Online Teaching ESL Degree

Online ESL Degree

If you love different cultures and languages, and if you love teaching, an English as a Second Language (ESL) degree is the perfect degree for you.


With an ESL degree (sometimes called TESOL- Teacher of English to Speakers of Other Languages), the world is your oyster. You could choose to stay in the U.S. and help immigrants learn English or you could travel around the world teaching English in schools or privately.

Some institutions abroad may require a certificate in TEFL (Teaching English as a Foreign Language) if you are already holding a TESOL certificate or Bachelor's. This requirement is often waved if the applicant is holding a Master's or a PhD.

English is still considered the lingua Franca of Business, Science, Aviation, Business, Popular Music, and Diplomacy. And the good news is, no matter where you go, you will find people who either want to learn English or want to improve their level of English.

Degree Choices

C, BA, MA, PhD. With the ESL field the degree choices are as abundant as the career possibilities. If you plan to travel abroad and just want something to supplement your income when funds run low, a certificate in ESL is enough.

If you want to teach English in a University anywhere in the world, you will need to finish at the Master's level or hold a combined BA and Certificate. If you want to lead Certificate or Master's courses in ESL, you will most likely need your PhD in Linguistics.

At the Master's level, most degree programs split into two tracts- Adult Education and K-12 Education. The reason for this is that adults and children acquire second languages quite differently at the physical (brain structure) level. Additionally the methods used in instruction can vary widely- many adults would probably not appreciate a teacher doing the Hokey Pokey with them to teach body parts, for example. Finally, there are different licensing requirements for K-12 ESL degree holders that are generally not pertinent to Adult ESL practitioners.

Most of the coursework you find in ESL degree programs revolve around two factors: Theories in Second Language Acquisition and Language Learning and methods used in the classroom.

Many programs start out by reviewing the history of ESL methodology- often referred to the "designer methods of the 60s and 70s". This information will come in handier than you think as you travel the world and you realize that some institutions still revere the outdated or debunked methods. As an ESL professional you can be the voice of reason that helps bring their ESL program into the 21st Century.

Career and Salary Outlook

As mentioned earlier, the world is truly your oyster when you hold an ESL degree. Within the U.S., there are always an influx of immigrants who will need help navigating the language and the culture. Every country in the world has English centers or University Preparatory classes which they prefer to populate with "Native Speakers".

The Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that the current average salary for ESL practitioners is about $47,000. Abroad, the salaries can vary widely, but are often much higher than those of the local teachers who have learned English as their 2^nd or 3^rd language. Additionally, the salary received is somewhat in relation to the standard of living in the country.

For example, in Istanbul, Turkey in a private university, you could take home as much as $36,000 a year. While that doesn't sound like much, consider that riding a bus costs just $1.00 and a pound of tomatoes can be had for $0.25 a pound. Furthermore, most universities offer on-campus housing and service busses to and from the school, so you don't incur rent or transportation fees.