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ESL Teachers vs Self-Enrichment Teachers

Median pay is about $15k higher for ESL Teachers. The usual entry education is bachelor's plus cert for ESL Teachers and high school for Self-Enrichment Teachers.

marks the higher pay or growth. Education, difficulty and the AI rows depend on what you want, so they are not marked.

ESL Teachers compared with Self-Enrichment Teachers: pay, outlook, entry and AI exposure
MeasureESL TeachersSelf-Enrichment Teachers
Pay
Median pay$61,540, higher$46,800
Entry pay 25th percentile$49,100, higher$36,380
Experienced pay 75th percentile$77,690, higher$63,210
Outlook, 2025 to 2035
Projected growth-14% Declining+3.5% Growing, higher
Openings a year3,80050,000
Getting in
Typical educationBachelor's plus certHigh school
Difficulty modeled2.8 / 51.6 / 5
AI
Displacement risk modeledModerateHigh
AI exposure modeled, percentile87th pct89th pct

Where the skills differ

Only ESL Teachers

  • Writing
  • Monitoring

Only Self-Enrichment Teachers

  • Critical Thinking
  • Active Learning

Both lean on reading comprehension, active listening, speaking, learning strategies.

More comparisons

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Pay and outlook: BLS (OEWS 2025, Employment Projections 2025-2035). Skills: O*NET 30.3. Difficulty, displacement risk and AI exposure are modeled estimates. How these numbers are made.