State statistics published in 2010 by the National Clearinghouse for English Language Acquisition indicate that Arizona has a sizable immigrant population, with 166,000 students categorized as ELLs in the 2007-2008 school year. This number is a 48 percent increase from the prior decade. While laws to restrict or dismantle bilingual education have affected the state’s programming, the need for ESL and sheltered English teachers prevails.
Career Outlook for Arizona TESOL Educators
Data assembled by the Bureau of Labor Statistics indicate that, despite the state’s significant ELL population, Arizona scores below average in the number of literacy and ESL teachers it hires. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported in 2012 that Arizona’s annual median wage of TESOL teachers ($44,340) was significantly below that of California, its neighbor to the west, although it was higher than that of other southwestern states. Overall, the current and prospective need for TESOL educators is there, but the state needs to commit to expanding programming and hiring educators.
Arizona Teacher Job Boards
- ADE administers the Arizona Education Employment Board, a free online service for people seeking teaching jobs throughout the state. The site also contains links to Charter Schools and Job Fairs.
- The web guide to Teaching ESL in Arizona contains links to information and employment opportunities in Arizona public schools, community colleges, university-based programs, and other Arizona institutions.
TESOL Teacher Resources in Arizona
- Arizona Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages (AZ-tesol) is the state affiliate of TESOL, the international organization representing TESOL professionals. Arizona has four regional sub-branches of TESOL, the Northern (Flagstaff and the Navajo Nation, Central (Phoenix), Southwest (Yuma), and Southeast (Tucson).
- Arizona Association for Bilingual Education (AABE) has not updated its website recently, but even so contains information for bilingual professionals such as research and links to state and national resources.
- ADE’s webpage pertaining to English Language Learners outlines Arizona’s programs for ELLs as well as learning standards, modes of assessment, and TESOL professional development opportunities.