Foreign Language and Literature Teachers, Postsecondary

Median salary

$79,350

Average salary

$89,990

Employment

19,830

Projected growth

0.2% decline

Annual openings

1,900

Typical entry education

Doctoral or professional degree

What Foreign Language and Literature Teachers, Postsecondary Do

Teach languages and literature courses in languages other than English. Includes teachers of American Sign Language (ASL). Includes both teachers primarily engaged in teaching and those who do a combination of teaching and research.

See full salary breakdown & percentiles →

Career Outlook

National employment outlook, 2024–2034.

Related work experience: None
On-the-job training: None
Self-employed: 0.3%

Source: BLS Employment Projections — 2024-2034.

How Much Preparation Does This Take?

Job Zone 5 of 5

Job Zone Five: Extensive Preparation Needed

Experience: Extensive skill, knowledge, and experience are needed for these occupations. Many require more than five years of experience.
Education: Most of these occupations 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).
Job 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.

Source: O*NET Job Zones.

Key Knowledge Areas

Subject-matter areas this occupation draws on most, per O*NET.

Foreign Languageimportance 5.0/5
English Languageimportance 4.4/5
Education and Trainingimportance 4.1/5
History and Archeologyimportance 3.3/5
Philosophy and Theologyimportance 3.3/5
Sociology and Anthropologyimportance 3.1/5
Administrativeimportance 3.0/5
Geographyimportance 3.0/5

Work Environment

What the day-to-day work setting is like, per O*NET.

E-Mail4.9/5
Indoors, Environmentally Controlled4.7/5
Determine Tasks, Priorities and Goals4.5/5
Freedom to Make Decisions4.3/5
Public Speaking4.3/5
Face-to-Face Discussions with Individuals and Within Teams4.1/5

Careers With Similar Skills

Occupations whose Transferable Skills profile most closely matches this one — a mathematical comparison, not observed data about people actually moving between these careers.

English Language and Literature Teachers, Postsecondary99% skill match
Criminal Justice and Law Enforcement Teachers, Postsecondary99% skill match
Philosophy and Religion Teachers, Postsecondary99% skill match
Anthropology and Archeology Teachers, Postsecondary99% skill match
Sociology Teachers, Postsecondary99% skill match
Business Teachers, Postsecondary99% skill match
Psychology Teachers, Postsecondary99% skill match
Mathematical Science Teachers, Postsecondary99% skill match

Transferable Skills

Cross-functional skills this occupation draws on most, per O*NET — the kind that carry over to other careers.

Instructingimportance 4.0/5
Complex Problem Solvingimportance 3.5/5
Judgment and Decision Makingimportance 3.5/5
Social Perceptivenessimportance 3.3/5
Coordinationimportance 3.0/5
Time Managementimportance 3.0/5
Service Orientationimportance 2.9/5
Persuasionimportance 2.8/5

Software & Technologies

Tools and software used in this occupation, per O*NET.

Hot Technologies

In-Demand Technologies

Learning management system LMS

Other Software Used

Adobe PageMaker
American Sign Language ASL browser
Audacity
Blackboard Learn
Blackboard software
Collaborative editing software
Computer assisted language learning CALL software
Course management system software

Work Style

Personal work characteristics that matter most for this occupation, per O*NET.

Intellectual Curiosity
Dependability
Social Orientation
Cooperation
Achievement Orientation
Attention to Detail
Empathy

Career Interests

This occupation’s RIASEC interest profile, per O*NET — how strongly it fits each of the six Holland interest types.

SocialHigh
InvestigativeMedium
ArtisticMedium
ConventionalMedium
EnterprisingLow
RealisticLow

This page includes information from the O*NET 30.3 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA.

Where This Career Is Most Concentrated

Metro areas where foreign language and literature teachers, postsecondary make up the largest share of local employment, relative to the national average (BLS location quotient).

1Harrisonburg, VA7.37× national avg
2Ann Arbor, MI6.82× national avg
3South Bend-Mishawaka, IN-MI5.10× national avg
4Burlington-South Burlington, VT4.16× national avg
5College Station-Bryan, TX4.03× national avg

Possible Career Moves

A computed starting point, not observed job-change data — see the full list for why each one might fit.

English Language and Literature Teachers, PostsecondaryLateral Move
History Teachers, PostsecondaryLateral Move
Anthropology and Archeology Teachers, PostsecondaryLateral Move
Philosophy and Religion Teachers, PostsecondaryLateral Move

See the full career path from Foreign Language and Literature Teachers, Postsecondary →

Related Education Programs

Schools that offer related fields of study, based on the NCES CIP-SOC crosswalk — not a guarantee that graduates enter this specific career.