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In order to work at a university or community college, generally individuals need to have a bachelor’s and a Master’s degree. The preferred Master’s degrees are in TESOL or Applied Linguistics. Teacher licensure is not necessarily required.

In some EFL contexts, a Certificate in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (CELTA) is also accepted in lieu of a Master’s degree in TESOL. A CELTA is a teacher preparation offered by Cambridge English. The CELTA is a teacher credential for new teachers who wish to teach EFL and who are educated to the level of entry into college, speak English at the Common European Framework of Reference (CEFR) C1 level or higher (for more information about the CEFR, see https://www.coe.int/en/web/common-european-framework-reference-languages/reference-level-descriptions).

Individuals working at community colleges generally work with learners of 17 years old and up. Community college ELLs may be older adults who have immigrated to an English-speaking country or who are interested in developing their English skills for personal or professional reasons. At community colleges, many classes are adult learners who are beginners with the language. The ages of the learners vary widely. A topic of study for an evening class could be “going grocery shopping” and learning the vocabulary for different foods. Students may practice dialogues they could have with the cashier or bag person. They could learn expressions for making a request for a specific grocery item.

Some ELLs at community colleges wish to hone their English skills for eventual university study. In these ESL classes, students who tend to be closer to the traditional college age would learn about academic reading and writing in order to improve their academic language skills, for instance. They would learn new vocabulary about a reading topic, for example, online privacy. Then, they would have prereading activities, such as discussing how much they share of their personal life online and why. The teacher would ask the students to read the passage in different ways, such as silent reading or guided readings. Students would have discussions after the article to confirm their understandings and then they would revisit the reading in extension activities, such as discussing how much online privacy should our governments protect and how.

Individuals working at universities work with resident ELL students matriculated into the university or those who are international students and will not matriculate, but only study in an exchange or other short-duration program (i.e., 6 weeks to 1 year). Often international students study in intensive English programs (IEPs) where they will learn with other international students who share the same proficiency level (i.e., beginner, intermediate, and advanced), and learn in courses that integrate speaking, listening, reading and writing, grammar, vocabulary, and pronunciation. They may also learn more about the host country and culture through excursions and seminars. The goals of international students are to develop their English for success in their academic courses or for their future occupations and to learn more about their host culture.

For those language learners who are matriculated, the most common needs are in academic reading and writing, although some universities have more extensive programs. An example of a credit-bearing academic reading and composition class is English 101 (composition). In these classes, the goal is to develop learners’ literacy skills, so they develop their academic reading and writing skills for future university success. Students learn to analyze readings through a critical lens and respond in writing to, for example, persuade, explain, compare/contrast, or debate.

Many community colleges are adopting innovative teaching modalities to help ELLs. For example, accelerated linked courses give ELLs the opportunity to study English and a “content area” (interpersonal communication, sociology, history) in two separate, but linked classes. Both instructors work together, overlapping their material in a way that gives students an opportunity to earn credit for multiple courses simultaneously.

Teaching ESL/EFL/ELT at community college and university is a professional position. Opportunities at this instructional level vary by country. These positions are typically competitive to obtain. They may be short-duration or long-term contracts. Often in EFL settings, there are other fringe benefits, such as housing, insurance, round-trip flights, and visa assistance.