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Teachers are needed from preschool to high school to serve as English teachers in both EFL and ESL settings. English is taught from elementary school in China and Japan, along with many other countries. In second language contexts, such as Australia and the United States, English learners may be citizens born in the country who speak a different language at home, or the students may be immigrants or refugees. Citizens who speak another language begin preschool with their peers and need teachers who can make them comfortable in the environment and modify the instructional activities so they can comprehend and participate. For example, teachers may highlight key vocabulary in spoken and written form. Immigrants and refugees can arrive at any age, so they could enter an English-medium school in grades 4, 7, or 10, when they would need to learn the language quickly in order to learn their grade-level academic subjects. One approach to instruction is to combine grade-level subjects with the language English learners need while providing instructional support and comprehensible instruction.

Knowing how to work with English learners with different background experiences, linguistic and academic needs requires knowledge and preparation. Professional education licensure, also known as teacher certification or endorsement, is usually governed by bureaus, departments, or ministries of education (terms vary by countries). Professional licensures are typically required for instruction in public pre-K–12 schools. An ESL/EFL/ELT educator typically holds a bachelor’s degree in education, English literature/composition, linguistics, or core academic subjects, such as math, science, or history, in addition to teacher preparation coursework (i.e., courses including educational theory, methods, and assessment). The teacher preparation coursework depends on the requirements of the bureaus, departments, or ministries of education and the university. In some rare cases, individuals may take teacher licensing exams if they hold a bachelor’s degree, but no teacher education coursework, to obtain their teaching credential (e.g., the State of Texas allows licensure by exam).