The New Jersey section of the National Clearinghouse for English Language Acquisition webpage indicates that, though covering only a small geographic area, New Jersey had nearly 62,000 students registered as ELLs in the 2007-2008 school year. This number is a 30 percent increase from the prior decade. The State of New Jersey’s Office of Minority and Multicultural Health reports that one fourth of New Jersey residents do not speak English at home. Of this population, 11 percent speak Spanish and 12 percent speak other languages. The other primary foreign languages spoken in New Jersey are Hindi, Mandarin, Haitian Creole, and Portuguese. This diverse population suggests good possibilities for starting or continuing a TESOL career path in the state.
Career Outlook for New Jersey ESL Teachers
New Jersey scores slightly above average in its hiring of literacy teachers, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Where it stands out is in its annual wage for the position, ranking in the number one position for the country with an annual mean wage of over $67,000, as of May 2012.
ESL Employment Opportunities in New Jersey
- NJ School Jobs is a website for qualified educators and staff who are seeking positions in New Jersey’s public, charter, independent, and parochial schools, as well as summer camp programs.
- The State of New Jersey recruits educators and school staff through NJSchoolJobs.com, an online tool that allows users to browse public and charter school openings for free.
- The Higher Education Recruitment Consortium’s New Jersey – Eastern Pennsylvania – Delaware Jobs page allows candidates to browse by all jobs, faculty/academic jobs, staff/administrative jobs, and executive jobs. If you create an account you can upload your resume and subscribe to e-job alerts.
New Jersey ESL Teacher Organizations
- NJTESOL/NJBE is New Jersey Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages/New Jersey Bilingual Educators, the state branch of the international TESOL group.
- The State of New Jersey’s Department of Education, Bureau of Bilingual Education/ESL Education, administers a website summarizing its services, policies, ACCESS assessment program, professional development offerings, and resources. It organizes conferences, professional development workshops and other events and services for ESL and bilingual educators.
- Foreign Language Educators of New Jersey (FLENJ) hosts workshops, conferences, and webinars.
- The New Jersey Education Association and the American Federation of Teachers New Jersey advocate on behalf of the state’s public school teachers and pre-service teachers.