ESL or Special Ed?

[Anonymous]

I was underemployed during the recession when we first had kids so I became a SAHM to avoid going into the red for daycare. I'm looking to go back into the workforce once my youngest is in school. I majored in a foreign language (Russian) and did language tutoring at college so ESL makes sense but I'm also looking into elementary special ed because my kids have special needs and I know there's a shortage. Is there a big difference in job availability? I don't speak Spanish and the local listings all day bilingual in Spanish preferred. I don't know if I'd classify myself as bilingual in Russian but I'm just short of fluent.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I was underemployed during the recession when we first had kids so I became a SAHM to avoid going into the red for daycare. I'm looking to go back into the workforce once my youngest is in school. I majored in a foreign language (Russian) and did language tutoring at college so ESL makes sense but I'm also looking into elementary special ed because my kids have special needs and I know there's a shortage. Is there a big difference in job availability? I don't speak Spanish and the local listings all day bilingual in Spanish preferred. I don't know if I'd classify myself as bilingual in Russian but I'm just short of fluent.

*all say

[Anonymous]

Most of bilingual is Spanish-English bilingual. If you could find a school hiring Russian bilingual staff for a bilingual classroom, you might be able to get an emergency certificate and agree to go get a masters within a certain period of time and teach. ESL teachers are different than bilingual teachers. ESL does English support as a resource teacher who pushes into classrooms or pulls small groups out of classrooms. Bilingual is a grade level teacher who teaches a grade level, but in the native language plus helps kids transition over to English. There's a lot of different models and the details vary by school.

Sped is in high demand. I'm not sure what your state requirements are, but because of federal sped laws, you probably would actually have to have a sped certification to teach. (meaning you can't get your degree while teaching, the degree would have to come first) But some states are kinda backwards and might allow it, who knows how it is where you are.

I'd say Russian, while valuable, is MUCH less in demand for bilingual teachers. Talk to your state board of education about their certification requirements for each of these. You can also talk with a university and one of the profs would likely be able to advise you. Be aware that you are talking about 60+ hours a week of work and for sped, it's more like 70+. Good luck. It's a really hard career.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Most of bilingual is Spanish-English bilingual. If you could find a school hiring Russian bilingual staff for a bilingual classroom, you might be able to get an emergency certificate and agree to go get a masters within a certain period of time and teach. ESL teachers are different than bilingual teachers. ESL does English support as a resource teacher who pushes into classrooms or pulls small groups out of classrooms. Bilingual is a grade level teacher who teaches a grade level, but in the native language plus helps kids transition over to English. There's a lot of different models and the details vary by school.

Sped is in high demand. I'm not sure what your state requirements are, but because of federal sped laws, you probably would actually have to have a sped certification to teach. (meaning you can't get your degree while teaching, the degree would have to come first) But some states are kinda backwards and might allow it, who knows how it is where you are.

I'd say Russian, while valuable, is MUCH less in demand for bilingual teachers. Talk to your state board of education about their certification requirements for each of these. You can also talk with a university and one of the profs would likely be able to advise you. Be aware that you are talking about 60+ hours a week of work and for sped, it's more like 70+. Good luck. It's a really hard career.

Sorry, my wording was a bit confusing. I'm looking at ESL positions and under requirements, it says "Bilingual (Spanish) preferred." So I'm wondering if it would be a huge hit to my chances if I don't speak Spanish or if there's enough demand for me to get a job even if my second language is Russian.

I'm in VA and it looks like I can get a provisional license for SPED after taking a course at GMU.

[Anonymous]

There is a higher need for SPED. You will not get an ESL job easily since they are getting cut.

[Anonymous]

I also majored in Russian and currently teach ESL in public school. Very few ESL jobs require Spanish, at least in Virginia. It's pretty easy to get certified, since you're likely to have most of the courses. At the moment there are many jobs for ESL, and it has historically been a critical shortage area. Virginia law currently requires high levels of ESL staffing, so federal policies should not affect that. Then again, who knows what's coming. SPED is definitely a safer option for jobs, and always even more in demand than ESL. However, the certification is quite a bit more difficult to get (and thus more expensive).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Most of bilingual is Spanish-English bilingual. If you could find a school hiring Russian bilingual staff for a bilingual classroom, you might be able to get an emergency certificate and agree to go get a masters within a certain period of time and teach. ESL teachers are different than bilingual teachers. ESL does English support as a resource teacher who pushes into classrooms or pulls small groups out of classrooms. Bilingual is a grade level teacher who teaches a grade level, but in the native language plus helps kids transition over to English. There's a lot of different models and the details vary by school.

Sped is in high demand. I'm not sure what your state requirements are, but because of federal sped laws, you probably would actually have to have a sped certification to teach. (meaning you can't get your degree while teaching, the degree would have to come first) But some states are kinda backwards and might allow it, who knows how it is where you are.

I'd say Russian, while valuable, is MUCH less in demand for bilingual teachers. Talk to your state board of education about their certification requirements for each of these. You can also talk with a university and one of the profs would likely be able to advise you. Be aware that you are talking about 60+ hours a week of work and for sped, it's more like 70+. Good luck. It's a really hard career.

Sorry, my wording was a bit confusing. I'm looking at ESL positions and under requirements, it says "Bilingual (Spanish) preferred." So I'm wondering if it would be a huge hit to my chances if I don't speak Spanish or if there's enough demand for me to get a job even if my second language is Russian.

I'm in VA and it looks like I can get a provisional license for SPED after taking a course at GMU.

Keep in mind that getting a provisional license requires actually getting a principal to hire you, and that's not always so easy without experience or an endorsement. The best way to guarantee a job is to start as an aide and get your certification while working full time. I know a lot of people who became teachers that way, and they were able to have a guaranteed job waiting for them when they finished. I think the district paid some of the degree, too. This was in FCPS. I currently am in PWCS, which has a very high need for ESL right now, although I don't know to what extent they will actually hire on a provisional. It's possible, but no one likes to do that if they can find certified.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:There is a higher need for SPED. You will not get an ESL job easily since they are getting cut.

Esl jobs are not getting cut. They are actually increasing.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Most of bilingual is Spanish-English bilingual. If you could find a school hiring Russian bilingual staff for a bilingual classroom, you might be able to get an emergency certificate and agree to go get a masters within a certain period of time and teach. ESL teachers are different than bilingual teachers. ESL does English support as a resource teacher who pushes into classrooms or pulls small groups out of classrooms. Bilingual is a grade level teacher who teaches a grade level, but in the native language plus helps kids transition over to English. There's a lot of different models and the details vary by school.

Sped is in high demand. I'm not sure what your state requirements are, but because of federal sped laws, you probably would actually have to have a sped certification to teach. (meaning you can't get your degree while teaching, the degree would have to come first) But some states are kinda backwards and might allow it, who knows how it is where you are.

I'd say Russian, while valuable, is MUCH less in demand for bilingual teachers. Talk to your state board of education about their certification requirements for each of these. You can also talk with a university and one of the profs would likely be able to advise you. Be aware that you are talking about 60+ hours a week of work and for sped, it's more like 70+. Good luck. It's a really hard career.

Sorry, my wording was a bit confusing. I'm looking at ESL positions and under requirements, it says "Bilingual (Spanish) preferred." So I'm wondering if it would be a huge hit to my chances if I don't speak Spanish or if there's enough demand for me to get a job even if my second language is Russian.

I'm in VA and it looks like I can get a provisional license for SPED after taking a course at GMU.

Keep in mind that getting a provisional license requires actually getting a principal to hire you, and that's not always so easy without experience or an endorsement. The best way to guarantee a job is to start as an aide and get your certification while working full time. I know a lot of people who became teachers that way, and they were able to have a guaranteed job waiting for them when they finished. I think the district paid some of the degree, too. This was in FCPS. I currently am in PWCS, which has a very high need for ESL right now, although I don't know to what extent they will actually hire on a provisional. It's possible, but no one likes to do that if they can find certified.

I have tutored and I worked at a local prep school's summer ESL program back when I was in college. When I was underemployed, I worked as a sub and IA at a local parochial school. So I don't have public school experience but it's not like I've never set foot in a classroom.

[Anonymous]

Is it true that it's hard for IAs to get hired as teachers because there's such an IA shortage?

[Anonymous]

The people saying you’ll have a hard time getting hired on a SPED provisional are not correct if you are in NOVA. For the last several years half of our SPED Teachers have been provisionally licensed, friends report similar things from their school though I agree it’s not a bad idea to start subbing at a target school even if it’s one or two days a month

[Anonymous]

Spend some time shadowing special ed teachers. There is a reason for the shortage.

I teach ESOL and we add always have a need for more teachers. Many teachers start out as provisional.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Spend some time shadowing special ed teachers. There is a reason for the shortage.

I teach ESOL and we add always have a need for more teachers. Many teachers start out as provisional.

Thank you for letting me know! I am leaning towards ESOL but I'm worried that not knowing Spanish will affect my chances. I live in a small district where almost all of the ELLs speak Spanish so it's preferred by the school. And I want to minimize my commute and my kids' time in aftercare.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Spend some time shadowing special ed teachers. There is a reason for the shortage.

I teach ESOL and we add always have a need for more teachers. Many teachers start out as provisional.

Thank you for letting me know! I am leaning towards ESOL but I'm worried that not knowing Spanish will affect my chances. I live in a small district where almost all of the ELLs speak Spanish so it's preferred by the school. And I want to minimize my commute and my kids' time in aftercare.

I posted before. I have ESOL colleagues who don't speak any Spanish. It is not a requirement. Mine is HS Spanish. You will most likely have Spanish speakers of various proficiency levels plus access to interpreters in person (in large ESOL schools) and via phone. I joke that I know enough Spanish to know if my students are talking about me behind my back. I have some lovely students and parents who are grateful for good teachers.

[Anonymous]

I’ve been in the field for many years. ESL jobs these days are actually not as easy to get as people believe, especially at the elementary school level. A few years ago they changed the certification rules and any teacher can take a Praxis test to get the endorsement. Prior to that move, they had to take about 6 extra classes to qualify if they did not receive that endorsement through teacher education program.

The year that this new rule was implemented, there were 10+ teachers at my school immediately bought a book and took the test. It is seen as a very easy path to get out of the classroom. They all passed and left the classroom. The test is basic common sense and anyone who has taught before & can retain information from reading a short book can pass. That’s from 1 single school. Imagine all the other schools with classroom teachers who also have the same plan. It became very difficult to get, just like any of the “coaching” positions or “specialists” that allow you to also get out of the classroom. This is only for elementary schools. I do think you will have a better chance at the high school or middle school level. ESL teachers at those levels are running their own classrooms like the other teachers so the incentive to get out of the classroom is no longer there.

Knowing Spanish is not “required,” although there are some principals who will have a preference for it, so those people will have an advantage. But a former principal that I worked for never hid this preference. She believed the kids will learn “more” if they have a teacher who can explain concepts/instructions in both Spanish and English. These teachers can also be used as unpaid interpreters during mandatory school events…

As far as special education, these job varies. It’s not all horrible/stressful. It really depends on what your specialization is and the school you work at.

This is what I would recommend researching these careers: school counseling, school psychology, SLP, OT, social work (school social worker). Some of these will give you a career path outside of education.