The Migration Policy Institute (MPI) has assembled information regarding Idaho’s immigrant population and found that, in 2007-2008, Idaho had more than 53,000 children from immigrant families, 13.6 percent of Idaho’s general population under the age of 18. Of this number, 18,655 children were categorized as ELLs in Idaho’s K-12 public school system, showing a 41.5 percent increase from the previous decade. The major non-English languages spoken in Idaho include Spanish and other European languages, and other world languages.
ESL Teaching Career Prospects in Idaho
For every academic year since 2002, the U.S. Department of Education Office of Postsecondary Education’s Teacher Shortage Areas Nationwide Listing has shown that Idaho has reported shortages in qualified educators of ESL, bilingual education, and English as a new language (ENL). These shortages are in addition to the related academic areas of foreign language, English, language arts, reading, and Spanish, all of which appear on the list repeatedly. The fact is, Idaho has relatively high teacher shortages. However, one of the contributing factors has to be the state’s rate of pay. A 2012 report ranked Idaho as 42nd in the country for its teacher salaries.
Employment Listings for Idaho TESOL Educators
IDE recruits teachers through the Idaho Education Jobs website. Candidates select a region, job category, grade level, and job type to locate current openings. The site also has a guide to the state’s High-Need Areas.
Occasional regional openings in ESL and bilingual education show up on the Employment section of the Intermountain Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages (I-TESOL) Web page.
Professional Resources in Idaho TESOL
- I-TESOL represents Idaho and Utah educators in the fields of ESL, multicultural, EFL, and bilingual education.
- The Idaho Association for Bilingual Education (IABE) is the state affiliate of the national advocacy group. It also has three Regional Chapters.
- Idaho participates in the Federal TEACH Grant program, awarding financial incentives to educators who commit to working in a high-need area of Idaho’s public schools.