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Job outlook for foreign language teachers in the United States
Foreign language teacher job growth summary. After extensive research, interviews, and analysis, Zippia's data science team found that:
The projected foreign language teacher job growth rate is 12% from 2018-2028.
About 159,400 new jobs for foreign language teachers are projected over the next decade.
Foreign language teacher salaries have increased 10% for foreign language teachers in the last 5 years.
There are over 35,235 foreign language teachers currently employed in the United States.
There are 73,406 active foreign language teacher job openings in the US.
The average foreign language teacher salary is $53,918.
Are foreign language teacher jobs in demand?
Foreign language teacher job and salary trends over time
Foreign language teacher jobs over time
Foreign language teacher job growth rate over time
| Year | # of jobs | % of population |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 35,235 | 0.01% |
| 2020 | 36,889 | 0.01% |
| 2019 | 39,133 | 0.01% |
| 2018 | 39,867 | 0.01% |
| 2017 | 40,347 | 0.01% |
Average foreign language teacher salary over time
Foreign language teacher salary by year
| Year | Avg. salary | Hourly rate | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | $53,918 | $25.92 | --0.1% |
| 2025 | $53,972 | $25.95 | +3.5% |
| 2024 | $52,160 | $25.08 | +4.0% |
| 2023 | $50,132 | $24.10 | +2.4% |
| 2022 | $48,968 | $23.54 | +3.5% |
Foreign language teacher jobs by state
Most common states for foreign language teachers
| Rank | State | Population | # of jobs | Employment/ 1000ppl |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | New Hampshire | 1,342,795 | 401 | 30% |
| 2 | Vermont | 623,657 | 152 | 24% |
| 3 | District of Columbia | 693,972 | 144 | 21% |
| 4 | Delaware | 961,939 | 170 | 18% |
| 5 | Massachusetts | 6,859,819 | 1,163 | 17% |
| 6 | Maryland | 6,052,177 | 970 | 16% |
| 7 | Colorado | 5,607,154 | 858 | 15% |
| 8 | New Mexico | 2,088,070 | 314 | 15% |
| 9 | Illinois | 12,802,023 | 1,745 | 14% |
| 10 | Virginia | 8,470,020 | 1,114 | 13% |
| 11 | Kansas | 2,913,123 | 369 | 13% |
| 12 | West Virginia | 1,815,857 | 230 | 13% |
| 13 | Montana | 1,050,493 | 140 | 13% |
| 14 | New Jersey | 9,005,644 | 1,110 | 12% |
| 15 | Minnesota | 5,576,606 | 659 | 12% |
| 16 | Nebraska | 1,920,076 | 230 | 12% |
| 17 | South Carolina | 5,024,369 | 538 | 11% |
| 18 | Iowa | 3,145,711 | 358 | 11% |
| 19 | Florida | 20,984,400 | 2,129 | 10% |
| 20 | Connecticut | 3,588,184 | 357 | 10% |
Most common cities for foreign language teachers
| Rank | City | # of jobs | Employment/ 1000ppl | Avg. salary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Monterey | 4 | 14% | $76,152 |
| 2 | Stamford | 1 | 1% | $56,446 |
| 3 | Boston | 1 | 0% | $70,968 |
Foreign Language Teacher job outlook: Expert opinions
Our panel of foreign language teacher experts
University of Michigan - Ann Arbor
Ohio State University
University of Arkansas, Fayetteville
SUNY Stony Brook
Oklahoma State University
SUNY Stony Brook
University of Puerto Rico - Humacao
University of Michigan Dearborn
Mercy College
Ohio State University
Saint Mary's College of California
Union University
Macalester College
University of Iowa
Texas Woman's University
Kent State University
North Central College
The University of Vermont
Texas Tech University
What general advice would you give to a Foreign Language Teacher?
Kalli Federhofer: I encourage every student to pursue a second major or at least a minor along with German. German is an attractive major: behind the US and China, Germany has the third-largest GDP. In a world that continues to be globalized, having not only a strong linguistic background but also intercultural understanding may open the doors to international careers.
What Foreign Language Teacher skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?
Kalli Federhofer: Current and future German students are an advantage. The number of German students in high school is dropping. While this process is worrisome, it is ideal for the new language learners. We still have a large demand for students who combine language proficiency with technical skill; with fewer students around who have language skills, the prospects of finding a lucrative position rises.
What will help Foreign Language Teachers increase their earning potential?
Kalli Federhofer: While AI will effectuate changes in all areas of process development, it is still vitally important to understand the nuances, modulations, and refinements that characterize the underlying human interaction that starts such changes. Technical skills will therefore remain important overall, but the human agents behind these processes need to understand the intercultural facets of the global markets. Studying a language can be immensely beneficial.
What general advice would you give to a Foreign Language Teacher?
Sarah-Grace Heller: Romance language studies set a graduate apart as unique if they know how to talk about what they have gained. Anecdotally, students who say they got into graduate programs and jobs in many different fields because it made them stand out in a stack of seemingly identical applications. Having competencies in more than one language is a significant advantage for careers in education, translation, and international business.
What Foreign Language Teacher skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?
Sarah-Grace Heller: Learning one romance language puts you on a fast track to learning another. Having competencies in more than one is a significant advantage for careers in education, translation, and international business. Knowing that you can learn another more easily than a monolingual person is also an advantage.
What will help Foreign Language Teachers increase their earning potential?
Sarah-Grace Heller: For success, students need to be prepared to talk about their transferable skills: intercultural competency, the ability to listen, respect, and connect people from different cultural backgrounds, tolerance for ambiguity earned through the humbling process of learning a new language, the ability to manage in new places and cultures, an understanding of how languages break down into grammatical units and use patterns, observation and critical analysis skills, curiosity, etc.
What general advice would you give to a Foreign Language Teacher?
Dr. Vicki Collet: As in all fields, those who know how to use AI will prosper. Find ways to use AI to simplify processes and to support your creativity, always keeping at the forefront the needs of the unique students in your classes. Copy and paste cannot meet the needs of your students, but it can provide a starting place.
What will help Foreign Language Teachers increase their earning potential?
Dr. Vicki Collet: First-year teachers should reach out to colleagues for support. Don't hesitate! Every school has their own ways of doing things, and you won't know unless you ask. There is no shame in asking for help. Plan a personal retreat for October. Your adrenaline will be high as you start the school year with your own classroom. However, by October, you will likely feel worn out from learning the new duties and responsibilities. Plan ahead to bolster yourself through this month. After refueling, refocus on why you chose this profession.
Dr. Sarah Jourdain
Chair, Department of Languages & Cultural Studies, Director, World Language Teacher PreparationSUNY Stony Brook
Area Studies
What general advice would you give to a Foreign Language Teacher?
Dr. Sarah Jourdain: For those starting a career in the field of languages and cultural studies, maximizing salary potential can be achieved by becoming certified in a minimum of two fields (e.g., French and Spanish, or a World Language and TESOL). This certification provides greater job flexibility and can lead to increased earning potential.
What Foreign Language Teacher skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?
Dr. Sarah Jourdain: The ability to speak another language, understand other cultures, and possess intercultural competence will become increasingly important and prevalent in various fields including International Business, Government work, NGOs, and translation/interpretation. There is a growing demand for World Language teachers, Bilingual teachers, and Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) in the K-12 school system.
What will help Foreign Language Teachers increase their earning potential?
Dr. Sarah Jourdain: The ability to speak another language, and understand other cultures, is of great benefit in many fields including International Business, work for Governments as well as NGOs, and translation and interpretation to name just a few. Intercultural competence, paired with language ability, makes most people more marketable in their chosen fields. I'm best able to speak specifically about those preparing to become K-12 language teachers since that is the population of students I work most closely with. There is a growing demand for World Language teachers, as well as Bilingual teachers, and Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) in the K-12 school system. It is an excellent time to enter the teaching profession. For those wishing to become teachers, it is advisable to become certified in a minimum of two fields (French and Spanish, for example, or a World Language and TESOL). This provides a greater range of job flexibility.
What Foreign Language Teacher skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?
Dr. Sarah Donovan: The skills that will become more important and prevalent in the field of education is a firm grounding in humanizing practices of education - to develop communities of learning in classrooms that draw on the expertise and lived experiences of our students. The students have a wealth of knowledge and experience that we need to engage in order to inspire students to be lifelong learners who can shape the future.
Educators can continue to develop collaborative skills within their field of expertise while also extending their own learning to other disciplines so that we can draw may literacies to design curriculum and inform instruction.
Educators need to be curriculum designers.
What general advice would you give to a Foreign Language Teacher?
Elena Davidiak: A bilingual teacher interacts with a population of ENL students sharing a first language, providing instruction in the minority language (or a combination of the majority and minority language). They need to be comfortable in the minority language, including the subject they are teaching. They will communicate daily with students who speak a variety of dialects and have varying levels of academic experience. They will be teaching their subject, adjusting the rhythm and teaching style according to their students' needs and previous experience, but also help the student navigate their environment and advocate for them. Someone entering the field should be familiar with the unique needs of bilingual children and their families, have sufficient knowledge about types of bilingual acquisition and the differences in milestones between bilingual and monolingual learners so that they can adjust their expectations accordingly.
What will help Foreign Language Teachers increase their earning potential?
Elena Davidiak: The number of bilingual/non--native English speakers is constantly growing, and with more information about the benefits of bilingualism available recently, many families choose to enroll their children in bilingual maintenance/dual language immersion programs. The presence of bilingual teachers also empowers the students by giving them better representation at the school.
What Foreign Language Teacher skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?
Maritere Cardona Matos Ed.D.: Being able to collaborate is essential in the academia as well as in the workplace. Educators need to cultivate students' abilities to work effectively in teams and communicate their ideas clearly both orally and in writing. Educators also need to develop students' awareness of what is happening around the world to help them develop empathy and values. We live in a world that is in constant movement, so students need to be able to adapt and manage time and stress.
Christopher Burke PhD
Professor Science EducationUniversity of Michigan Dearborn
Health/Medical Preparatory Programs
What general advice would you give to a Foreign Language Teacher?
Christopher Burke PhD: Build and tend to caring relationships with your colleagues and mentors, your students, and in the community.
Get advice and support from fellow teachers and continue to learn with and from them.
Remember why you chose teaching as a career and let that motivation guide you.
Practice empathy with your students, colleagues, and yourself.
Take your class outside whenever you can.
Know/Learn what helps you to be at your best (8 hours of sleep? Going to the gym before work? Movie night with friends).
What general advice would you give to a Foreign Language Teacher?
Dr. Christina O'Connor Ph.D.: In teaching, salaries are generally fixed based on years of experience and credentials. So, the best way to maximize earning potential is to get additional credentials through pursuing advanced degrees or National Board certification, depending on your state's salary schedule.
What general advice would you give to a Foreign Language Teacher?
Dr. Alan Hartman: Again, there are many fields that students enter after completing their major in Spanish. I feel a major key to success is to get a graduate degree immediately after finishing one's undergraduate degree, which beginning next semester will be possible at Mercy University through our five-year programs in Spanish & TESOL and Spanish & MBA Programs.
What Foreign Language Teacher skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?
Dr. Alan Hartman: Being fluent in two or more languages is essential in today's work. We are becoming increasingly globalized and tethered together as a world community. The more languages one speaks, reads, understands, and writes fluently the more opportunities one will find. Many people speak a second language, especially in New York, however very few can command a professional level of cultural or linguistic fluency in more than one language. Understanding another culture and language is power, and the more languages one speaks fluently while also holding an elevated level of cultural understanding, the more opportunities of all kinds will become apparent.
I think it is also important to note that there is a record lack of languages teachers in general at the moment and this is one field into which many of our graduates enter. Italian, French, Spanish, and TESOL teachers are all in tremendous need and now is an excellent moment for new teachers to find immediate, meaningful, and well-paying positions with excellent benefits.
Similarly, many government agencies, among them the FBI, Foreign Service, and others, are actively seeking to attract recent graduates into their field and a background in languages well positions future candidates who wish to do so.
What will help Foreign Language Teachers increase their earning potential?
Dr. Alan Hartman: There are many fields that students enter from the Spanish Major. Studying abroad is one of the most important first steps for undergraduates if possible. After that, being active culturally in the Hispanic world is key; attending museum exhibits, conference talks, and generally finding reasons to mix with people who are active in the field while also informing oneself of key topics and happenings. Once the student begins to do these things, the field opens before them and those inside are eager to welcome enthusiastic and active newcomers that have a proven record of activity.
Janice Aski
Professor of Italian and Director of the Center for Languages Literatures and CulturesOhio State University
Romance Languages, Literatures, And Linguistics
What will help Foreign Language Teachers increase their earning potential?
Janice Aski: Students graduating with majors and minors in a world language have so many skills that they have developed during their studies in a new language. I often see students not leveraging these skills in interviews and on their resumes. Through the Center for Languages Literatures and Cultures we offer a workshop in which we explain to students what these skills are and how to talk about them in interviews and how to put them on their resume as more than just a line at the end under ‘languages spoken’. See the next answer for what some of these skills are.
What Foreign Language Teacher skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?
Peter Alter Ph.D.: Public school salary systems are determined by years of teaching (sometimes called Steps) and level of education. Get a Master's degree. Add an authorization via coursework. Anything that will move you over a column on the salary schedule. Then figure out your side hustle- coaching, tutoring, doing something completely away from education. This may be challenging in your first year but as you get acclimated, you are going to have more time that you will be able to monetize.
What skills stand out on Foreign Language Teacher resumes?
Julie Glosson: -Area of specialization
-Language proficiency
-Work History
-Study abroad/Immersion type of experiences
What soft skills should all Foreign Language Teachers possess?
Julie Glosson: -Positive attitude
-Adaptability
-Ability to be a team player as well as work independently
-Willingness to grow and learn from mistakes
What hard/technical skills are most important for Foreign Language Teachers?
Julie Glosson: -Language proficiency
-Knowledge of content
-Pedagogical Skills in Language Acquisition
-Professional Development
What skills will help Foreign Language Teachers earn the most?
Julie Glosson: -Completed Terminal Degree (professors)
-Publications (professors)
-Other scholarly material (professors)
-Specialization in another area (either professor or K12 teacher)
-State certifications (K12 teachers)
-Other types of certifications or affiliations (either professor or K12 teacher)
Nanette Scott Goldman
Senior Lecturer in the Classical Mediterranean and Middle EastMacalester College
Department of the Classical Mediterranean and Middle East
What skills stand out on Foreign Language Teacher resumes?
Nanette Scott Goldman: Language fluency and teaching experience.
What soft skills should all Foreign Language Teachers possess?
Nanette Scott Goldman: With a Classical languages major, you learn to excel at clear writing, listening, memorizing, data analysis, critical thinking, promoting understanding across cultural boundaries, data organization, and presentation
What hard/technical skills are most important for Foreign Language Teachers?
Nanette Scott Goldman: With a classical languages major, you learn to excel at writing clearly, listening, memorizing, data analysis, critical thinking, promoting understanding across cultural boundaries, data organization, and presentation
Dr. Irina Kostina
Associate Professor of Instruction, The Director of Undergraduate Studies in the Russian ProgramUniversity of Iowa
Division of World Languages, Literatures and Cultures
What skills stand out on Foreign Language Teacher resumes?
Dr. Irina Kostina: Traditionally in Russia, we had this very important info in our resume: 1) education, 2) work experience, 3) publications.
Today being the Director of the Russian program at the University of Iowa, I would appreciate my colleagues who have the skills:
Critical thinking, patience, and leadership.
What soft skills should all Foreign Language Teachers possess?
Dr. Irina Kostina: Some of the soft skills are listed above. I would add to the aforementioned skills organization, communication, and teamwork.
What hard/technical skills are most important for Foreign Language Teachers?
Dr. Irina Kostina: Certifications, computer skills, writing, language, and presentation skills.
What skills will help Foreign Language Teachers earn the most?
Dr. Irina Kostina: Unfortunately, everything changed today. Before, degrees were very important, but today the skills are.
Social media marketing, content writing, website development, and so on... will help to earn more money and educational administration.
Gina Anderson
Associate Dean for Educator Preparation and PartnershipsTexas Woman's University
TWU College of Professional Education
What general advice would you give to a Foreign Language Teacher?
Gina Anderson: The intrinsic factors (making an impact, schedule, etc.) are often enjoyed by teachers. The paperwork, rules, regulations, and high-stakes accountability measures are often disliked by educators.
What Foreign Language Teacher skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?
Gina Anderson: The daily workload of an educator varies greatly by the grade level, subject area, and needs of the students served. If the grade level is a "tested" year, this means that the expectations and pressures are typically higher in that standardized test scores are used to make high-stakes decisions about the student's progress, the teacher's effectiveness, and the school's and district's reputation. Similarly, if a grade level is one associated with a benchmark (all students reading at grade level) or for foundational skills (learning to read). Secondary teachers are also held responsible for end of year progress of their students - especially for subjects like English, Science, and Math. In the state of Texas, educators spend a minimum of four hours a day on teaching/instruction. Teachers must also spend time planning their instructional lessons, grading students' work, attending to students' and accommodations for learning English as a second language or for special education. The accommodations are not only in practice but also in required paperwork. Furthermore, teachers spend time responding to the behavioral, emotional, and mental health needs of their students; often partnering with other resource personnel in their school or district. Teachers also work with parents, guardians, or care-givers and communicate via meetings, phone, email and in-person visits. Educators are required to engage in a minimum number of professional development hours per academic year as well. In the state of Texas, educators are required to complete 150 continuing professional education clock hours over a five year renewal period. Many teachers spend time on the weekends and during the summer months attending to their teaching or professional development responsibilities. Some educators take on a second job during the summer months to supplement their income, as well. Finally, the above is the minimum expected of teachers. Many, if not most teachers, truly care about their students and engage far beyond the minimum by sponsoring extracurricular activities and building relationships with students. Excellent educators also are often tapped for additional roles such as serving as a mentor or cooperating teacher for pre-service teachers engaging in field work as required by their educator preparation program. When all is factored in to a typical day in the life of an educator, including instructional time, preparation, paperwork, accommodations, compliance with rules and regulations, professional development, relationship-building, and supporting future educators, it is usually well above a typical 8 hour workday and 40 hour work week.
What will help Foreign Language Teachers increase their earning potential?
Gina Anderson: Education is the most important of all careers, as educators prepare others to work in all professions. Despite the challenges associated with being an educator, it is highly rewarding, especially when student success is a result of an educator's influence. The starting pay is typically in line with other 4 year college graduates, and the schedule and holidays are conducive to family life.
Dr. Geoffrey Koby Ph.D.
Full ProfessorKent State University
Department of Modern & Classical Language Studies
What general advice would you give to a Foreign Language Teacher?
Dr. Geoffrey Koby Ph.D.: You’ll never be done learning your foreign language! This applies whether you’re a foreign language teacher, a translator, or an interpreter—plan on lifelong learning. This means keeping in touch with changes in the language and culture of your chosen foreign culture, and ideally frequent visits to keep your skills sharp. Remember that learning a foreign language is not “one and done”—like any skill, it has to be practiced, and that’s best done in the foreign country. You need to be practicing with native speakers.
What Foreign Language Teacher skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?
Dr. Geoffrey Koby Ph.D.: All foreign language careers will be affected by Artificial Intelligence; foreign language teachers will have to be informed about AI and how to restrict its use—students can’t learn a language if they’re always getting the answers from AI. Translators and interpreters will have to be skilled in using AI and have foreign language skills that are stronger than AI so that they can correct its mistakes. And it will be necessary to keep pointing out the risk that unedited, unreviewed AI translations cause to any organization.
What will help Foreign Language Teachers increase their earning potential?
Dr. Geoffrey Koby Ph.D.: Persist! Foreign language teachers will climb the salary scale by taking classes and improving their skills. Translators and interpreters are typically freelance entrepreneurs who must continuously work when starting out to market their services, follow up with potential clients, and hone their skills.
Brian Hoffert
Associate Professor of Religious Studies and History; Coordinator of History of Ideas; Coordinator of East Asian Studies\North Central College
Religious Studies
What skills stand out on Foreign Language Teacher resumes?
Brian Hoffert: Students who are looking for a career that has a focus on East Asia will generally need to demonstrate strong language skills and some kind of facility with one or more of the cultures in that region. I will discuss these two aspects in my responses to the next two questions.
What soft skills should all Foreign Language Teachers possess?
Brian Hoffert: I would say that cultural competency (being familiar with one or more East Asian cultures) is the key soft skill that employers would look for. It is a soft skill because it is difficult to "prove" this kind of competency on a resume, though the essential thing that students should consider is literally how much time they've spent in the culture in question. A degree in East Asian Studies will suggest that you have a basic understanding of Chinese, Japanese, and/or Korean cultures, but study abroad experiences demonstrate that you have actually spent time in the culture in question. At North Central, we offer short-term study abroad programs to the region (mostly focusing on China and Japan, but sometimes Taiwan, Hong Kong, and potentially Korea); these are helpful, but two weeks is not enough time to gain real competency. We, therefore, offer many long-term (one or two-semester) programs throughout the region, which will allow students to practice their "hard skills" (i.e., communicating in an East Asian language on a daily basis) but will also help them develop a deeper understanding of the culture. In addition, any kind of employment where one is in contact with one of these cultures is helpful, whether that is doing an internship in an East Asian country or working in a Japanese restaurant in Naperville.
What hard/technical skills are most important for Foreign Language Teachers?
Brian Hoffert: Language skills are the other major factor in securing employment in a field that involves East Asia. This can be demonstrated more easily by simply completing a certain number of language courses at North Central (or elsewhere), though learning Chinese and/or Japanese is significantly different from learning European languages because one can attain a high degree of proficiency after four years of college French, German or Spanish, but one may have difficulty reading a newspaper or watching tv after the same amount of Chinese or Japanese study. This is why it is highly recommended that students study abroad as part of their college experience, though to attain even a basic level of true fluency will inevitably require spending additional time in an East Asian country after graduation. Of course, it does depend on what you intend to do with your East Asian Studies (or Chinese/Japanese language) degree. If you want to be a translator, several additional years of serious study will be required, but you can get by with much less for other careers, like working for an East Asian company where a little knowledge of the language and culture may go a long way.
What skills will help Foreign Language Teachers earn the most?
Brian Hoffert: This is a difficult question since it depends on what you want to do and perhaps what major you pair with an East Asian Studies or Chinese/Japanese language major. For example, someone who double majors in Business/Marketing and Chinese or Japanese language can make a lot of money working in international trade, etc. Translation can pay extremely well if you get into a well-known post-graduate translation program; these programs are difficult, but there is a high demand for professional translation services, so you can be pretty much guaranteed excellent money immediately after graduation. Of course, you can go to school for another decade, get your Ph.D. and make a decent living as a professor (though there is a lot of competition, so this isn't the safest option--best for those with a true passion).
What skills stand out on Foreign Language Teacher resumes?
Angeline Chiu Ph.D.: There's a basket of different skills that are essential for teaching languages, and after some years of teaching (and teaching others how to teach), I am always struck by how some of these skills aren't immediately obvious to the outside observer even though they are as essential as those that are. The skills also all work together in complex ways, and you can't really pick out this or that skill in isolation from the others.
For instance, you need excellent interpersonal communication skills. This might seem obvious - you are teaching languages! - but being able to understand a language's grammar yourself and use it yourself is a world different from being able to explain it clearly to learners and help them use it. You also need to be able to instill a sense of purpose and vision: why are we doing this, in addition to how? This will be different depending on the group whom you are trying to teach (elementary? adult learners? I teach college undergrads myself), and it is incumbent on you as the instructor to lead from the front and demonstrate why language learning is important ... and fun!
You also need a good grasp of the culture and history of the language that you are trying to teach. Languages don't exist in an antiseptic bubble of grammar rules and vocab words. They are part of the human experience, and we have to remember that. At its best, language learning builds bridges among different communities and individuals; it can enrich our understanding of our own culture and those of others, and communication is absolutely key to every other human endeavor that involves other humans ... and that's just about all endeavors.
In that vein, if you will indulge a little digression: I'm very interested in translation, and I recently got together with a colleague in Japanese with similar interests. We did a little series of lectures/workshops about the issues of translating world literature from an original language into another one (say, Dante from 14th c. Italian into contemporary American English). To be an effective translator, you need to know much more than "only" the nuts and bolts of grammar and such. You need to be able to call on a personal skill set of many humanities/liberal arts and even social sciences competencies, from history to sociology to anthropology to linguistics to so many others. This is even more pressing in the world of real-time live interpretation work at, say, international conferences and such. Mistranslations or misunderstandings could have serious real-world consequences.
Having some travel experience also helps, along with a sense of always being a learner and a sharer and an explorer of the human experience, even when - especially when - you are the instructor. A little humility goes a long way, and attitude counts for a great deal.
What soft skills should all Foreign Language Teachers possess?
Angeline Chiu Ph.D.: Communication, communication, communication. All kinds of communication, be it clear, lucid speaking (whether one-on-one, in small groups, or in large groups), good concise writing that isn't full of jargon and excrescences, or even the seemingly simple but absolutely crucial everyday interactions with the people around you. They can make or break a work or school environment. I don't mean mere etiquette. I mean building a real sense of community and human connection as a base for all the other things the school/company/etc. is trying to do. What can we do that robots can't do? Be human beings in communication and community with other human beings.
Another note on communication: we have all seen situations in which garbled announcements or backtracking/confusing directions have caused all kinds of problems then and later. Focus, clarity, and efficiency in communication are key. And look people in the eye.
Related to this is, of course, the ability to work with others in all kinds of different settings and configurations. Collaboration and cooperation are essential, but they too rest on a foundation of clear communication.
The ultimate soft skill, though, is a little harder to quantify. I'm talking about learning how to learn. Life comes at you fast, at work or school or home, and the ultimate human skill is adapting to situations as they arise and being able to pivot, be flexible, be resilient, be creative in responding, and be able to do all that while remembering that we are working as humans with other humans, and there is much we do not know, and much we do not know as well as we ought to or think we do. Patience, grace, empathy, humility are part of the equation.
What hard/technical skills are most important for Foreign Language Teachers?
Angeline Chiu Ph.D.: What I tell you today might not be applicable tomorrow! Tech changes so fast. The best thing I can tell you is to keep current on what's going on. Also: don't be afraid of new things. At the same time, remember that something isn't automatically better just because it's new. Perhaps the real skill I'm describing is figuring what is useful for your purpose and what isn't, and don't try to apply every single shiny new tech toy that comes along. And for goodness sake, be careful about data and security and those basics that you think everyone knows but so many people don't.
What skills will help Foreign Language Teachers earn the most?
Angeline Chiu Ph.D.: Learn how to learn. This will apply everywhere. And have the gumption to think for yourself. But in terms of sheer dollar signs, I can't really tell you because the job market is constantly changing, and that kind of volatility is part of life. If you want to snag a job with a good salary in any field at any time, it's not only the world of narrow technical skills that you need. Those skills will constantly need to be updated and retrained as tech changes, and it's changing so, so fast. Besides, remember what I said earlier about what we can do that robots can't. Work on the fundamental and eternally applicable human side skills and competencies that come from liberal arts and humanities, the lessons and enrichments of languages, history, archaeology, literature, theatre, music, the arts. Be a complex, resilient, constantly learning individual who can apply themselves in many ways, including ways we don't know yet will be necessary in a world of ever-changing jobs, of jobs soon to arise that don't exist yet. You are not a faceless cog in a machine. You are a human being with a heart and mind of your own.
What skills stand out on Foreign Language Teacher resumes?
Dr. Ashley Voeks: If a language instructor is applying for a teaching job, work experience, not skills, are the most important part of their resume or CV. If a language instructor is looking to branch out and find an industry job, "skills" are only relevant if and when a resume gets past an ATS (Applicant Tracking System) and into human hands. In my experience, an ATS is only likely to let an applicant's resume through if it is properly formatted and tailored to the job ad. When an ATS scans a resume, it looks for the skills and years of work experience listed in the job ad and automatically tosses it if certain skills seem off, no matter how much they "stand out." In short: the skills that make a candidate stand out are the skills that the employer wants and specifies in the job ad itself.
What soft skills should all Foreign Language Teachers possess?
Dr. Ashley Voeks: All of them. The trouble with soft skills is that they're not really resume showstoppers. Anyone can say that they have good communication skills, a sense of creativity, critical thinking, and problem-solving skills, etc. The time for a job seeker (language instructor or otherwise) to really wow a potential employer with their soft skills is during the interview or in an anecdote in the cover letter. The bottom line: all soft skills are important, but showing a potential employer how you developed them is key.
What hard/technical skills are most important for Foreign Language Teachers?
Dr. Ashley Voeks: In terms of non-teaching jobs for former language students and instructors, of the clients with language backgrounds that I've personally worked with, hard skills/technical skills varied the most from one job seeker to the next, depending on their second major and/or minor in college, as well as the internship opportunities that they'd had during their studies since an internship often requires a student to acquire one or several hard skills that they would not have otherwise needed. That said, the hard skills that stand out in my mind are sales (toward the top of the list; very transferable), UX (User Experience, designing products that give a meaningful and relevant experience to users by considering emotions, attitudes, etc.), video production, AI, Blockchain (a transparent ledger; stores encrypted blocks of data), project management, affiliate marketing, and mobile app development. These are just some hard skills that come to mind - there are many more!
What skills will help Foreign Language Teachers earn the most?
Dr. Ashley Voeks: Clients and recent graduates who have negotiated "high" salaries in entry-level positions have been able to speak to their communication, collaboration, and self-management skills but have also had some technical competencies from internships or online boot camps and workshops. High-earning skills include web design, graphic design, online course content creation, project management, UX design, IT support, coding, Blockchain, social media marketing, etc. Almost all these skills can be gained through certificate-granting online courses.