Cactus Worldwide opened up in New York in October 2007, and since the launch celebration we have been noticing an increase in would-be teachers enquiring from the US and applying either for one of the 4 week TESL courses in the US that we promote on behalf of our US school partners, or one of the quick and easy weekend TESL courses we provide.

We thought it would be a good idea to interview a couple of the schools, initially in New York, to confirm our feeling that teaching English in the US is 'same same, but different' than in the UK.

Thanks to Ryan Horsnail, Director of Education at Teaching House, which provides the Cambridge CELTA training course, and Teresa Barile, Director of Education at Rennert Bilingual, which provides the SIT TESOL Certificate. For one view of the differences between these two courses, click here.

What's in a Name?

To start with, the name of this whole field of work and study is different. In the UK it is TEFL, whereas, while TEFL is known by some, TESL/ TESOL is preferred in the US.

General picture

There is a lot of English teaching going on all over the US, but more so in major tourist hubs/cities. ESL teaching takes place in both public and private schools.

Students learning English in private language schools are typically:

• Teenagers and young adults from wealthy families, paid for by their parents
• Immigrants who need English for a visa
• University students from well-educated, generally well-to-do families
• Professional students from all over the world wanting to hone professional communication skills

The ESL profession is viewed favorably by people in general.

ESL to immigrants is more prevalent wherever there are more immigrants. New York has thousands of immigrants, of course and border states such as Texas, New Mexico, Arizona and California.

Qualifications

We asked what qualifications are expected by employers for English language teachers

A) in private language schools and B) in public education.

In private language schools employers' expectations range from 'nothing' to an MA in TESOL or SIT TESOL Certificate or CELTA. This is similar to the UK and Europe. However, the better schools, those in the know and who care about quality will demand a good TESL qualification.

Public schools insist on an MA in TESOL plus State qualification tests.

It is often assumed that schools in the US view an MA in TESOL as the best ESL teaching qualification. This is not necessarily the case. Like in the UK the MA is sometimes seen as just too theoretical, not based sufficiently on practical application, and SIT TESOL and CELTA carry a lot of weight because of their hands- on and communicative, practical methodology.

Employers in the US who are concerned about quality tend to view Online TEFL/TESL courses as not worthwhile, and Weekend TEFL/TESL courses are not generally viewed favorably either, since they usually don't include hands-on teaching to real students.

Trainees

The majority of trainees on 4 week courses like SIT TESOL or CELTA either stay in the US to teach in private ESL schools or community-based programs for immigrants. Or they travel abroad.

The reasons for taking a 4 week teacher training course, unlike in the UK, are not often connected with a gap year or a short career break or as an escape from something. The majority of teachers teach because they want to teach, whether that's abroad or in the States.

Most trainees are career-changers and college students looking to get out in the world.

The average age and profile of the trainees is university graduates, second career seekers and also older people who want some income or to volunteer.

Trainees' previous occupations include actors, musicians, artists who like the flexibility of teaching.

Schools

In the U.S., where labor laws are stringent, is it not possible for a non-US citizen to work as an English teacher.

Pay is about 60% of that of a new high school teacher, with most private ESL schools paying between $17 - $30 per hour. School teachers in the public sector are paid on an annual salary and have health benefits.