As of 2017, 1.75 Billion people speak English worldwide—and that number has grown since then and is expected to continue to grow well into the next decade. 1.75 Billion. Almost a quarter of the global population already, and more are being added to that total every day, which is expected to finally exceed 2 Billion by the spring of 2020.

This growth comes from two places: 1) the growth of native-English-speaking nations, such as the United States, which is expected to reach a population of 350 Million in 2025; and 2) the explosive growth of English as a supplementary language in many of the other countries and cultures across the globe-and it is this second reason that there has been an accompanying explosion in the need for English language teachers. The growth of international business, travel, and education programs means schools throughout the world are looking to hire fluent English speakers every year to teach English. So are English teachers in demand? Yes, and here are just a few of the reasons why there's a global demand of English teachers:

• English language-related teaching positions open every year, with California employing the most ESL teachers in the United States.
• The number of English language learners in China is at least as large as the entire U.S. native English-speaking population and has become the largest English-speaking population in the world.
• Believe it or not, ESL speakers outnumber native English speakers 2:1 worldwide.

Additionally, in today's classroom, technology is an emerging force in the language school. As a result, education has experienced some change and has made blended learning-where learning is done partly through online media.- This is now a reality where, every month, there are more and more language apps appearing on the market that serve as a computer-based English teacher for students who want to learn English on the go, as a way to supplement the instruction they receive in the traditional classroom environment.

However, although there is demand for ESL teachers or English teachers, expectations for qualifications, teaching experience, and professional credentials have risen too, and it is no longer enough to be just a native English speaker to be a truly effective English language teacher. Because of this, English language teachers may need to not only keep up with the latest developments in the English language learning arena -they may also have to be actively and continuously developing their ESL teaching skills in order to maximize their students' English learning.

Are you interested in learning how to teach English as a second language? International students from all around the globe can definitely make use of an ESL teacher in learning English as a foreign language. Teaching English online or in school can be a very rewarding career. If you want to be one of the most-sought after English instructors, the California School of Education at Alliant offers both CTEL and CLAD certification programs. For more information contact an Alliant admissions counselor.

GET YOUR CREDENTIAL

Sources

1. Kenneth Beare, ThoughtCo. How many People Learn English?, https://www.thoughtco.com/how-many-people-learn-english-globally-1210367, Accessed Nov. 29, 2021
2. Rining Wei, Jinzhi Su, Cambridge Core, The Statistics of English in China, https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/english-today/article/abs/stati…, Accessed Nov. 29, 2021