ESL teachers with a bachelor's degree and ESL training credentials start at the elementary or middle-school level. Until this teacher gains experience, the salary will be low and there will be little opportunity to advance to higher grade levels. ESL teachers often seek professional development while actively teaching, either through furthering their degrees from a bachelor's to a master's, or from a master's to a doctorate in teaching. They can also receive training to teach students with special needs, or targeted training for a specific school subject. This increases their chances of moving up in their profession.
An ESL teacher will potentially be teaching students with a high level of diversity. A teacher may work with students who come from different first languages, possibly in a single class. As a result, an ESL teacher must know how to reach out to students of different socioeconomic statuses, lifestyles, cultures and speaking barriers. ESL teachers prepare for the diversity they will be encountering in their profession by taking language classes, anthropology or sociology classes, and specialized teacher training.
ESL training classes examine the potential roadblocks an ESL teacher might encounter in the classroom. ESL teachers lacking professional development are forced to guess at a best solution when problems arise. While trial-and-error will eventually serve as effective training, a developed ESL teacher will be prepared to deal with common problems when they arise them in a holistic manner.
The ESL curriculum, as well as best practices, is constantly evolving. By staying up with current credentials, training and college teaching curriculum, an ESL teacher avoids falling behind peers. This provides the opportunity to become a candidate for higher positions as an ESL teacher, and serve as a leader in the field. Perhaps most importantly, it affords the ability to better teach students using the most effective and updated methods.