The United States is often described as a melting pot of cultural diversity and is claimed home by millions of individuals who do not speak English as a primary or native language. These peoples come from across the sea or borders around our nation and oftentimes speak only their home language. This hindrance prevents them from fully integrating with the majority of U.S. citizens and also hinders their professional opportunities. A person’s inability to speak English will prove detrimental to the opportunities available to them. This is where English as a second language (ESL) instructors come in.

In compulsory education, students are given the opportunity to learn a foreign language as part of the arts. They can learn from the popular Latin-based languages such as Spanish, German and French, among others. Similar to this method of instruction, ESL teachers design courses for students attempting to learn English as a second language. Most students are recent immigrants or have grown-up in a community that speaks another language entirely. They now have the desire to learn how to speak English and work in a nation that predominantly speaks English.

ESL instructors typically derive their roots from a similar background to that of their students and do not speak English as their native or primary language. Yet there are many state school teachers who have become fluent in a foreign language as native English speakers. Requisite to this career is that you speak a minimum of one language in addition to English. However, there is more to ESL teaching than simply speaking English and the language of your students. Attending an online school or a traditional college for a bachelor’s degree in teaching will instruct you how to:

• Prepare lesson plans
• Teach pronunciation and accent reduction
• Introduce cultural aspects

You will perform work similar to that of any other foreign language instructor, depending on the setting. Whether teaching in a public school or private tutoring, you will create classes to help develop a student’s ability to read, write and speak English. Your lessons will begin simplistically with an emphasis on common terms, objects and grammar, working towards more complex principles such as sentence structure. You will work with students to help them develop their comprehension of the language and use it on a daily basis. Repetition and frequent use will be critical to their learning, and you will be responsible for instilling the motivation to learn.

ESL students are working toward a future where they can speak the predominant language that permeates the country. English is one of the most largely spoken languages in the world, and learning it will provide speakers with a wealth of opportunity. You will be helping them in this journey, enabling them for common and complex interactions with their English-speaking peers.