Foreign Language and Literature Teachers, Postsecondary
SOC 25-1124 · 2024-2034
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.
How the U.S. Department of Labor describes this work. Published in English only.
What California expects of this job
- Typical pay in California
- $102,655per year
- Projected openings
- 1,700
- Projected change
- 0%
- Usually needs
- Doctoral or professional degree
Skills this work uses most
O*NET, the U.S. Department of Labor's occupation database, rates how important each of these is to this work, and they are listed in that order, most important first. The ratings themselves are not shown, because the data carries the number without the scale it was measured on. The names are as published, in English.
- Speaking
- Writing
- Reading Comprehension
- Learning Strategies
- Active Listening
- Instructing
Pay by region
| Region | Typical pay in California | Projected openings |
|---|---|---|
| Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario MSA (Riverside and San Bernardino Counties) | $190,059 | 110 |
| Anaheim-Santa Ana-Irvine MD (Orange County) | $130,152 | 130 |
| Oakland-Fremont-Berkeley MD (Alameda and Contra Costa Counties) | $130,098 | 130 |
| San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad MSA (San Diego County) | $127,997 | 160 |
| Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom MSA (El Dorado, Placer, Sacramento, and Yolo Counties) | $124,545 | 110 |
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Glendale MD (Los Angeles County) | $97,942 | 520 |
| San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara MSA (San Benito and Santa Clara Counties) | $84,485 | 150 |
What the pay actually ranges across
- The lowest-paid tenth earn under
- $46,856
- A quarter earn under
- $66,491
- Half earn under
- $102,655
- Three quarters earn under
- $171,058
- The highest-paid tenth earn over
- $214,244
A median is one point. These are the federal Bureau of Labor Statistics' 2026 figures for California, and they say how far apart the people doing this job actually are. Read them as the spread across everyone already in the work — not as a starting wage and not as a promise about where anyone lands.
Similar work
O*NET, the U.S. Department of Labor's occupation database, names these as occupations involving work similar to this one — its own reading of the job, not a grouping by code. They keep O*NET's order, and only those California publishes a projection for are shown.
| Occupation | Typical pay in California | Projected openings | Projected change |
|---|---|---|---|
| English Language and Literature Teachers, Postsecondary | $134,143 | 3,890 | -3.4% |
| Adult Basic Education, Adult Secondary Education, and English as a Second Language Instructors | $104,886 | 1,700 | -11.8% |
| History Teachers, Postsecondary | $130,730 | 1,070 | -5.9% |
| Secondary School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education | $104,208 | 57,820 | -1.5% |
| Middle School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education | $101,720 | 23,240 | -1.7% |
| Philosophy and Religion Teachers, Postsecondary | $108,782 | 1,580 | 0% |
Programs that train for this job — 2
Healthcare Interpreter Certificate of Achievement
City College of San Francisco · San Francisco · $1,084
Professional Translator
Loyola Marymount University - LMU Extension · Los Angeles · $3,145