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Foreign Language and Literature Teachers, Postsecondary
An occupation in Human and Public Services
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Teach courses in foreign (i.e., other than English) languages and literature.


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Social - Social occupations frequently involve working with, communicating with, and teaching people. These occupations often involve helping or providing service to others.


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1. Evaluate and grade students' class work, assignments, and papers.

2. Prepare course materials such as syllabi, homework assignments, and handouts.

3. Initiate, facilitate, and moderate classroom discussions.

4. Maintain student attendance records, grades, and other required records.

5. Compile, administer, and grade examinations, or assign this work to others.

6. Plan, evaluate, and revise curricula, course content, course materials, and methods of instruction.

7. Prepare and deliver lectures to undergraduate or graduate students on topics such as how to speak and write a foreign language and the cultural aspects of areas where a particular language is used.

8. Maintain regularly scheduled office hours to advise and assist students.

9. Select and obtain materials and supplies such as textbooks.

10. Keep abreast of developments in their field by reading current literature, talking with colleagues, and participating in professional organizations and activities.

11. Advise students on academic and vocational curricula and on career issues.


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Instructing - Teaching others how to do something.

Speaking - Talking to others to convey information effectively.

Reading Comprehension - Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work related documents.

Active Listening - Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.

Critical Thinking - Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.

Learning Strategies - Selecting and using training/instructional methods and procedures appropriate for the situation when learning or teaching new things.

Writing - Communicating effectively in writing as appropriate for the needs of the audience.


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English Language - Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.

Foreign Language - Knowledge of the structure and content of a foreign (non-English) language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition and grammar, and pronunciation.

Education and Training - Knowledge of principles and methods for curriculum and training design, teaching and instruction for individuals and groups, and the measurement of training effects.

History and Archeology - Knowledge of historical events and their causes, indicators, and effects on civilizations and cultures.

Sociology and Anthropology - Knowledge of group behavior and dynamics, societal trends and influences, human migrations, ethnicity, cultures and their history and origins.

Philosophy and Theology - Knowledge of different philosophical systems and religions. This includes their basic principles, values, ethics, ways of thinking, customs, practices, and their impact on human culture.

Psychology - Knowledge of human behavior and performance; individual differences in ability, personality, and interests; learning and motivation; psychological research methods; and the assessment and treatment of behavioral and affective disorders.


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Job Zone Five: Extensive Preparation Needed

Education: A bachelor's degree is the minimum formal education required for these occupations. However, many also require graduate school. For example, they may require a master's degree, and some require a Ph.D., M.D., or J.D. (law degree).

Training: Employees may need some on-the-job training, but most of these occupations assume that the person will already have the required skills, knowledge, work-related experience, and/or training.


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The college search results are undergraduate programs associated with Foreign Language and Literature Teachers, Postsecondary. Further education may also be required to pursue this career.

The training search results include both short and long-term programs associated with Foreign Language and Literature Teachers, Postsecondary, and may be more appropriate for adult and non-traditional students. Further training may also be required to pursue this career.


Find Training Courses in New YorkFind Colleges in New YorkLatin Teacher Education. - A program that prepares individuals to teach Latin at various grade levels.


Find Training Courses in New YorkFind Colleges in New YorkForeign Languages and Literatures, General. - A general program that focuses on one or more modern foreign languages that is not specific as to the name of the language(s) studied; that is otherwise undifferentiated; or that introduces students to language studies at the basic/elementary level.


Find Training Courses in New YorkFind Colleges in New YorkLinguistics. - A program that focuses on language, language development, and relationships among languages and language groups from a humanistic and/or scientific perspective. Includes instruction in subjects such as psycholinguistics, behavioral linguistics, language acquisition, sociolinguistics, mathematical and computational linguistics, grammatical theory and theoretical linguistics, philosophical linguistics, philology and historical linguistics, comparative linguistics, phonetics, phonemics, dialectology, semantics, functional grammar and linguistics, language typology, lexicography, morphology and syntax, orthography, stylistics, structuralism, rhetoric, and applications to artificial intelligence.


Find Training Courses in New YorkFind Colleges in New YorkLanguage Interpretation and Translation. - A program that prepares individuals to be professional interpreters and/or translators of documents and data files, either from English or (Canadian) French into another language or languages or vice versa. Includes intensive instruction in one or more foreign languages plus instruction in subjects such as single- and multiple-language interpretation, one- or two-way interpretation, simultaneous interpretation, general and literary translation, business translation, technical translation, and other specific applications of linguistic skills.


Find Training Courses in New YorkFind Colleges in New YorkAfrican Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics. - A program that focuses on one or more of the languages native to the African continent, with an emphasis on sub-Saharan Africa but including some Saharan languages and dialects. Includes instruction in African linguistic philology and diffusion; African literatures (oral and written); Bantu languages (Swahili, Lingala, Tswana, Kongo, Zulu, Xhosa, Luba, Kikuyu, Sotho, Rundi, Rwanda, Swazi, and others); Nilo-Saharan languages (Kanuri, Ibo, Zande, Bagirmi, Dinka, Nubian, Maasai, and others); Niger-Congo languages (Wolof, Temne, Fon, Sango, Mossi, Senufo, Yoruba, Igbo, Akan, Ewe, Fulani, Mande, and others; Khoisan languages (!Kung and others); and the Chadic (Hausa, Margi, and others) and Ethiopic (Amharic, Galla, Ge'ez, Tigre, Tigrinya, and others) languages of the Hamito-Semitic language family.


Find Training Courses in New YorkFind Colleges in New YorkChinese Language and Literature. - A program that focuses on the Chinese language and its associated dialects and literature. Includes instruction in Chinese philology, Archaic and Classical Chinese, Modern Standard Chinese (Guoyu), Mandarin, Cantonese, Taiwanese, Wu, Min, Hunanese, Hakka, other dialects and pidgins, and applications to business, science/technology, and other settings.


Find Training Courses in New YorkFind Colleges in New YorkJapanese Language and Literature. - A program that focuses on the Japanese language. Includes instruction in Japanese philology; Ancient, Medieval, and Modern Japanese; Japanese dialects; and applications to business, science/technology, and other settings.


Find Training Courses in New YorkFind Colleges in New YorkKorean Language and Literature. - A program that focuses on the Korean language. Includes instruction in Korean philology; Pre-Modern and Modern Korean; Korean dialects; and applications to business, science/technology, and other settings.


Find Training Courses in New YorkFind Colleges in New YorkTibetan Language and Literature. - A program that focuses on the Tibetan language. Includes instruction in Tibetan philology, secular and religious Tibetan, Tibetan dialects, and applications to business, science/technology, Buddhist studies, and other settings.


Find Training Courses in New YorkFind Colleges in New YorkEast Asian Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics, Other. - Any instructional program in East Asian languages, literatures, and linguistics not listed above, including such languages as Formosan, Miao, Yuan, Manchu, Ainu, and others.


Find Training Courses in New YorkFind Colleges in New YorkBaltic Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics. - A program that focuses on the languages of the Baltic peoples and the relationship of Baltic philology to comparative linguistics and Indo-European origins. Includes instruction in the modern languages of Latvian and Lithuanian, their literature, and applications to business, science/technology, and other settings; and extinct languages such as Old Prussian and Curionian.


Find Training Courses in New YorkFind Colleges in New YorkRussian Language and Literature. - A program that focuses on the Russian language. Includes instruction in Russian philology, Old Russian, Modern Russian and dialects, literature, and applications to business, science/technology, and other settings.


Find Training Courses in New YorkFind Colleges in New YorkAlbanian Language and Literature. - A program that focuses on the Albanian language. Includes instruction in Albanian/Illyrian philology, Ghegg and Tosk dialects, Modern Standard Albanian, and applications to business, science/technology, and other settings.


Find Training Courses in New YorkFind Colleges in New YorkBulgarian Language and Literature. - A program that focuses on the Bulgarian language. Includes instruction in Bulgarian philology, literature, and applications to business, science/technology, and other settings.


Find Training Courses in New YorkFind Colleges in New YorkCzech Language and Literature. - A program that focuses on the Czech language. Includes instruction in Czech philology, literature, and applications to business, science/technology, and other settings.


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In NY the average wage for this occupation was:

$41,720 for entry level workers, and $78,830 for experienced workers.


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Based on the total number of annual openings and its growth rate, the employment prospects for this occupation are described as .

During 2002, there were approximately 760 Foreign Language and Literature Teachers, Postsecondary employed in NY.

We estimate that in 2012 there will be 980  employed in NY. This represents an increase of 22 job(s) each year, and a total of 39 job openings each year.


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Teachers and Instructors - Visit this link for information on this career in the military.

Teachers-postsecondary - Visit this link for additional information on this career from the Occupational Outlook Handbook; a publication produced and maintained by the United States Department of Labor.


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