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Native english teacher education requirements

Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read

There are several educational requirements to become a native english teacher. Native english teachers usually study english, psychology, or business. 85% of native english teachers hold a bachelor's degree, and 9% hold an master's degree. We analyzed 1,298 real native english teacher resumes to see exactly what native english teacher education sections show.

The most common colleges for native english teachers are the University of California, Santa Barbara and the University of California, Santa Barbara.

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

There are certain native english teacher certifications that you should consider. These native english teacher certifications include Teaching English as a Foreign Language (TEFL) and Certificate to Teach English as a Foreign Language (CTEFL).

What education do you need to become a native english teacher?

What degree do you need to be a native english teacher?

The most common degree for native english teachers is bachelor's degree, with 85% of native english teachers earning that degree. The second and third most common degree levels are master's degree degree at 9% and master's degree degree at 3%.
  • Bachelor's, 85%
  • Master's, 9%
  • Associate, 3%
  • High School Diploma, 1%
  • Other Degrees, 2%

What should I major in to become a native english teacher?

You should major in english to become a native english teacher. 16% of native english teachers major in english. Other common majors for a native english teacher include psychology and business.

Most common colleges for native english teachers

Native english teachers often get their degrees at University of California, Santa Barbara, University of Georgia, and University of Illinois at Chicago. Here are the most common colleges for native english teachers in the US based on their resumes.
Native english teacher common collegePercentages
University of California, Santa Barbara8.38%
University of Georgia7.78%
University of Illinois at Chicago6.59%
University of Florida5.99%
University of California - Davis5.99%

Best majors for native english teachers

RankMajorPercentages
1English16.3%
2Psychology9.1%
3Business6.7%
4Communication6.7%
5History6.0%

Best colleges for native english teachers

The best colleges for native english teachers are Columbia University in the City of New York, Stanford University, and Washington University in St Louis.

A native english 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 native english 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 native english teachers.

1. Stanford University

Stanford, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$51,354

Enrollment

7,083

2. University of Michigan - Ann Arbor

Ann Arbor, MI • Private

In-state tuition

$15,262

Enrollment

30,079

3. Columbia University in the City of New York

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$59,430

Enrollment

8,216

4. Harvard University

Cambridge, MA • Private

In-state tuition

$50,420

Enrollment

7,582

5. New York University

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$51,828

Enrollment

26,339

6. SUNY Stony Brook

Stony Brook, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$9,625

Enrollment

17,407

7. Washington University in St Louis

Saint Louis, MO • Private

In-state tuition

$53,399

Enrollment

7,356

8. Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Cambridge, MA • Private

In-state tuition

$51,832

Enrollment

4,550

9. University of California - San Diego

La Jolla, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$14,167

Enrollment

30,279

10. Cornell University

Ithaca, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$55,188

Enrollment

15,105

20 best online courses for native english teachers

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14. TOEFL English Vocabulary

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Top 10 most affordable universities for native english teachers

The most affordable schools for native english teachers are Hunter College of the City University of New York, university of florida, and california state university - long beach.

If the best universities for native english 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 native english teachers.

1. Hunter College of the City University of New York

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,182

Cost of attendance

13,998

2. University of Florida

Gainesville, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,381

Cost of attendance

21,034

3. California State University - Long Beach

Long Beach, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,798

Cost of attendance

18,306

4. Brooklyn College of the City University of New York

Brooklyn, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,240

Cost of attendance

13,991

5. USF Sarasota-Manatee

Sarasota, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$5,587

Cost of attendance

13,043

6. Queens College of the City University of New York

Queens, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,338

Cost of attendance

14,281

7. Brigham Young University

Provo, UT • Private

In-state tuition

$5,620

Cost of attendance

18,136

8. California State University - Fullerton

Fullerton, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,886

Cost of attendance

17,645

9. Florida International University

Miami, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,556

Cost of attendance

19,434

10. Baruch College of the City University of New York

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,262

Cost of attendance

14,046

Top 10 hardest universities to get into for native english teachers

The hardest universities for native english teachers to get into are Columbia University in the City of New York, Stanford University, and Washington University in St Louis.

Some great schools for native english 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 native english 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. Columbia University in the City of New York

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

6%

SAT average

1,512

2. Stanford University

Stanford, CA • Private

Admissions rate

4%

SAT average

1,497

3. Washington University in St Louis

Saint Louis, MO • Private

Admissions rate

15%

SAT average

1,506

4. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

Admissions rate

8%

SAT average

1,508

5. Vanderbilt University

Nashville, TN • Private

Admissions rate

10%

SAT average

1,514

6. Johns Hopkins University

Baltimore, MD • Private

Admissions rate

11%

SAT average

1,513

7. Harvard University

Cambridge, MA • Private

Admissions rate

5%

SAT average

1,520

8. Carnegie Mellon University

Pittsburgh, PA • Private

Admissions rate

17%

SAT average

1,507

9. New York University

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

20%

SAT average

1,419

10. Brown University

Providence, RI • Private

Admissions rate

8%

SAT average

1,492

Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for native english teachers

The easiest schools for native english teachers to get into are Our Lady of the Lake University, notre dame de namur university, and la roche college.

Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as a native english 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 native english teachers.

1. Our Lady of the Lake University

San Antonio, TX • Private

Admissions rate

93%

SAT average

1,002

2. Notre Dame de Namur University

Belmont, CA • Private

Admissions rate

82%

SAT average

983

3. La Roche College

Pittsburgh, PA • Private

Admissions rate

99%

SAT average

1,008

4. Ottawa University

Ottawa, KS • Private

Admissions rate

78%

SAT average

1,024

5. Fresno Pacific University

Fresno, CA • Private

Admissions rate

85%

SAT average

1,053

6. Notre Dame of Maryland University

Baltimore, MD • Private

Admissions rate

88%

SAT average

1,069

7. Kean University

Union, NJ • Private

Admissions rate

86%

SAT average

991

8. Saint Joseph's College of Maine

Standish, ME • Private

Admissions rate

84%

SAT average

1,069

9. Holy Names University

Oakland, CA • Private

Admissions rate

70%

SAT average

849

10. San Francisco State University

San Francisco, CA • Private

Admissions rate

72%

SAT average

1,054

Average native english teacher salary by education level

According to our data, native english teachers with a Doctorate degree earn the highest average salary, at $59,667 annually. Native english teachers with a Master's degree earn an average annual salary of $51,710.
Native english teacher education levelNative english teacher salary
Master's Degree$51,710
Doctorate Degree$59,667

Native english teacher education FAQs

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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.

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