Massachusetts is among the many states in the country that have been unable to keep up with the educational needs of immigrants arriving in the state. According to the U.S. Department of Education Office of Postsecondary Education’s Teacher Shortage Areas Nationwide Listing, Massachusetts experienced a shortage in qualified ESL teachers in the 2011-12 academic year. The state also needs more English/Language Arts and Reading instructors, indicating that English, ESL, and literacy educators have many options in the state.
Massachusetts ESL Educator Career Outlook
Advocates for ELLs support new legislation to create more ESL courses and Intensive English Programs. The current situation points to an existing need for TESOL educators that is not going to disappear, but the state needs to implement more programming to create these job opportunities.
Finding an ESL Teaching Job in Massachusetts
- DESE’s Massachusetts Educators Career Center allows licensed teachers to search through educator job openings in the state.
- Massachusetts Association of Teachers of Speakers of Other Languages (MATSOL) maintains a list of Employment Resources for Job Seekers. However, some of the listings are only accessible by organization members.
TESOL Educator Resources in Massachusetts
- MATSOL is the state branch of the international TESOL educators association. The group organizes an annual conferences, provides professional development opportunities, administrates online forums in different special interest areas, engages in advocacy for ELLs and educators, and publishes resources, awards, and grant listings. It also publishes the MATSOLnews Blog.
- MABE is the Massachusetts Association for Bilingual Education, a professional educators group that advocates for bilingual and multicultural programming in schools.
- In compliance with government regulations, Massachusetts DESE has formed the English Language Learners/Bilingual Education Advisory Council, which meets regularly to analyze state guidelines and make recommendations regarding ELL learning in the public school districts.
- The English At Large blog provides on the job advice and resources for tutors serving English language learners in Massachusetts.