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Foreign language teacher vs language instructor

The differences between foreign language teachers and language instructors can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 1-2 years to become both a foreign language teacher and a language instructor. Additionally, a language instructor has an average salary of $57,946, which is higher than the $53,918 average annual salary of a foreign language teacher.

The top three skills for a foreign language teacher include classroom management, student learning and mandarin. The most important skills for a language instructor are kids, classroom management, and grammar.

Foreign language teacher vs language instructor overview

Foreign Language TeacherLanguage Instructor
Yearly salary$53,918$57,946
Hourly rate$25.92$27.86
Growth rate12%12%
Number of jobs73,40645,062
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 65%Bachelor's Degree, 66%
Average age4646
Years of experience22

What does a foreign language teacher do?

A Foreign Language Teacher helps students to learn a foreign language. They participate in school-wide activities, like recruiting new students, workshops, and other special events.

They also note how well learners participate in the learning discussions, grade their homework assignments, and evaluate their performances.

What does a language instructor do?

A language instructor is responsible for teaching the students to master a specific language, both written and oral instructions, as well as its structure, development, and history. Language instructors prepare engaging lesson plans and educational materials for the students' easy comprehension. They evaluate the students' progress by conducting assessments, identifying areas of improvement, and adjusting teaching strategies to address those difficulties. A language instructor must have extensive knowledge of their language expertise, responding to the students' inquiries and concerns accurately.

Foreign language teacher vs language instructor salary

Foreign language teachers and language instructors have different pay scales, as shown below.

Foreign Language TeacherLanguage Instructor
Average salary$53,918$57,946
Salary rangeBetween $38,000 And $74,000Between $40,000 And $82,000
Highest paying CityMonterey, CAMonterey, CA
Highest paying stateNew HampshireCalifornia
Best paying companyHoward UniversityKern Community College District
Best paying industryEducationGovernment

Differences between foreign language teacher and language instructor education

There are a few differences between a foreign language teacher and a language instructor in terms of educational background:

Foreign Language TeacherLanguage Instructor
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 65%Bachelor's Degree, 66%
Most common majorLinguisticsEnglish
Most common collegeHarvard UniversityHarvard University

Foreign language teacher vs language instructor demographics

Here are the differences between foreign language teachers' and language instructors' demographics:

Foreign Language TeacherLanguage Instructor
Average age4646
Gender ratioMale, 30.6% Female, 69.4%Male, 44.2% Female, 55.8%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 7.2% Unknown, 4.9% Hispanic or Latino, 10.3% Asian, 11.7% White, 65.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3%Black or African American, 7.0% Unknown, 4.9% Hispanic or Latino, 10.0% Asian, 15.2% White, 62.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3%
LGBT Percentage16%16%

Differences between foreign language teacher and language instructor duties and responsibilities

Foreign language teacher example responsibilities.

  • Supervise and manage class; facilitate and teach conversational Tagalog including cultural aspects.
  • Work in conjunction with foreign language department in curriculum design and instructional strategies.
  • Conduct after school ESL courses for teachers.
  • Redesign curricular program to align with ACTFL performance guidelines and standards.
  • Collaborate with local administrators to create curriculum suitable for ESL students.
  • Evaluate entrance examination and place students in appropriate language level and coordinate language proficiency testing for all students.
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Language instructor example responsibilities.

  • Supervise and manage class; facilitate and teach conversational Tagalog including cultural aspects.
  • Distribute marketing materials to community organizations and businesses and lead community outreach strategy on behalf of ESOL department regarding various programs/schedules/opportunities.
  • Develop and implement communicative, task-base, learner-centered Tagalog language learning activities.
  • Design and teach ESOL classes to Hispanic senior citizens of mix language ability.
  • Identify and utilize effective methods to teach grammar, conversation skills and vocabulary to non-native speakers.
  • Design quizzes and exams including listening comprehension, grammar and vocabulary manipulation, and composition/ dialogue creation.
  • Show more

Foreign language teacher vs language instructor skills

Common foreign language teacher skills
  • Classroom Management, 14%
  • Student Learning, 10%
  • Mandarin, 7%
  • Target Language, 6%
  • Public Schools, 6%
  • Professional Development, 5%
Common language instructor skills
  • Kids, 11%
  • Classroom Management, 9%
  • Grammar, 7%
  • Course Content, 5%
  • Group Classes, 5%
  • Foreign Language, 5%

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