According to 2007 data compiled by the Migration Policy Institute, New Hampshire is among the states with the fewest immigrants. Nearly 25,000 children under 18 are from immigrant families, but fewer than 3,300 of them are in K-12 ESL programs in New Hampshire, making up only 1.6 percent of the state’s student population. After English, the top five languages spoken in New Hampshire are Spanish, French, Turkish, Russian, and Greek.
New Hampshire’s ESL Teaching Outlook
According to the Teacher Shortage Areas Nationwide Listing created by the U.S. Department of Education Office of Postsecondary Education, since 1992, New Hampshire has reported teacher shortages consistently in not only English as a Second Language, but also the related subject areas of world languages, foreign languages, reading, and writing.
Overall, New Hampshire has a long list of subjects experiencing chronic shortages of qualified educators. However, it is also important to note that, as of 2012, that list has shortened somewhat compared to prior years. New Hampshire’s future potential for TESOL graduates seems uncertain, considering the state’s relatively small ELL population. If TESOL graduates want to start or continue careers in the state, they will do best in diverse school districts or in remote areas of the state with difficulty in retaining teachers.
New Hampshire Teacher Job Boards
- NH School Jobs is an employment listing service maintained by NEA New Hampshire, the state teachers union.
- TeachNorth is an initiative to recruit qualified educators to New Hampshire’s North Country, which contains 32 New Hampshire school districts.
- NHDE maintains a resource list of School/District Educational Positions – New Hampshire-Based Job Sites.
