Become an ESL Instructor

English as a Second Language (ESL) is learning English in a country whose dominant language is English. How do we define people whose second language isn’t English? This could be their 3rd or 4th language. We define people whose second language isn’t English as English language learners or ELL’s.

ELL is commonly used in K-12 environments. I have seen schools that prefer to use the term ESOL (English Speakers of Other Languages) to describe their student population.

ESL is defined as English as a Second language. Students who do not know English, or who need to improve their English in order to understand their school work, are enrolled in the English as a Second Language (ESL) program.

ESL is learning English in a place where English is primarily spoken, or where English is the official language. For example, students from non-native English-speaking countries who come to the U.S. learn English as a second language. They acquire English as a means to communicate in the primary language spoken in the neighborhood or community where they live.