As immigrants whose native languages are not English reach the shores of the United States, Great Britain, Australia and other English speaking countries, the ability to read, write, speak and listen to English and thus function well within the society is paramount. Although there are exceptions, primarily in manual labor jobs, gainful employment and becoming an active participant in English-speaking society is much harder to achieve when the applicant does not possess the necessary language skills.

Facts
Educators, who specialize in teaching English to non-English speaking immigrants are known as teachers of English as a Second Language (ESL) or teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL). As a teaching body, they fall under the sponsorship of Adult Literacy and Remedial Education. Although there are teachers who travel abroad to teach English, ESL teachers generally teach English to immigrants who have arrived in English speaking countries.

Work
ESL teachers employ a variety of real-life situations as a means to facilitate learning. Large-group, small-group and one-on-one instructions are all made available to aid learning. Advanced students focus on writing and conversational skills, or perhaps, academic or job-related communication and social skills. Teachers involved with adults will encounter students with wide-ranging and, at times, extensive educational backgrounds in their own languages or from varying economic circumstances that will determine appropriate teaching methods. Therefore, teaching styles and techniques must be tailored to the needs of individual students to account for faster or slower progress.

Duties
ESL teachers need not only to be creative in their approach to teaching students, they also need a degree of cultural awareness to help promote interaction and communication in the classroom to fulfill the learning goals. Although teaching adults is often less formal than teaching children, especially since it is mostly voluntary and adults are not required to attend all classes, ESL teachers must still prepare lesson plans to make the most of the time shared with students. ESL teachers must also complete any related paperwork and remain up-to-date in their field of expertise. As computer technologies develop, ESL teachers must remain current with software applications that supplement basic English skills instruction.

Considerations
Because ESL teachers often attract adult students who bring years of experience and are highly motivated to attend class, many of the social behavioral problems associated with younger students are not generally encountered. Also, many ESL teachers work full-time or part-time at other jobs and supplement income by providing ESL classes, which are often held in the evening, on weekends, or at times that best suit the student's schedule, which may need to take into account a family or job.

Requirements
Speaking English is not the only requirement to teach English as a Second Language, which necessitates specialized instructive training. In addition, sensitivities to cultural, educational and economic backgrounds, as well as familiarity with citizenship and naturalization processes, are helpful. Speaking multiple languages is not necessary to be an ESL teacher. It does, however, give the ESL teacher a useful perspective of the student's effort and development.