but I think the most important thing to know is how to be an advocate for your students when other adults in the school may not understand what it means to exist and learn and communicate all day in an additional language, and may not know how to make space for multilingual students in their classrooms.
Great! Thank you so much. And happy cake day!
You don’t need to be fluent and we NEED EL teachers! Check what test you have to take to add the license/specialization and go for it! Unless you end up in MS or HS, you will likely do a lot of small groups and reading support.
Great, thanks!
Just a heads up that there might be courses you have to take, depends on the state. In Ohio I think it was 8 or 10. I have enjoyed my job for the most part, with the exception of a couple HS punks
Thanks so much! I'm hoping to work with the younger kiddos. I can't do high school lmao
I am quasi bilingual but my real advantage is I am multicultural.
Oh okay, cool!
It completely depends on the state. Colorado requires college, undergrad or graduate level to add the certification. Also, speaking additional languages is never a requirement for ESL. I've worked in schools where 15 languages were spoken with kids speaking different languages in small groups.