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Job outlook for conversational english teachers in the United States
Are conversational english teacher jobs in demand?
Conversational english teacher job and salary trends over time
Conversational english teacher jobs over time
Conversational english teacher job growth rate over time
| Year | # of jobs | % of population |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 439 | 0.00% |
| 2020 | 486 | 0.00% |
| 2019 | 510 | 0.00% |
| 2018 | 513 | 0.00% |
| 2017 | 519 | 0.00% |
Average conversational english teacher salary over time
Conversational english teacher salary by year
| Year | Avg. salary | Hourly rate | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $53,804 | $25.87 | +0.7% |
| 2024 | $53,406 | $25.68 | +2.9% |
| 2023 | $51,925 | $24.96 | +2.6% |
| 2022 | $50,615 | $24.33 | +1.9% |
| 2021 | $49,695 | $23.89 | +2.8% |
Conversational english teacher jobs by state
Most common states for conversational english teachers
| Rank | State | Population | # of jobs | Employment/ 1000ppl |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | District of Columbia | 693,972 | 116 | 17% |
| 2 | New Hampshire | 1,342,795 | 167 | 12% |
| 3 | Maryland | 6,052,177 | 655 | 11% |
| 4 | Colorado | 5,607,154 | 611 | 11% |
| 5 | Illinois | 12,802,023 | 1,218 | 10% |
| 6 | New Jersey | 9,005,644 | 912 | 10% |
| 7 | Delaware | 961,939 | 94 | 10% |
| 8 | Massachusetts | 6,859,819 | 650 | 9% |
| 9 | Minnesota | 5,576,606 | 520 | 9% |
| 10 | New Mexico | 2,088,070 | 196 | 9% |
| 11 | Montana | 1,050,493 | 93 | 9% |
| 12 | Virginia | 8,470,020 | 644 | 8% |
| 13 | Nebraska | 1,920,076 | 149 | 8% |
| 14 | Oklahoma | 3,930,864 | 256 | 7% |
| 15 | Kansas | 2,913,123 | 198 | 7% |
| 16 | Pennsylvania | 12,805,537 | 825 | 6% |
| 17 | Michigan | 9,962,311 | 611 | 6% |
| 18 | North Carolina | 10,273,419 | 596 | 6% |
| 19 | Wisconsin | 5,795,483 | 321 | 6% |
| 20 | Vermont | 623,657 | 40 | 6% |
Conversational English Teacher job outlook: Expert opinions
Our panel of conversational english teacher experts
SUNY Buffalo State
Wilson College
University of Houston - Downtown
Concordia University
Arizona State University
The University of Texas Permian Basin
Pennsylvania State University Altoona
Jackson State University
Dr. Mark Fulk Ph.D.
Associate ProfessorSUNY Buffalo State
Department of English
What skills stand out on Conversational English Teacher resumes?
Dr. Mark Fulk Ph.D.: Their involvement in many kinds of experience through the English major, including the study of literature/culture and their experiences as writers and thinkers. Through involvement in opportunities such as writing tutoring, which is done via the department, publishing, and internships, our majors can be leaders in the work in which they are invested, helping to manage and guide others.
What soft skills should all Conversational English Teachers possess?
Dr. Mark Fulk Ph.D.: English majors, while many are introverted thinkers, are good workers on group projects. They are affable and adaptable, good conversationalists who are also good listeners. They allow others to find their own voice and do their work while contributing their own insights. They are great for being engaged in culture and perpetuating the kinds of self-directed learning that is expected of English majors inside and outside the classroom.
Michael Cornelius Ph.D.
Professor of English, Program Director MAHUMWilson College
English Department
What soft skills should all Conversational English Teachers possess?
Michael Cornelius Ph.D.: Communication and care. Communication in all of its forms-written, oral, public speaking, and interpersonal, one-on-one communication abilities are all vital. A confident communicator can work wonders in many fields.
Add to that care. The study of English is not just the study of language; it is the study of those narratives that shape and dominate humanity and the means through which we make and understand them. I can't think of a better way to learn and know people. But that should come through as an ethos of care. If you want to teach, you must care for your students. No matter the field an English major may find themselves in, an ethos of care will serve them well.
Adam Ellwanger Ph.D.
Professor of EnglishUniversity of Houston - Downtown
College of Humanities & Social Sciences
What skills stand out on Conversational English Teacher resumes?
Adam Ellwanger Ph.D.: When applying to be an instructor of English, your resume itself must be clean and totally without error. If you can't produce impeccable writing, why should your prospective employers believe that you can teach others to do so? A clean, complete, well-formatted resume reflects that you are a strong writer and editor, and these are critical skills. Of course, if you want to be an English instructor, some experience as a teacher is strongly preferred -- even if that is in informal contexts (e.g., leading training sessions at a previous place of employment or serving as a teaching assistant in graduate school).
What soft skills should all Conversational English Teachers possess?
Adam Ellwanger Ph.D.: It is also important that you speak well -- that you are a good conversationalist. People in education want to hire people who will be collegial co-workers and have a dynamic classroom presence.
What are the biggest trends we'll see in the Conversational English Teacher job market given the pandemic?
John Norton Ph.D.: A need to communicate clearly and creatively through different medium
What are the biggest trends we'll see in the Conversational English Teacher job market given the pandemic?
Jessica Early Ph.D.: In the coming years, there will be more need than ever for well-trained teachers in all levels and aspects of schools. There will also be a need to support partnerships with community organizations, family outreach, libraries, and extra-curricular kinds of support to support the academic and social emotion needs of children and their families. There will also be great need for highly skilled teachers in supporting students in digital forms of literacy, writing, and reading practices.
What certifications/licenses/courses can have the biggest impact for Conversational English Teachers?
Jessica Early Ph.D.: Teachers who receive their reading endorsement as well as training in the teaching of writing through local sites of the National Writing Project, like the Central Arizona Writing Project at ASU put themselves at an advantage. Also, courses that prepare teachers in culturally sustaining teaching practices and digital literacies will help them meet the needs of diverse student populations and ever-evolving communication tools.
Rebecca Babcock
William and Ordelle Watts ProfessorThe University of Texas Permian Basin
Department of Literature and Language
What's a good job out of college for Conversational English Teachers?
Rebecca Babcock: All people seeking to enter a career should plan on doing an internship in that business. I believe an internship is the best way to get started in any career. If an internship is not available consider an apprenticeship, volunteering, or job shadowing. Get yourself in there and show how valuable you are.
What will help Conversational English Teachers increase their earning potential?
Rebecca Babcock: Networking is always key. Especially for those working for themselves...the more people you know...the more contacts you have...the more jobs you will get. I am talking about real networking, not social networking. This means talk to people, get to know them, become friends or at least acquaintances with people in the industry you want to enter.
What Conversational English Teacher skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?
Roselyn Costantino Ph.D.: Most important advice: Take initiative and be productive.
Find practical ways to use skills even if unpaid. Volunteer work is good. Use language skills. Technology skills. Exploit technology skills around the area of interest. If you want to be a teacher find out what software they are using today; what research skills are they utilize. Make sure you log your activities during the gap year especially those that relate to the area in which you want to work. If you want to go into finance, and you're working at a lawn service, understand and learn the business model and the accounting. If you're working at Starbucks (or in any commercial environment), get a chance to do inventories, learn about the ordering process and sources and suppliers for those orders; and how people are scheduled for work. All of that is relevant experience for business.
The CFO and recruiter for Keystone Staffing Solutions emphasized having evidence in your resume of of being productive during the gap time, no matter if it's one, two or three years. Evidence of being productive is what recruiters want to see on your resume: He stresses: "What did you do to expand your knowledge and skills not only in your selected area but beyond. BEING PRODUCTIVE for yourself proves to be an indicator of how productive you will be for me."
Still on gap year. How to go about it? Use teachers, friends, family, anyone in the field or related to it to provide guidance, insight, suggestions. This can lead to projects or experience that will help in learning and growth.
What experience really stands out on Conversational English Teacher resumes?
Roselyn Costantino Ph.D.: All of us took language classes. Recruiters want to know how you are able to use the language; not how many years you studied or if you majored or minored, but can you sustain an intelligent conversation with a speaker in that language. Practical use, real life. Study abroad highly recommended. However, you need to differentiate between going abroad to party versus expanding your language and cultural skills.
Globalization--even among small farmers, small businesses--and population migrations make speaking a foreign language a substantial advantage in the job market, across fields, throughout the U.S. and abroad. Spanish, in particular, is highly sought after not only for companies/organizations with international business or connections, but also those operating only in the U.S. I have for years and still receive regular requests from legal, medical, corporate, non-profit organizations for written or in-person translations because they do not have enough people on site with this skill. These are well-paid.
Jobs of the future that we cannot even imagine now will benefit from and require the language and cultural skills that perspective employees can provide. Without sounding crass, and speaking specifically about Spanish, studies have shown that when 2 applicants with similar resumes apply for the same job, with the only difference being ability to speak Spanish, the applicant with Spanish-language skills will get the job the overwhelming majority of times and will be in the position to demand a higher salary, than the one who does not. Just a fact.
What technical skills for a Conversational English Teacher stand out to employers?
Leticia Pérez Alonso Ph.D.: In the past some employers appeared to be attracted to candidates who were familiar with online or distant education. Given the changing face of the academia, especially over the last year, I believe that skills to work remotely will be especially taken into consideration when hiring instructors of English language, education and literature. As I see it, an ability to develop online courses through platforms such as Canvas, Moodle or Blackboard stand out to employers of the educational sector. Along these lines, experience with video communications technologies such as Zoom will be a plus when deciding to hire an online or distance English teacher.
Additionally, specializations in English literature appear to have dropped, yet positions in rhetoric and composition are still in demand. Therefore, those English majors interested in literature might want to diversify their curriculum and receive training in areas such as technical and professional writing. They might also be interested in expanding their knowledge in second language acquisition or pedagogy to teach English to foreign speakers.