Mississippi ESL Teacher Job Description and ESOL Certification Requirements

With just 3.2 percent of the total PreK-12 student population in Mississippi identified as English Language Learners (ELLs), this southern state may not be the first to come to mind when considering ESL teacher demand. But growth among ELLs in Mississippi has been steady throughout much of the last decade, sparking a persistent call for qualified ESL teachers.

According to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), there were 14,771 ELLs in Mississippi in 2018 – a rather large jump from 12,865 just a year earlier.

Mississippi has long suffered from a lack of qualified teachers, and ESL teachers are becoming a clear frontrunner in terms of demand. Earn the ESL endorsement alongside your Mississippi teaching certificate and you’ll be part of a growing number of educators who are committing their careers to the state’s ELLs.

These steps will show you exactly how to earn TESOL (Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages) certification and become an ESL teacher in Mississippi:

	Earn a Degree in ESL and Qualify to Become an ESL Teacher in Mississippi
	Pass the Required Praxis Exam
	Apply for your Mississippi Teacher’s License and ESL Endorsement
	Consider Earning a Master’s in ESL to Maintain Your Teaching License
	Learn More ESL Salary Expectations for Jobs in Mississippi

Step 1. Earn a Degree in ESL and Qualify to Become an ESL Teacher in Mississippi

In Mississippi, you can pursue a career as an ESL teacher by adding ESL certification (K-12) — called a supplemental endorsement — to your existing teaching certificate.

If you’re new to the field of education and you haven’t yet earned a bachelor’s degree, learning how to become an ESL teacher involves completing a bachelor’s or master’s degree within an approved educator preparation program in either elementary, special, or secondary (in a single subject area) education and then choosing a TESOL minor, concentration, or track.

You’ll find a nice selection of schools that offer a TESOL endorsement program alongside an education degree, including Mississippi College, which offers a TESOL Minor, and the University of Mississippi, which offers an ESL Endorsement program.

Already a Mississippi certified teacher and want to add an ESL Endorsement?

If you’re already a certified Mississippi educator, you’ll find plenty of ESL programs that will get you the ESL coursework you need to earn an ESL supplemental endorsement. Undergraduate and graduate certificates in TESOL are commonplace, as are master’s degree programs.

The University of Mississippi, for example, offers a few options for practicing teachers, including:

• An 18-hour graduate certificate in TESOL
• MA in Modern Languages, emphasis in Applied Linguistics + TESOL
• ESL Endorsement – a four-course program for K-12 teachers

Certificate programs offer a fast path to an ESL endorsement, while a master’s degree program in TESOL offers educators more professional opportunities and a bigger paycheck, in most cases.

Certificate programs leading to an ESL supplemental endorsement usually include courses like:

• Applied linguistics
• Methods & curriculum design
• Second language acquisition
• The multicultural classroom

A master’s in ESL often includes the following courses:

• Applied linguistics in second and foreign languages
• Foundations of multicultural education
• Second language acquisition theory and practice
• Sociocultural and sociolinguistic perspectives in language
• Teaching second languages: theory and practice

Already hold a bachelor’s degree in another field?

If you already have a bachelor’s degree in another field, you may be able to earn an initial teaching certificate through one of Mississippi’s alternate routes for certification. These include:

• Master of Arts in Teaching (M.A.T.) program
• Teach Mississippi Institute
• American Board for Certification of Teacher Excellence

Your bachelor’s degree in another field may also qualify you for a master’s degree leading to an initial teaching license. Many schools that offer bachelor’s level teaching certificate programs also offer master’s programs that include all of the coursework and practical experiences necessary to become certified as an educator in Mississippi.

Step 2. Pass the Required Praxis Exam

Step 3. Apply for your Mississippi Teacher’s License and ESL Endorsement

Step 4. Consider Earning a Master’s in ESL to Maintain Your Teaching License

The Mississippi Department of Education requires that all teachers show evidence of the completion of professional development to maintain their teacher’s license. This can be done by taking Continuing Education Units (CEUs) or through ESL related coursework:

The requirements to renew a Class A license are one of the following:

• 10 CEUs related to ESL teaching
• 3 semester credits and 5 CEUs
• 6 semester credits

If you are renewing a higher-level license such as a Class AA one, you only need one of the following:

• 3 semester credits
• 5 CEUs

One of the ways you can meet these requirements is by obtaining an education master’s degree, which are available with an ESL concentration. In addition to helping you advance in a K-12 teaching position, having a master’s degree on top of your ESL education makes you competitive for jobs teaching English at foreign universities.

District-Based Professional Development for ESL Teachers

Given that the needs of ESL students are constantly in flux, Mississippi requires that school districts provide programs to meet the professional needs of ESL teachers. The district’s program administrator is required to contribute to the following types of professional development opportunities for these teachers:

• High-quality professional development activities that are based in research on ELL education
• Allowing ESL teachers to attend at least one ESL professional development activity outside of their district a year
• Ensuring that ESL teacher professional development activities are available in the district
• Teaching ESL teachers to develop appropriate instructional practices and curricula

Step 5. Learn More ESL Salary Expectations for Jobs in Mississippi

Join the professional organization that represents ESL teachers in Mississippi: Alabama-Mississippi Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages (AMTESOL) to learn about professional development and job opportunities.

As of May 2020, the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reported the following salaries for educators in Mississippi:

Elementary School

Early Career (25^th percentile): $36,730
Median: $43,470
Experienced (90^th percentile): $57,390

Middle School

Early Career (25^th percentile): $39,670
Median: $46,570
Experienced (90^th percentile): $64,510

High School

Early Career (25^th percentile): $37,950
Median: $45,400
Experienced (90^th percentile): $63,250

BLS stats also reveal what ESL teachers are earning in Mississippi in some of its largest metro areas, as of May 2020:

Gulfport (Elementary School)

Early Career (25^th percentile): $41,180
Median: $46,720
Experienced (90^th percentile): $61,070

Hattiesburg (Middle School)

Early Career (25^th percentile): $41,210
Median: $46,550
Experienced (90^th percentile): $61,830

Jackson (High School)

Early Career (25^th percentile): $36,800
Median: $43,810
Experienced (90^th percentile): $62,960

May 2020 Bureau of Labor Statistics salary and job market trends for elementary school teachers, middle school teachers, and secondary school teachers represent state data, not school-specific information. Conditions in your area may vary. Data accessed June 2021.

Student population data from the National Center for Education Statistics represents English language learners (ELL) enrolled in public elementary and secondary schools in the fall of 2018.

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