Teaching ESL in America’s Public School System

Pay and Conditions are improving for teachers in the public school system. Tony Donovan examines options for teachers who want to work there.

Many educators looking for teaching jobs in English as a second or foreign language aim for positions at universities and colleges in the United States or overseas. Teaching ESL/EFL in private language schools and within corporate training structures are also popular goals.
Less often considered are ESL teaching possibilities within U.S. public school systems at the elementary, junior and high school levels. Yet many satisfying and rewarding jobs exist in this sector. The massive influx of immigrants into the U.S. within the last 20 years has filled our public schools with children whose native language is not English and who have a clear linguistic disadvantage competing or even surviving in an academic environment. Many of these students drop out at an early age, forever doomed to a marginal life in contemporary, merit-driven America. To counter this lamentable situation, many school systems now provide ESL courses for these students with a view toward improving their academic competence.

As a result, trained ESL teachers are in demand, not only in the southwestern states that border Mexico, traditionally the home country of most recent immigrants, but also nationwide, as the influx of immigrants has changed from a tide to a torrent. Yet, my experience has been that few ESL/EFL teachers consider the public schools a viable career alternative and fewer yet understand the professional preparation that this increasingly attractive career path demands. I will discuss here some of the requirements such a career would entail so as to provide current and future ESL teachers with a clearer picture of what is involved in becoming a public school ESL teacher. My focus will center on the ESL professional who may have already taught ESL for a few years overseas or at a U.S. university but is now considering continuing a career in public schools.

The Basics
Teachers in all 50 states have to obtain full state certification to be able to teach at the public school level. This in-sures that teacher competence in the classroom meets at least minimal, state-app-roved standards. How-ever, there are problems associated with this practice.
To begin with, each state has its own set of requirements. Prospect-ive teachers, therefore, should decide early on which state they are going to work in, because if they obtain state certification in Arizona, for example, they may be unable to teach in Florida, at least not until they meet Florida requirements. Reciprocity between states, that is, the acceptance by one state of another state's teaching certificate, is still rare. There are a few states that accept out-of-state certification, but this is the exception, not the rule.

Even these states, however, will accept certification only from certain specified states. No state will accept certification from all other 49 states. Fortunately, it's often the case that a teacher simply has to take one or two additional courses to meet the new state's requirement, or pass a state prescribed test of some kind, so this is not as onerous or as time consuming as it sounds. Also, many states have temporary or emergency certification options, whereby a new out-of-state certified teacher is authorized to instruct for a limited amount of time without having fulfilled all state requirements. Still, these are temporary measures and the teacher is expected to become fully certified as soon as possible.
For the ESL teacher, the problem is often compounded in that many states continue to regard ESL as a branch of English and not really as a fully independent subject as such. ESL certification in these states is most often obtained simply by taking a few courses (which can last as little as a weekend) at a local community college or by passing a language ability test (usually in Spanish) or a combination of these. This "quickie" certification is then added on to the teacher's major subject credential as an endorsement, authorizing him or her to teach ESL in the classroom. The result is that the gym or chemistry teacher, for instance, can become a fully certified ESL teacher with very little training. Professional ESL teachers would be at a disadvantage in cases like these, since their training and ESL degrees would not be valued highly in school districts where this practice occurs. Fortunately, this situation is changing rapidly as recognition of ESL as an independent subject is becoming the norm nationwide.

Certification
Whereas a university career with an eventual professorial rank simply involves obtaining a Ph.D., at least as far as required minimum credentials are concerned, the hoops a prospective public school ESL teacher has to jump through to obtain state certification are, ironically, more involved.
Minimum requirements are at least a BA/BS degree which include state mandated education courses. The usual path for prospectives public school teachers is to enter the School of Education of a college or university where they will take the required education courses along with the courses of a declared major. Upon graduation, most states then automatically extend certification in the teacher’s field upon application to the appropriate state education agency.

However, it is important to remember that not all undergraduate majors are certifiable. There's no problem with history, French, math and similar foundation courses. But if you majored in anthropology, for example, no state would certify you in this field, simply because it is not offered in any public school in the country as a regular for-credit subject. You would have had to minor in a "regular" field, such as English, in order to have enough credits in a regular subject to obtain certification in that subject.

Certification is a matter of having enough credits on your transcript in a certain subject to meet state requirements for certification in that subject. Remember that all states have different requirements. Some states also have a time limit on validity of course credits. Credits obtained more than 10 years previous to your application for certification may be invalid in some cases. If you intend to become an ESL teacher, it is highly unlikely that your college at the undergraduate level would offer an ESL/EFL major. Therefore, it would be to your advantage to major instead in an allied field such as English or a foreign language to obtain your certificate (also called credential in some states). Then, if you've taken some ESL or applied linguistics courses, you can easily obtain the ESL endorsement through your state's Department of Education (called by different names in different states), while at the same time remaining eligible to teach in your major field, thereby increasing your employment prospects. A public school teacher with several years of teaching experience would most likely have at least two areas of certification she is able to teach in. So having an English certificate, for example, as your major teaching specialty (which is determined by number of college credits in English) and an endorsement in ESL is by no means unusual.

Teaching English as a second or foreign language is a relatively new field of academic endeavor and is considered a specialty rarely offered as a major at the undergraduate level. Most serious TESL teachers continue their education at the post-graduate level and obtain the MA in TESL often long after they've completed their coursework for a BA/BS in a major usually only peripherally relevant to ESL/EFL. They most probably have taught for a few years overseas or in the U.S. at various locations and, because they have never taken an education course, are amazed that their years of ESL teaching experience and their MA in TESL are considered inadequate for hiring purposes in public schools. A person in this situation has few options available to him. Ultimately, he will have to return to school to take the state mandated education courses and fulfill certain other requirements, which can include such odd procedures as fingerprinting.

Fortunately, there are several possibilities here, such as distance learning, attending accelerated courses available through private local schools, and, most recently, internet education options. So long as the courses are accredited by the state, the state doesn't discriminate as to where or how you obtained the required credits. States are usually very liberal towards alternative education paths.

In many states, especially if you have an MA, you can also teach under the provisions of a temporary or emergency certification, while at the same time taking the required courses at night. The point is, there are several ways to become a public school ESL teacher other than the traditional path of entering the School of Education as an undergraduate.

A word of caution: even the most highly regarded ESL/EFL certificate such as the RSA diploma or similar certificate obtained independent of an academic course leading to a university degree, has no validity in the public school system. A state issued teaching certificate is a completely different document from its similarly named ESL Certificate often obtained at commercial schools and institutions. No state will accept these documents as substitutes nor will having one increase your employment opportunities within the public school sector. In addition, many school districts and states will not recognize years you taught ESL overseas or even at a U.S. university as valid for salary adjustments or similar employment related issues. It may be unfair, but it's a reality one has to face. I have seen many superb teachers with all kinds of overseas experience, an MA in TESL, excellent recommendations, and so on, be turned down flat upon application to the state Department of Education because they lacked the required education courses. However, do check your state's own rules in this regard. All states view these details quite differently and the rules and regulations are constantly changing.

Prospects
If all this seems somewhat daunting and overwhelming, keep in mind that primary and secondary schools have very different goals and responsibilities from universities or commercial educational establishments. They have to be absolutely sure that anyone entrusted with the education of minors is trustworthy, capable and suitable for the position. Therefore, the procedures involved in obtaining a state teaching certificate are deliberately rigorous, in an effort to recruit the truly dedicated teacher and prevent those not so dedicated from entering the classroom. Once you've made up your mind to teach ESL in the public school system, however, and have fully investigated your options for obtaining certification, you will find the going quite smooth and straightforward with a lot of support and encouragement from your peers and future employers.

Teaching ESL in the public schools is fast becoming an attractive option for many ESL professionals who may have become a little weary of a peripatetic overseas career or the temporary nature of many university ESL jobs. Benefits at the public school level are outstanding. Health care insurance options are probably the best in the country and salaries are now quite in keeping with the arduous duties associated with teaching. Full time work is the norm and retirement benefits are more than adequate. If one really loves to teach, there's the additional opportunity to be associated with young people at the most receptive and creative stage in their lives and to impact their lives as only a truly dedicated teacher can.

All career preparation plans require careful and close study. Preparing to become a public school ESL teacher is no different, especially if you have never been in the system previously or have been away from it for a long time. Be sure to investigate fully what your state's current requirements are for certification in general and for ESL specifically before embarking on any study program. The best source for obtaining information is from a friend or acquaintance who happens to be a teacher. He or she will know most of the ins and outs and that will save you a lot of time and headaches. Official forms and information pamphlets can be obtained by writing or calling your state education office. Becom-ing a public school ESL teacher is not an easy road, but it can lead to a highly rewarding teaching career.