Foreign Language and Literature Teachers, Postsecondary Job Outlook
The Bureau of Labor Statistics projects little or no change in employment of postsecondary foreign language and literature teachers from 2025 to 2035 (+0.2%, about 100 more jobs), with about 1,600 openings a year, and the May 2025 median pay of $79,350 a year ranks 227th of 825 occupations.
- Little or no change
- +0.2%
- Openings a year
- 1,600
- Median pay
- $79,350
- Pay rank
- 227th of 825
Is employment of postsecondary foreign language and literature teachers growing or shrinking?
Little or no change: BLS projects +0.2% employment change for postsecondary foreign language and literature teachers from 2025 to 2035 (about 100 more jobs), slower than the 3.5% projected across all occupations. That is slower than the +1.4% summed from BLS's employment levels across the 64 educational instruction and library occupations with a projection. That change ranks 585th of 830 projected occupations.
| Measure | Figure |
|---|---|
| Employment, 2025 | 24,600 |
| Employment, 2035 | 24,700 |
| Projected change | +0.2% (little or no change) |
| Openings a year | 1,600 |
Source: BLS Employment Projections, 2025 to 2035. A projection is a BLS estimate, not a count. The 24,600 jobs here differ from the 19,830 on the salary page because Employment Projections also counts the self-employed and a wider set of workers, while OEWS counts wage and salary jobs in May 2025. BLS published these projections on August 27, 2026; checked November 10, 2026. Confirm any figure in the BLS Employment Projections tables.
BLS's reasons for this projection are at the Occupational Outlook Handbook. State projections are at Projections Central; projections by industry are left to BLS. Education, licensing and work context at O*NET.
How many job openings are there each year?
About 1,600 openings a year, from job growth and from workers leaving the occupation, the 584th most of 830 occupations. About 99% of them replace workers who change occupations or leave the labor force; the rest come from the 10 jobs added in an average year.
Source: BLS Employment Projections, 2025 to 2035.
How does pay for postsecondary foreign language and literature teachers rank?
The median of $79,350 a year ranks 227th of 825 occupations with a published median. It sits in the upper half of occupations on pay and the lower half on openings.
Source: BLS OEWS national file, May 2025. Wage and salary jobs only; the self-employed are not counted. OEWS pay excludes overtime, shift differentials and non-production bonuses. Ranks count only the occupations with that published figure: 830 for projected change, 830 for openings, 825 for median pay, which is why the totals differ.
What does it take to start?
- Typical entry-level education: doctoral or professional degree.
Source: BLS Employment Projections, 2025 to 2035, education and training assignments.
How do related jobs compare on outlook?
| Occupation | Change | Openings a year | Median pay |
|---|---|---|---|
| English Language and Literature Teachers, Postsecondary | 0% | 4,500 | $78,760 |
| Area, Ethnic, and Cultural Studies Teachers, Postsecondary | +2.7% | 1,000 | $85,020 |
| Secondary School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education | -0.2% | 63,500 | $72,040 |
| Adult Basic Education, Adult Secondary Education, and English as a Second Language Instructors | -13.9% | 3,800 | $61,540 |
| History Teachers, Postsecondary | 0% | 1,500 | $83,820 |
| Middle School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education | -0.4% | 38,800 | $64,370 |
| Anthropology and Archeology Teachers, Postsecondary | +2.6% | 400 | $99,650 |
| Philosophy and Religion Teachers, Postsecondary | +2.0% | 1,800 | $80,260 |
Related occupations from O*NET; projections from BLS Employment Projections, 2025 to 2035; pay from BLS OEWS, May 2025.