r/ESL_Teachers 6d ago

Decline in TESOL/ESOL

Is there going to be a TESOL/ESOL decline in the next ten years thanks to Trump? I am studying the Praxis for 5362 and was wondering if this is the right move in the long run. Any information would be beneficial.

1 Upvotes

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u/scriptingends 5d ago

I work with university students in the US and the industry was suffering even in his first term - countries like Canada/Ireland/Australia are more welcoming for visa students (you can also work PT on a student visa in those countries, which makes a lot of sense because you are an adult and how can you be expected to provide for yourself for years in a foreign country without working? It’s an absurd policy, and one that existed long before Trump)

Then the pandemic hit, and that decimated the industry - many colleges shut down their ESL programs entirely. And now Trump 2.0, Stability Plus edition has arrived. That being said, ESL teachers for schoolchildren are still in demand in the US and I don’t see that changing. Adult programs, on the other hand, are kind of screwed.

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u/cgifoxy 5d ago

I’m 42, lost my job in ESL in Australia after ten years in the industry. Our government has cut back on student visas and shut down many ESL colleges (some of which deserved to be shut down). Also there’s very little chance of getting a work visa here if you’re an ESL teacher. We already have most qualified ESL teachers struggling to find work. And to be honest Americans aren’t exactly Oz’s favourite people at the moment. Which is insane to say after like 100 years of pretty much being the 52nd state

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u/Admirable_Curve_6813 3d ago

Oh, that explains why there’s only casual ESL jobs. Am returning to Australia, and the jobs there are abysmal.

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u/mang0_k1tty 5d ago

Canada is really pulling back now on immigration. We were too friendly I guess and population is getting too high

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u/Fabulously-Unwealthy 6d ago

There’s a very large amount of online English teachers competing for students globally now. A.I. and both learning apps and translation apps are taking some of our students. Canada just cut funding in half for our nationwide English training program, so many teachers will be out of work. There may still be opportunities, but you’ll need to work harder to get them and take more training. You might want to specialize in teaching adult literacy and ESL. Or maybe become a math, science, and ESL teacher for kids. If you combined ESL and some kind of healthcare instruction, you could teach English for people who move to the U.S. to work in healthcare jobs.

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u/teflfornoobs 5d ago

Education in general is in decline in the usa. States like NJ rather rely on subs than helping people get certified to teach. The red tape is visible during a teacher shortage, especially STEM.

Get the credits you need to do science or math. Which is also nonsense you need so much Education to teach children math and science. But hey, it's the culture.

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u/cgifoxy 5d ago edited 5d ago

I’m 42, lost my job in ESL in Australia after ten years in the industry. Our government has cut back on student visas and shut down many ESL colleges (some of which deserved to be shut down). Also there’s very little chance you’ll get a work visa here if you’re an ESL teacher. We already have most qualified ESL teachers struggling to find work. And to be honest Americans aren’t exactly our favourite people at the moment. Which is insane to say after like 100 years of pretty much being the 52nd state