Teaching English as a Second Language

Overview

Teaching English as a second or foreign language programs prepare people to teach English reading, writing, and speaking skills.

Students learn to manage English as a Second Language (ESL) programs. They also learn to train English language teachers.

ESL programs include topics such as:

Linguistics
Curriculum and instruction methods
Learning styles

Practicum

Most teaching programs require students to complete a practicum, or student teaching experience, before graduation. As student teachers, students work in a classroom under the supervision of a licensed teacher.

Schools

Some schools offer undergraduate ESL teacher programs in conjunction with a program such as elementary teacher education or a liberal arts interdisciplinary major. A bachelor's degree usually takes about four years of full-time study.

Many colleges and universities also offer graduate programs in ESL teacher education, sometimes also known as TESOL (teaching English to speakers of other languages). A master’s degree typically requires two years of study beyond a bachelor’s degree. Doctoral (PhD) degree programs usually require two or more years of study beyond the master’s degree.

Some schools offer post-bachelor’s TESOL certificates that take about one year to complete beyond the bachelor’s degree.

See schools that offer this program.

Related Educational Programs

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Program Admission

You can prepare for this program by taking courses in high school that prepare you for college. This typically includes four years of English, three years of math, three years of social studies, and two years of science. Some colleges also require two years of a second language.

Some programs require you to complete an admissions process separate from their general undergraduate admissions process. In such a case, you typically apply to the ESL teacher education program after your freshman or sophomore year.

Program admissions vary. However, for all programs, you need good grades. You also usually need to complete some combination of the following requirements:

Praxis I (or an equivalent exam that tests your general academic skills)
Personal interview
Personal statement

You may also need to complete the following core courses to qualify for the program:

Educating Exceptional Learners
Educational Psychology
Human Growth and Development

Below is a list of high school courses that will help prepare you for this program of study:

Anthropology
Education Methodology
English Aide
General Computer Applications
International Relations
Psychology
Sociology
Teacher Aide
Teacher Assisting
Tutoring Practicum
US Ethnic and Gender Studies

Graduate Admissions

Admission to graduate programs is competitive. You need a bachelor's degree and good grades. You also need to submit letters of recommendation and a personal statement.

In general, your bachelor's degree does not have to be in any particular major. It may be helpful, however, to take courses in linguistics and education, if possible.

Additional requirements at many schools include:

Graduate Record Exam (GRE) General
Praxis I
Personal interview

Doctoral programs may require a writing sample as evidence of your academic research and writing skills. Some graduate programs prefer applicants with teaching experience or teaching certification in another subject.

Typical Course Work

Program Courses

This undergraduate program typically includes courses in the following subjects:

Cross-Cultural Communication and Classroom Ecology
ESL Classroom Practices
ESL Methodologies for K-6
ESL Methodologies for 7-12
Interlanguage Analysis
Media-Assisted Language Learning
Phonetics and Phonology
Problems in Contemporary English Grammar
Role-Playing and Simulation in Language Learning
Second Language Acquisition
Second Language Assessment
Semantic Systems and the Lexicon
Sociolinguistics and Education
Task-Based and Functional Approaches to Language Learning

Graduate Program Courses

Course work in graduate programs varies. However, the outline of a typical graduate curriculum looks like the following:

Required core courses
Thesis and thesis defense (master's degree only)
Preliminary oral and written exams (doctoral degree only)
Dissertation and dissertation defense (doctoral degree only)

The core courses are often a more thorough study of issues and topics that are introduced in undergraduate courses for this program. You also take courses in research methods and statistics. These courses prepare you to undertake independent research based on your own interests in the field.

All programs require you to complete a student teaching practicum, which is a hands-on opportunity to work directly with students in any of a variety of settings. You could work in a private institute where ESL is taught. You might work in a school, in an ESL classroom. Or you could even work in an ESL office that your college or university sponsors for its students. Whatever the setting, you benefit not only from the practice, but also from working under the direct supervision and guidance of an experienced ESL teacher.

You typically begin a practicum by leading some of the classroom activities and teaching part of the lesson; for the rest of class time, you might observe or assist. Eventually, however, you are given much more, if not full responsibility for teaching your supervisor's class.

Some programs offer a pre-practicum course. This allows you a set amount of time to observe different styles of classroom teaching before trying it yourself.

Things to Know

If you want to teach ESL in a K-12 public school, you need to be licensed. In all states, getting licensed requires you to have at least a bachelor's degree as well as a certain amount of supervised practice-teaching experience. Some states require that you have a master's degree as well.

As part of their licensure processes, many states require you to take an exam such as the Praxis series. The Praxis II exam tests your knowledge of the particular subject you want to teach - in this case, ESL. The Praxis III exam tests your knowledge of general education theories and teaching methodologies.

If you want to teach adults, there are many proprietary schools that offer ESL teacher training.