Post job

Foreign service teacher education requirements

Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read

There are several educational requirements to become a foreign service teacher. Foreign service teachers usually study elementary education, education, or general education, specific areas. 68% of foreign service teachers hold a bachelor's degree, and 17% hold an master's degree. We analyzed 808 real foreign service teacher resumes to see exactly what foreign service teacher education sections show.

The most common colleges for foreign service teachers are the Jackson State University and the Jackson State University.

There are also many online foreign service teacher courses to help get the education required to be a foreign service teacher.

There are certain foreign service teacher certifications that you should consider. These foreign service teacher certifications include Teaching English as a Foreign Language (TEFL) and Microsoft Certified Educator (MCE).

What education do you need to become a foreign service teacher?

What degree do you need to be a foreign service teacher?

The most common degree for foreign service teachers is bachelor's degree, with 68% of foreign service teachers earning that degree. The second and third most common degree levels are master's degree degree at 17% and master's degree degree at 6%.
  • Bachelor's, 68%
  • Master's, 17%
  • Associate, 6%
  • High School Diploma, 4%
  • Other Degrees, 5%

What should I major in to become a foreign service teacher?

You should major in elementary education to become a foreign service teacher. 17% of foreign service teachers major in elementary education. Other common majors for a foreign service teacher include education and general education, specific areas.

Most common colleges for foreign service teachers

Foreign service teachers often get their degrees at Jackson State University, Pennsylvania State University, and Florida State University. Here are the most common colleges for foreign service teachers in the US based on their resumes.
Foreign service teacher common collegePercentages
Jackson State University8.97%
Pennsylvania State University8.97%
Florida State University7.69%
University of Missouri - Columbia6.41%
Indiana University South Bend6.41%

Best majors for foreign service teachers

Best colleges for foreign service teachers

The best colleges for foreign service teachers are Northwestern University, Harvard University, and University of Pennsylvania.

A foreign service teacher with advanced education typically earns a higher salary and has access to better jobs. That's why Zippia looked into the best colleges for foreign service teachers. We based this list on several metrics: admissions rate, retention rate, mean earnings of graduates, the ratio of working vs. non-working students ten years after admission, the average cost of attendance, and median debt for graduates who become foreign service teachers.

1. Harvard University

Cambridge, MA • Private

In-state tuition

$50,420

Enrollment

7,582

2. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

In-state tuition

$55,584

Enrollment

10,764

3. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

In-state tuition

$54,568

Enrollment

8,451

4. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Chapel Hill, NC • Private

In-state tuition

$8,987

Enrollment

18,946

5. SUNY at Buffalo

Buffalo, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$10,099

Enrollment

21,404

6. Stanford University

Stanford, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$51,354

Enrollment

7,083

7. California State University - Long Beach

Long Beach, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,798

Enrollment

31,503

8. Columbia University in the City of New York

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$59,430

Enrollment

8,216

9. University of Wisconsin - Madison

Madison, WI • Private

In-state tuition

$10,555

Enrollment

30,360

10. San Diego State University

San Diego, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$7,488

Enrollment

30,018

20 best online courses for foreign service teachers

Advertising disclosure

1. Music Education for Teachers

coursera

In the Music Education for Teachers specialization, you will explore ways of integrating popular music into your teaching. You'll begin by learning from two highly experienced teachers, Krystal Banfield, the Vice President of Educational Outreach for Berklee College of Music, and David Alexis a Berklee Professor and long-time instructor for the Berklee City Music Program. They will take you through their process of incorporating popular music, improvisation, arranging, and music technology into...

2. Virtual Teacher Final Project

coursera

The Final Project will be a hands-on, comprehensive project that practitioners of virtual education can implement in their profession. For this final project, learners will draft a design plan for an online learning module utilizing materials learned from the virtual teacher series. Learners will choose the subject matter, method of delivery, tools, instructional strategies, and assessments, with the goal of creating a module of online or blended instruction that meets the needs of their...

3. Preparation for CELTA Teacher Training

udemy
4.7
(384)

Learn the skills required to succeed in your CELTA training - gain practice in lesson planning and writing assignments!!...

4. Mindfulness for Life Coaching Success: Teacher Certificate

udemy
4.8
(672)

Transform Lives with Mindfulness & Meditation: Accredited Life Coach Teacher Certificate (2023)...

5. THINK GLOBAL: TEACHERS TRAINING COURSE (IDP-ICE)

coursera

A group of seven European partners from Catalonia, Belgium, and Wales worked together on the Erasmus+ funded ‘Think Global’ project on global competence. The project seeks to address the following research question through development and piloting of practical classroom activities: What is global competence, and how can it be learned effectively? The Think Global project explores, through international collaboration, how global competence is defined, taught, learned, and measured in the...

6. The Teacher and Social and Emotional Learning (SEL)

coursera

Social and emotional learning, or SEL, programs have flourished in schools during the last decade. These programs vary widely but most share a concern for five individual, student competencies: self awareness; self-management; social awareness; relationship skills; and finally responsible decision making. It is important for teachers and parents to know about and understand these programs. While lots of SEL programs emphasize K-12 student social and emotional learning, only a very few programs...

7. TESOL Teacher Training: Second Language Acquisition (SLA)

udemy
4.4
(445)

Putting Theory Into Practice in the ESL/EFL Classroom...

8. [2023] Customer Service 2.0: Learn Digital Customer Service

udemy
4.5
(3,956)

Used by Chase®, Intel®, & more! Learn soft skills, social media customer service, diagnosing user problems, & more...

9. Get Organized: How to be a Together Teacher

coursera

This course is designed for classroom teachers who juggle time-sensitive tasks and often-exhausting teaching schedules. With an eye toward long-term sustainability, The Together Teacher examines the purpose for planning ahead, provides tools for tracking time commitments, deadlines and tasks, and helps teachers develop a personal organization system that interacts with their day-by-day practices. All teachers, from the pen & paper list maker to the tech-savvy digital maven, will benefit from...

10. Excel at Teaching English: Be a Better ESL Teacher

udemy
4.5
(535)

Increase Understanding, Increase Productivity, Increase Teacher and Learner Satisfaction...

11. Professional Accredited Yoga Teacher Training Diploma Course

udemy
4.8
(1,318)

Full Certification Diploma Course to Learn the In depth techniques of Yoga to teach to Students & Groups!...

12. Implementing Positive Behaviour Management in the Classroom

udemy
4.5
(416)

Practical Strategies to Address Behaviour Issues in any Classroom...

13. Educational Psychology & Special Education (Certificate)

udemy
4.4
(876)

Informational content for educators and parents to learn about teaching and understanding exceptional children...

14. TEFL Essentials: Teaching English as a Foreign Language

udemy
4.5
(1,125)

Includes reusable TEFL teaching materials Suitable for CELTA preparation...

15. Mind Maps/ Mind Mapping for Teachers, Trainers, & Presenters

udemy
4.2
(325)

Using Mind Mapping to Plan>Rehearse >Teach brain-friendly lessons, broadcasts or webinars (Mind Maps,Memory,Mindmapping)...

16. Outcome Based Education (OBE) & Academic Quality Assurance

udemy
4.4
(1,390)

Master Course for Teachers' Development: Grow Your Teaching-Learning Expertise to World-Class Level...

17. Teacher Training - How to Teach Online - Remote Teaching 1Hr

udemy
4.6
(1,390)

Crash Course! Learn to Teach Online. Coronavirus Has Now Made Online and Remote Teaching a Necessary Teaching Skill...

18. Pilates Teacher Training & CPD Certification

udemy
4.7
(3,865)

Become a Classical Mat Pilates instructor with this accredited training course...

19. Mindfulness Teacher Training Certificate

udemy
4.6
(797)

Become a certified mindfulness teacher with this accredited mindfulness teacher training programme...

20. 20hr Intensive Chair Yoga Teacher Training- Certified

udemy
4.7
(335)

A fun-loving Chair Yoga Teacher Training for Yoga Teachers & Senior Yoga Practitioners! Studio Certificate & No Homework...

Top 10 most affordable universities for foreign service teachers

The most affordable schools for foreign service teachers are Baruch College of the City University of New York, california state university - long beach, and brooklyn college of the city university of new york.

If the best universities for foreign service teachers are out of your price range, check out these affordable schools. After factoring in in-state tuition and fees, the average cost of attendance, admissions rate, average net price, and mean earnings after six years, we found that these are the most affordable schools for foreign service teachers.

1. Baruch College of the City University of New York

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,262

Cost of attendance

14,046

2. California State University - Long Beach

Long Beach, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,798

Cost of attendance

18,306

3. Brooklyn College of the City University of New York

Brooklyn, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,240

Cost of attendance

13,991

4. USF Sarasota-Manatee

Sarasota, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$5,587

Cost of attendance

13,043

5. Hunter College of the City University of New York

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,182

Cost of attendance

13,998

6. Lehman College of the City University of New York

Bronx, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,210

Cost of attendance

14,359

7. California State University - Fullerton

Fullerton, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,886

Cost of attendance

17,645

8. Brigham Young University

Provo, UT • Private

In-state tuition

$5,620

Cost of attendance

18,136

9. California State University - Dominguez Hills

Carson, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,942

Cost of attendance

14,469

10. California State University - Fresno

Fresno, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,587

Cost of attendance

16,915

Top 10 hardest universities to get into for foreign service teachers

The hardest universities for foreign service teachers to get into are Northwestern University, Harvard University, and University of Pennsylvania.

Some great schools for foreign service teachers are hard to get into, but they also set your career up for greater success. The list below shows the most challenging universities to get into for foreign service teachers based on an institution's admissions rates, average SAT scores accepted, median ACT scores accepted, and mean earnings of students six years after admission.

1. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

Admissions rate

8%

SAT average

1,508

2. Harvard University

Cambridge, MA • Private

Admissions rate

5%

SAT average

1,520

3. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

Admissions rate

8%

SAT average

1,492

4. Vanderbilt University

Nashville, TN • Private

Admissions rate

10%

SAT average

1,514

5. Johns Hopkins University

Baltimore, MD • Private

Admissions rate

11%

SAT average

1,513

6. New York University

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

20%

SAT average

1,419

7. Boston University

Boston, MA • Private

Admissions rate

22%

SAT average

1,420

8. Brown University

Providence, RI • Private

Admissions rate

8%

SAT average

1,492

9. Columbia University in the City of New York

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

6%

SAT average

1,512

10. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Chapel Hill, NC • Private

Admissions rate

23%

SAT average

1,398

Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for foreign service teachers

The easiest schools for foreign service teachers to get into are Barry University, gwynedd mercy university, and the university of texas permian basin.

Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as a foreign service teacher without much hassle, check out the list of schools where you will be accepted in no time. We compiled admissions rates, average SAT scores, average ACT scores, and average salary of students six years after graduation to uncover which were the easiest schools to get into for foreign service teachers.

1. Barry University

Miami, FL • Private

Admissions rate

91%

SAT average

1,006

2. Gwynedd Mercy University

Gwynedd Valley, PA • Private

Admissions rate

92%

SAT average

1,031

3. The University of Texas Permian Basin

Odessa, TX • Private

Admissions rate

91%

SAT average

1,046

4. Mount Saint Mary's University

Los Angeles, CA • Private

Admissions rate

84%

SAT average

1,031

5. Holy Names University

Oakland, CA • Private

Admissions rate

70%

SAT average

849

6. Felician University

Lodi, NJ • Private

Admissions rate

81%

SAT average

999

7. Notre Dame College

Cleveland, OH • Private

Admissions rate

90%

SAT average

994

8. Our Lady of the Lake University

San Antonio, TX • Private

Admissions rate

93%

SAT average

1,002

9. Oklahoma Wesleyan University

Bartlesville, OK • Private

Admissions rate

68%

SAT average

964

10. Saint Martin's University

Lacey, WA • Private

Admissions rate

96%

SAT average

1,111

Average foreign service teacher salary by education level

Foreign service teachers with a Doctorate degree earn more than those without, at $50,987 annually. With a Master's degree, foreign service teachers earn a median annual income of $47,107 compared to $42,691 for foreign service teachers with an Bachelor's degree.
Foreign service teacher education levelForeign service teacher salary
Master's Degree$47,107
High School Diploma or Less$37,329
Bachelor's Degree$42,691
Doctorate Degree$50,987
Some College/ Associate Degree$40,736

Foreign service teacher education FAQs

Search for foreign service teacher jobs

Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Research Team
Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.

Browse education, training, and library jobs