New immigrants strive to learn English
Schools, corporations clamor for instructors
Amid the chaos of Park Street station in central Boston, a mix of languages fill the air. A mother scolds her child in Vietnamese, a teenage couple converse in Spanish, and an Italian tourist asks for directions in his native tongue.
In Arabic, Chinese, Spanish, Hebrew, German, and countless other tongues, non-native English speakers are bringing their language to the streets and suburbs of Boston. But the state's growing immigrant population is also bringing something more: a thirst to learn English.
"There are lines of people who want to learn English," says Siri Karm Singh Khalsa, president of the Boston Language Institute. "There's just a huge demand." Like other immigrants before them, the nation's latest newcomers are eager to learn the language of their adoptive homeland, Khalsa says, and it's easy to see why. Proficiency in English is crucial to improving job prospects, a recent report by the Research Division of the Boston Redevelopment Authority (BRA) found. The report, which notes that more than 55,000 of Greater Boston's 1.8 million workers have limited English proficiency, says that better language skills mean better paying jobs. In fact, the BRA report says, the pay scale for jobs in the highest language skill category is over two and a half times more than for occupations in the lowest skill category.
The prospect of better wages combined with a strong desire by immigrants to craft a prosperous future is also fueling the demand for bilingual and English language teachers in the Bay State. The need is so acute, education officials say, that as many as 600 additional language instructors are needed statewide to fill the educational void. "We have a statewide shortage," says Kathryn Riley, administrator of the Office of Language Acquisition for the Massachusetts Department of Education, referring to the 400 to 600 additional English as a Second Language (ESL) teachers needed in Massachusetts public schools.
In Boston, where about 20,000 students speak at least 30 different languages ranging from Cantonese to Urdu, the need for bilingual and ESL teachers is especially critical. Competition to attract ESL teachers is so fierce, in fact, that because of shortages only 30 to 40 new ESL public school teachers will be hired next year in Boston. The district needs about 300, Carrigo says.
Schools aren't the only institutions facing a shortfall of ESL teachers. "There is a demand all over the world," says Khalsa, whose Boston Language Institute trains about 150 ESL teachers annually. Corporations, universities, international organizations, and volunteer agencies also need ESL teachers to help employees, students, and other foreign speakers perfect their English. "The need for English teachers is enormous," he says. While being a native English speaker is often enough to qualify for a job as an ESL instructor in certain parts of the world, training is crucial for teachers and others eyeing high-profile job placements. In fact, most employers require a proficiency in English along with a minimum 120 hours of training and a certificate in Teaching English as a Foreign Language (TEFL). Public and private school instructors who have already earned teaching degrees, also require TEFL certification.
TEFL training generally focuses on developing a number of teaching skills that range from classroom training to assessing student performance. The courses, which run from a few weeks to several months, are offered by many colleges, universities, and professional language institutes at costs ranging from a few hundred to several thousand dollars, depending on the caliber of the institution and the amount of time required to complete the course.
Once certified, however, a wide array of job opportunities is available for ESL teachers at schools, language institutes, and private corporations or international firms, where English training for executives is in high demand. Certification can also open the door to higher paying jobs with starting rates in the $20 to $30 per hour range, Khalsa says. More experienced professionals, especially those with master's degrees, can expect to earn as much as $65 per hour.
Not only ESL teachers are in high demand. There is also a shortfall of bilingual instructors, Carrigo says. These are teachers qualified to teach children in bilingual classrooms in Massachusetts public schools. Despite a 2002 voter mandate requiring ESL classes for public school students, with the aim of eliminating the teaching of regular courses in a foreign language, bilingual instruction is still needed. This is because an "opt out" program allows parents to place children in classes where subjects are taught in both English and the child's native tongue, Carrigo notes. Boston, one of about four school districts in the state to offer bilingual instruction, currently has some 600 students and 45 teachers in its bilingual program. That could grow, however, based on demand, funding, and the availability of bilingual instructors.
With rising need from the state's growing immigrant population and corporations, the job outlook for both ESL and bilingual instructors is exceptionally bright, Carrigo says. "If I were looking for a job right now, my advice would be to get certified in ESL, because it's almost a certainty that you will get a job offer."
