Montessori schools are renowned for their teaching style, which focuses particularly on cultivating the individual student while maintaining the educational progress of an entire class of children. Those looking to teach English as a second language, or ESL, can find job opportunities at Montessori schools if they have the proper certifications. Most job opportunities for ESL teachers at private Montessori schools exist outside of the U.S. although some openings exist at American schools.

Education and Training
Teachers of English as a second language must hold special certification to teach ESL in order to earn work at a Montessori school. These certifications include Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages, or TESOL, Teaching English as a Foreign Language, or TFL and English as a Second Language, ESL. TESOL, ESL and related training can be pursued while earning an undergraduate degree or through Internet certification programs; one such professional credential is the Certificate in English Language Teaching to Adults, or CELTA, awarded by the University of Cambridge.

Working at a Montessori school, teachers must complete specialized training instructing them how to teach their subjects in the Montessori method. Many ESL jobs at Montessori schools require previous experience in Montessori settings as well as continued professional development to maintain a teacher's Montessori certification. (See References 2, section titled "Package")

Jobs
Job opportunities for ESL teachers are not prevalent at American private schools, including Montessori schools, since the students attending these schools have typically come from a background of English instruction. Most job opportunities for TEFL or ESL opportunities are found at Montessori schools outside of the United States, in geographic locales such as Guatemala, Italy, China and Russia. Most of these positions pay salaries comparable to those earned by other Montessori teachers in the same country.

Required Skills
Besides a bachelor's degree and some experience in private or Montessori schools, an ESL teacher seeking employment at a Montessori school is often required to have a warm teaching personality, which is important when teaching in the Montessori method, as well as literacy in the language that his students are fluent in. Experience teaching other fields, such as math, science or history, can make an ESL teacher more attractive as a job applicant.

Montessori Method
Training in the Montessori method prepares ESL teachers for the different teaching style that must be adopted in Montessori school settings. Compared to traditional lecture-style classroom teaching, which attempts to educate all students at the same pace, Montessori teachers are in charge of overseeing 30 to 35 students at the same time while also instructing students on an individual basis. Utilizing the Montessori method, an ESL teacher would gauge a student's individual progress in English comprehension, plan projects to improve that individual child's skills and interweave other subject areas whenever possible.