ESL Teacher: what the job is, what it pays, and how to get hired.
The work, the skills that matter, the tools in demand and the pay range, from U.S. government data, plus every TryHired page for the role.
10% of esl teachers earn less than this amount.
- Annual
- $41,810
- Hourly
- $20.10
- Source
- BLS May 2025
25% of esl teachers earn less than this amount.
- Annual
- $49,100
- Hourly
- $23.61
- Source
- BLS May 2025
Half of esl teachers earn more than this and half earn less.
- Annual
- $61,540
- Hourly
- $29.59
- Source
- BLS May 2025
75% of esl teachers earn less than this amount.
- Annual
- $77,690
- Hourly
- $37.35
- Source
- BLS May 2025
90% of esl teachers earn less than this amount.
- Annual
- $98,030
- Hourly
- $47.13
- Source
- BLS May 2025
ESL Teachers teach or instruct out-of-school youths and adults in basic education, literacy, or English as a Second Language classes, or in classes for earning a high school equivalency credential. The median pay is $61,540 a year ($29.59 an hour) (BLS, May 2025). The most commonly reported education requirement is a bachelor's degree (41% of workers surveyed by O*NET).
- Median pay
- $61,540
- BLS May 2025
- Employed in the U.S.
- 37,310
- BLS May 2025
- Preparation
- Job Zone 4 of 5
- considerable preparation
- Most common education
- Bachelor's Degree
- 41% of workers
Data Government data groups this job as Adult Basic Education, Adult Secondary Education, and English as a Second Language Instructors (O*NET-SOC 25-3011.00). Figures on this page are for that occupation.
ESL Teachers at a glance
Workers in the BLS occupation “Adult Basic Education, Adult Secondary Education, and English as a Second Language Instructors” in the United States earned a median annual wage of $61,540 in May 2025, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Source: BLS OEWS, May 2025
In its 2025–35 employment projections, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics lists a bachelor's degree as the typical entry-level education for workers in the BLS occupation “Adult Basic Education, Adult Secondary Education, and English as a Second Language Instructors” in the United States.
Source: BLS Employment Projections, 2025–35
BLS projects employment of workers in the BLS occupation “Adult Basic Education, Adult Secondary Education, and English as a Second Language Instructors” in the United States to decline 13.9% from 2025 to 2035, with about 3,800 openings a year on average, including replacement openings.
Source: BLS Employment Projections, 2025–35
BLS estimated that 37,310 people were employed in the BLS occupation “Adult Basic Education, Adult Secondary Education, and English as a Second Language Instructors” in the United States in May 2025, not counting the self-employed.
Source: BLS OEWS, May 2025
Every page for ESL Teachers
Pay by percentile, state and metro, with a negotiation script.
Open →How to becomeESL Teacher how to becomeEducation, training and the skills to build first.
Open →ResumeESL Teacher resumeKeywords, bullet formulas and the skills to prove.
Open →Interview questionsESL Teacher interview questionsQuestions with what they test, plus practice mode.
Open →Free toolCheck your resumeParsed text, evidence per bullet, fixes first.
Open →What esl teachers do day to day
Data Core tasks rated most important by workers in the role (O*NET).
- Observe and evaluate students' work to determine progress and make suggestions for improvement.
- Observe students to determine qualifications, limitations, abilities, interests, and other individual characteristics.
- Establish clear objectives for all lessons, units, and projects and communicate those objectives to students.
- Adapt teaching methods and instructional materials to meet students' varying needs, abilities, and interests.
- Prepare students for further education by encouraging them to explore learning opportunities and to persevere with challenging tasks.
- Prepare materials and classrooms for class activities.
- Instruct students individually and in groups, using various teaching methods, such as lectures, discussions, and demonstrations.
- Plan and conduct activities for a balanced program of instruction, demonstration, and work time that provides students with opportunities to observe, question, and investigate.
Industries that employ it
Data Share of all esl teacher jobs in each industry, 2025 (BLS Employment Matrix).
- Educational services; state, local, and private77.5% of all jobs in this occupation · -14.1% projected change here 2025–35 · mean wage $66,060
- Social assistance7.0% of all jobs in this occupation · -12.2% projected change here 2025–35 · mean wage $56,750
- Government, excluding state and local education and hospitals6.5% of all jobs in this occupation · -13.0% projected change here 2025–35 · mean wage $72,080
- Religious, grantmaking, civic, professional, and similar organizations1.8% of all jobs in this occupation · -11.9% projected change here 2025–35
- Web search portals, libraries, archives, and other information services0.6% of all jobs in this occupation · -3.2% projected change here 2025–35 · mean wage $88,420
- Administrative and support services0.5% of all jobs in this occupation · -9.5% projected change here 2025–35 · mean wage $58,510
Sources: BLS 2025–35 National Employment Matrix (share of the occupation's jobs, projected change) and BLS OEWS May 2025 industry estimates (mean wage). Different industry estimates are not a pay forecast for any person.
Ranked by importance to the job
Data O*NET importance ratings. The first three are core.
Knowledge areas: English Language, Education and Training, Customer and Personal Service, Administrative.
Software esl teachers use
Data Examples reported for the role; employer demand flags from O*NET.
- Adobe PhotoshopGraphics or photo imaging softwareHot technology
- FacebookWeb page creation and editing softwareHot technology
- Blackboard softwareComputer based training software
- Computerized testing softwareComputer based training software
- EdmodoDesktop communications software
- EdpuzzleMulti-media educational software
- Educational softwareComputer based training software
- Kahoot!Multi-media educational software
- Learning management system LMSComputer based training software
- Microsoft PublisherDesktop publishing software
- QuizletComputer based training software
- Microsoft ExcelSpreadsheet softwareIn demand
Also called: Adult Basic Education Instructor (ABE Instructor), Adult Basic Education Teacher (ABE Teacher), Adult Education Instructor, Adult Education Teacher, ESL Instructor (English as a Second Language Instructor), ESL Teacher (English as a Second Language Teacher).
How this page is built
Tasks, skills, tools, education and related roles come from O*NET 31.0. Pay and employment come from the BLS OEWS May 2025 national estimates. The skill-match score is our calculation: Skill match is the cosine similarity of the two occupations' skill profiles: for each of 35 O*NET skills (10 essential, 25 transferable) we multiply importance by level and subtract the average across all occupations, then compare the direction of the two profiles. 100 means identical shape; 0 means unrelated or opposite (negative values are shown as 0). Only occupations that O*NET itself lists as related are compared.
- How a specific employer defines the job.
- Pay for self-employed workers (OEWS covers employees).
- Your own chances: data describes the occupation, not you.
- O*NET 31.0 Database, U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA), used under the CC BY 4.0 license. TryHired selected, ranked and combined the data; O*NET is not responsible for these pages.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 estimates (public domain).
How TryHired builds this data: sources, methods and downloads. Spotted an error? Report a correction.