Types of Degrees Majors Are Getting

The following table lists how many teaching english as a second or foreign language/esl language instructor graduations there were for each degree level during the last year for which data was available.

Education Level	Number of Grads
Master’s Degree	3,254
Graduate Certificate	1,293
Basic Certificate	524
Bachelor’s Degree	367
Undergraduate Certificate	39
Doctor’s Degree	22
Associate Degree	4

What Majors Need to Know

In an O*NET survey, teaching english as a second or foreign language/esl language instructor majors were asked to rate what knowledge areas, skills, and abilities were important in their occupations. These answers were weighted on a scale of 1 to 5 with 5 being the most important.

Knowledge Areas for Teaching English as a Second or Foreign Language/ESL Language Instructor Majors

According to O*NET survey takers, a major in teaching english as a second or foreign language/esl language instructor should prepare you for careers in which you will need to be knowledgeable in the following areas:

• English Language - Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.
• Education and Training - Knowledge of principles and methods for curriculum and training design, teaching and instruction for individuals and groups, and the measurement of training effects.
• Psychology - Knowledge of human behavior and performance; individual differences in ability, personality, and interests; learning and motivation; psychological research methods; and the assessment and treatment of behavioral and affective disorders.
• Mathematics - Knowledge of arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, statistics, and their applications.
• Customer and Personal Service - Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.

Skills for Teaching English as a Second or Foreign Language/ESL Language Instructor Majors

When studying teaching english as a second or foreign language/esl language instructor, you’ll learn many skills that will help you be successful in a wide range of jobs - even those that do not require a degree in the field. The following is a list of some of the most common skills needed for careers associated with this major:

• Instructing - Teaching others how to do something.
• Speaking - Talking to others to convey information effectively.
• Learning Strategies - Selecting and using training/instructional methods and procedures appropriate for the situation when learning or teaching new things.
• Active Listening - Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
• Reading Comprehension - Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work related documents.

Abilities for Teaching English as a Second or Foreign Language/ESL Language Instructor Majors

As a teaching english as a second or foreign language/esl language instructor major, you will find yourself needing the following abilities:

• Oral Expression - The ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.
• Written Comprehension - The ability to read and understand information and ideas presented in writing.
• Oral Comprehension - The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.
• Speech Clarity - The ability to speak clearly so others can understand you.
• Written Expression - The ability to communicate information and ideas in writing so others will understand.

What Can You Do With a Major?

Below is a list of occupations associated with teaching english as a second or foreign language/esl language instructor:

Job Title	Job Growth Rate	Median Salary
Elementary School Teachers, Except Special Education	7.4%	$58,230
Kindergarten Teachers, Except Special Education	8.0%	$55,470
Middle School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education	7.5%	$58,600
Secondary School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education	7.5%	$60,320

Who Is Getting a Bachelor’s Degree in ?

This major is dominated by women with about 84% of recent graduates being female.

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

At the countrywide level, the racial-ethnic distribution of teaching english as a second or foreign language/esl language instructor majors is as follows:

Race/Ethnicity	Number of Grads
Asian	33
Black or African American	13
Hispanic or Latino	94
White	162
International Students	38
Other Races/Ethnicities	27

Geographic Diversity

Students from other countries are interested in Teaching English as a Second or Foreign Language/ESL Language Instructor, too. About 10.4% of those with this major are international students.

How Much Do Majors Make?

Salaries According to BLS

Teaching English as a Second or Foreign Language/Esl Language Instructor majors often go into careers where salaries can range from $58,370 to $62,200 (25th to 75th percentile). This range includes all degree levels, so you may expect those with a more advanced degree to make more while those with less advanced degrees will typically make less.

To put that into context, according to BLS data from the first quarter of 2020, the typical high school graduate makes between $30,000 and $57,900 a year (25th through 75th percentile). The average person with a bachelor’s degree (any field) makes between $45,600 and $99,000. Advanced degree holders make the most with salaries between $55,600 and $125,400.

Amount of Education Required for Careers Related to

Some careers associated with teaching english as a second or foreign language/esl language instructor require an advanced degree while some may not even require a bachelor’s. In general, the more advanced your degree the more career options will open up to you. However, there is significant time and money that needs to be invested into your education so weigh the pros and cons.

Find out what the typical degree level is for teaching english as a second or foreign language/esl language instructor careers below.

Education Level	Percentage of Workers
Less than a High School Diploma	0.3%
High School Diploma - or the equivalent (for example, GED)	1.6%
Post-Secondary Certificate - awarded for training completed after high school (for example, in agriculture or natural resources, computer services, personal or culinary services, engineering technologies, healthcare, construction trades, mechanic and repair technologies, or precision production)	0.3%
Some College Courses	0.7%
Associate’s Degree (or other 2-year degree)	2.4%
Bachelor’s Degree	64.6%
Post-Baccalaureate Certificate - awarded for completion of an organized program of study; designed for people who have completed a Baccalaureate degree but do not meet the requirements of academic degrees carrying the title of Master.	12.3%
Master’s Degree	15.7%
Post-Master’s Certificate - awarded for completion of an organized program of study; designed for people who have completed a Master’s degree but do not meet the requirements of academic degrees at the doctoral level.	1.9%
Doctoral Degree	0.9%

Online Programs

The following table lists the number of programs by degree level, along with how many schools offered online courses in the field.

Degree Level	Colleges Offering Programs	Colleges Offering Online Classes
Certificate (Less Than 1 Year)	0	0
Certificate (1-2 years)	17	4
Certificate (2-4 Years)	1	0
Associate’s Degree	6	2
Bachelor’s Degree	204	60
Post-Baccalaureate	0	0
Master’s Degree	244	52
Post-Master’s	61	0
Doctor’s Degree (Research)	11	1
Doctor’s Degree (Professional Practice)	0	0
Doctor’s Degree (Other)	0	0

Is a Degree in Worth It?

The median salary for a teaching english as a second or foreign language/esl language instructor grad is $62,030 per year. This is based on the weighted average of the most common careers associated with the major.

This is 55% more than the average salary for an individual holding a high school degree. This adds up to a gain of about $442,600 after 20 years!

Majors Related to

You may also be interested in one of the following majors related to teaching english as a second or foreign language/esl language instructor.

Major	Number of Grads
Teaching English or French as a Second or Foreign Language, Other	22

References

*The racial-ethnic minorities count is calculated by taking the total number of students and subtracting white students, international students, and students whose race/ethnicity was unknown. This number is then divided by the total number of students at the school to obtain the racial-ethnic minorities percentage.

• College Factual
• College Scorecard
• National Center for Education Statistics
• O*NET Online
• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
• Usual Weekly Earnings of Wage and Salary Workers First Quarter 2020
• Image Credit: By G0h4r under License

More about our data sources and methodologies.