Careers - Secondary Teaching - Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL)

A career in TESOL teaching

In NSW and other Australian states prospective TESOL teachers usually need to be qualified to teach in TESOL and in one other secondary school teaching subject (curriculum area) or in Counselling. If you are interested in a career as a TESOL teacher you would normally be required to complete university studies in:

• a Language, Linguistics or English
• a second teaching subject discipline (e.g. English, Geography, a Language, Mathematics) or in Counselling
• Education as a social science
• professional and curriculum studies (teaching methodology)

Coursework (degree) options for prospective TESOL teachers

The University of Sydney offers these alternative ways of gaining a qualification as a teacher of TESOL:

• a Bachelor of Education program (4 years full-time study). This is an undergraduate course for school leavers.
• a Bachelor of Arts (or an equivalent undergraduate qualification) followed by either a Master of Teaching or a Bachelor of Teaching (5-years or 4 and a half years of full-time study)
• a Bachelor of Arts/ Bachelor of Education (Secondary: Humanities and Social Sciences) joint degree program (5 years full-time study). This is an undergraduate course for school leavers.
• a graduate Master of Teaching or a Bachelor of Teaching (of 3 or 4 semesters respectively) for graduates with a first degree with a major or a minor in English, a Language or Linguistics (or related discipline).

Prerequisite and recommended studies: School leavers

No HSC subjects are prescribed for those intending to pursue a career in TESOL teaching, as it is possible to enrol in 1st year university subjects in English, Linguistics and a Language without having studied all these in the HSC. However, it is clearly desirable that those intending to study TESOL at university in order to become a TESOL teacher, should include a language subject in their HSC. As well, you should also choose HSC subjects that are relevant to a second teaching area (see the information under the particular second teaching area you are interested in).

UAI Entry levels

To view the minimum UAI entry scores in recent years for those courses that lead directly (or indirectly with subsequent postgraduate study) to a teaching qualification in secondary school TESOL teaching, see the UAI cut-off table.

Prerequisite studies: Graduates

Graduates with a first degree, which includes studies appropriate to teaching in TESOL and a second teaching subject, may be eligible for admission to the Master of Teaching/Bachelor of Teaching program. Entry into the postgraduate MTeach/BTeach course is competitive and will be based upon the following criteria and interview:

• completion of a major in Linguistics, a Language, ESL or English in an appropriate undergraduate degree
• completion of a minor in a second teaching subject discipline
• level of achievement in undergraduate studies (grade average)
• good communication skills
• demonstrated commitment to teaching as a profession

For more information, see the postgraduate Master of Teaching/Bachelor of Teaching program.