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Foreign Language and Literature Teachers, Postsecondary

Also called: French Professor, Professor, Spanish Instructor, Spanish Professor

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.

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Median pay BLS, 2025$79,350
Openings a year BLS, 2025–351,600
Typical education to start BLSDoctoral or professional degree
AI exposure BLS, Aug 2026 Very high
Projected job growth BLS, 2025–35 +0.2%

What the data says: AI could halve the time on 20 of its 24 tasks, yet jobs are projected to grow 0.2% by 2035. In the most exposed occupations, the squeeze shows up first among early-career workers. How to think about this →

About this projection

BLS builds AI into its projections where the research supports it: “BLS generally applies adjustments based on this research conservatively, where there is convincing evidence for a change.”

It also notes a limit: “BLS projection methods are not designed to capture extremely rapid technological change.”

On its AI exposure groups, BLS says exposure “does not imply job loss.”

Recent conditions

  • In 2024, 2.1% of people in this work were unemployed, against 3.8% across all occupations Census ACS 2024, all workers in the Census group “Postsecondary teachers”
  • From Sep 2025 to Aug 2026, 7.8 hires for every 10 job openings in private educational services, which employs about 100% of people in this work, against 7.3 across all industries BLS JOLTS One box per opening, filled for each hire; hires beyond the openings are added in a lighter shade. Higher can mean openings get filled, or that people leave often; lower, that jobs go unfilled, or hiring is slow.

How to read these

Pay compared with all occupations BLS median wages Pays more than 72% of 825 occupations
lowest-paidhighest-paid

Median pay by state BLS OEWS May 2025, state estimates

$55k$102knot published

Median pay in every state
StateMedianMiddle half earnJobs
Alabama$70,580$60,130 to $81,350110
Alaska$76,490$72,760 to $76,82080
Arizona$71,230$67,760 to $76,500360
Arkansas$62,900$55,600 to $78,970120
California$99,860$64,680 to $166,4002,170
Colorado$77,840$60,470 to $101,080410
Connecticut$80,630$73,790 to $102,490340
Delaware$101,100$94,590 to $125,07070
District of Columbia$78,930$63,810 to $104,210360
Florida$76,230$60,010 to $88,820430
Georgia$73,370$61,030 to $98,230280
Idahonot publishednot published30
Illinois$81,530$64,780 to $99,650690
Indiana$74,590$61,340 to $101,210660
Iowa$79,880$63,800 to $103,550210
Kansas$65,890$59,110 to $82,320140
Kentucky$65,630$50,490 to $83,740180
Louisiana$75,410$60,110 to $97,220130
Maine$96,970$62,030 to $131,25070
Maryland$87,280$64,260 to $106,640280
Massachusetts$98,750$81,480 to $127,190960
Michigan$83,190$66,030 to $104,000500
Minnesota$80,650$63,280 to $100,760410
Mississippi$54,670$49,080 to $69,91060
Missouri$76,110$60,710 to $99,680330
Montana$79,970$60,270 to $106,85080
Nevada$84,980$68,920 to $89,94090
New Hampshire$101,750$81,260 to $127,940150
New Jersey$79,060$52,760 to $107,890850
New Mexico$71,720$63,270 to $82,38060
New York$95,120$74,910 to $126,7901,520
North Carolina$63,900$52,690 to $79,030690
North Dakota$64,540$55,520 to $91,93030
Ohio$74,310$53,330 to $95,660960
Oklahoma$61,580$40,480 to $67,32080
Oregon$91,670$76,170 to $124,910510
Pennsylvania$77,210$61,450 to $101,4101,060
Puerto Rico$81,050$67,920 to $95,200150
Rhode Islandnot publishednot published100
South Carolina$77,790$62,510 to $83,540320
South Dakota$81,080$67,220 to $88,39040
Tennessee$76,350$60,830 to $84,830310
Texas$75,090$58,260 to $99,5401,460
Utah$78,570$62,330 to $95,310180
Vermontnot publishednot published170
Virginia$74,000$59,780 to $98,110890
Washington$78,320$63,730 to $97,410370
West Virginia$76,340$61,850 to $77,15040
Wisconsin$78,490$66,260 to $95,490450

Nationally: $79,350. Shades run from the lowest state median to the highest; a territory below that range takes the lightest. How to read this

How AI touches the work

What AI could speed up, task by task, and where people already use it.

AI could halve the time on 20 of its 24 tasks

7 · AI alone could halve the time 13 · AI + software built on it could 4 · Not much
AI ratingIts main tasks Share of Claude conversations
May 2026
AI alone Prepare course materials, such as syllabi, homework assignments, and handouts. Not published
AI + software Maintain student attendance records, grades, and other required records. Not published
AI + software Evaluate and grade students' class work, assignments, and papers. Not published
AI alone 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. Not published
Not much Initiate, facilitate, and moderate classroom discussions. Not published
AI + software Maintain regularly scheduled office hours to advise and assist students. Not published
See all 24 tasks
AI alone Keep abreast of developments in their field by reading current literature, talking with colleagues, and participating in professional organizations and activities. Not published
AI + software Select and obtain materials and supplies, such as textbooks. Not published
AI + software Compile, administer, and grade examinations, or assign this work to others. Not published
AI + software Plan, evaluate, and revise curricula, course content, course materials, and methods of instruction. Not published
AI + software Write letters of recommendation for students. Not published
AI alone Conduct research in a particular field of knowledge and publish findings in scholarly journals, books, or electronic media. under 0.01%
AI + software Collaborate with colleagues to address teaching and research issues. Not published
AI + software Advise students on academic and vocational curricula and on career issues. Not published
Not much Participate in campus and community events. Not published
Not much Serve on academic or administrative committees that deal with institutional policies, departmental matters, and academic issues. Not published
AI alone Compile bibliographies of specialized materials for outside reading assignments. Not published
Not much Supervise undergraduate or graduate teaching, internship, and research work. Not published
AI + software Perform administrative duties, such as serving as department head. Not published
AI + software Participate in student recruitment, registration, and placement activities. Not published
AI + software Develop and maintain Web pages for teaching-related purposes. Not published
AI + software Organize and direct study abroad programs. Not published
AI alone Act as advisers to student organizations. Not published
AI alone Write grant proposals to procure external research funding. Not published

Ordered by how important O*NET's respondents rate each task (1 to 5) times the share who say it is part of their job. The ordering is ours. 1 of the 24 have a published share of Claude conversations; “not published” means too few conversations for Anthropic to publish a figure.

Where people already use AI

The tasks above say what AI could speed up. This shows what people are using it for. Its 24 tasks fall under 21 work activities that many occupations share, and Microsoft counted how often each one came up in 200,000 conversations with its Copilot assistant in 2024.

Tasks AI could speed up20 of 24 tasksEloundou et al. ratings (2023)
Its activities among the 50 people ask AI for help with most8 of 21 activities
  • #4 Maintain current knowledge in area of expertise
  • #10 Write material for artistic or commercial purposes
  • #20 Present research or technical information
  • and 5 more, in the table below
Microsoft Copilot (2024), ranked among all 332 activities. The cut-off of 50 is ours.
Work activity This occupation's tasks under it People asked AI for help
in 10,000 conversations		 AI did it for them
in 10,000 conversations
Maintain current knowledge in area of expertise 408#4 247#8
Advise others on educational or vocational matters 14#74 34#36
Assess student capabilities, needs, or performance 2.31#189 0.62#188
Prepare informational or instructional materials 73#23 195#11
Teach academic or vocational subjects 22#54 143#14
Write material for artistic or commercial purposes 149#10 105#18
Present research or technical information 100#20 339#6
Perform administrative or clerical activities 58#30 25#44
Show all 21 activities
Compile records, documentation, or other data 52#33 33#37
Purchase goods or services 47#36 0.39#220
Select materials or equipment for operations or projects 45#38 19#49
Evaluate programs, practices, or processes 15#67 5.67#80
Promote products, services, or programs 14#72 85#20
Plan events or programs 5.26#123 1.90#133
Coordinate group, community, or public activities 3.24#162 1.26#151
Maintain operational records 2.92#170 0.49#209
Develop educational programs, plans, or procedures 2.52#181 2.47#121
Direct organizational operations, activities, or procedures 1.85#204 0.36#225
Prepare proposals or grant applications 1.47#214 0.60#190
Supervise personnel activities 0.56#266 0.05#283
Serve on organizational committees 0.21#294 0.04#288
Task: AI alone Task: AI + software Task: not much #: rank among all 332 activities Microsoft measured (#1 = most common; activities that never came up share last place, shown as “tied”)
Where the two sources differ: “Assess student capabilities, needs, or performance” holds 3 tasks rated AI + software, yet people asked AI for help with it in 2.31 of every 10,000 conversations, #189 of 332.

How people in this work use Claude

What people in this work made with Claude % of conversations

  • An explanation or answer23%
  • Teaching material18%
  • A document or report14%
  • Advice or a recommendation10%
  • An analysis or summary9%

How they worked with Claude

29% handed the task off71% worked on it together

19% of these conversations were about work. Anthropic Economic Index, May 2026.

How to read this

Work activities come from O*NET, which links every task to the broader activities it involves. Microsoft's figures are for the activity across everyone who used Copilot, not for foreign language and literature teachers, postsecondary specifically. Copilot is a general chat assistant; dedicated coding tools are not included, so programming help is under-counted here. Activities are listed by how many of this occupation's tasks fall under them.

The task ratings say whether AI could halve the time a task takes: on its own (“AI alone”), or with software built on it (“AI + software”). They were made by people in 2023 (Eloundou et al.). Claude's share is the task's share of all Claude.ai conversations in May 2026; Anthropic doesn't publish a task with too few conversations. None of these add up to the BLS exposure group, which combines five research measures.

More in the Guide: task ratings · task order · work activities · Copilot figures · Claude

High exposure doesn't mean fewer jobs

BLS projects most occupations in its two most exposed groups to grow: 141 of 206 rated Very high and 165 of 206 rated High. Each dot is one of the 831 occupations BLS rates.

AI exposure and projected job growth, 831 occupationsLow exposure: 134 of 213 occupations projected to grow. Moderate exposure: 151 of 206 occupations projected to grow. High exposure: 165 of 206 occupations projected to grow. Very high exposure: 141 of 206 occupations projected to grow.-20%-15%-10%-5%0%+5%+10%+15%+20%+25%Low134 of 213 growingModerate151 of 206 growingHigh165 of 206 growingVery high141 of 206 growing11 occupations outside −20% to +25% are drawn at the edge. Click a dot to see that occupation.Foreign language and literature teachers, postsecondary: +0.2%Foreign Language and Literature Teachers, PostsecondaryAI exposure and projected job growth, 831 occupationsLow exposure: 134 of 213 occupations projected to grow. Moderate exposure: 151 of 206 occupations projected to grow. High exposure: 165 of 206 occupations projected to grow. Very high exposure: 141 of 206 occupations projected to grow.-20%-15%-10%-5%0%+5%+10%+15%+20%+25%Low134 of 213Moderate151 of 206High165 of 206Very high141 of 20611 occupations outside −20% to +25% are drawn at the edge. Tap a dot.Foreign language and literature teachers, postsecondary: +0.2%Foreign Language and Literature Teachers, Postsecondary

Career moves into and out of this occupation

From moves between occupations found in online resumes, 2002–2016. Career changes only: a first job after school isn't a move.

Where people moved next

of 6,453 moves out

  1. 1 Teachers and Instructors, All Other (2010 group) an older group BLS has since split; no exposure group today 12%
  2. 2 Middle School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education High -0.4% 10%
  3. 3 Interpreters and Translators Very high +2.0% 7%
  4. 4 Postsecondary Teachers, All Other Very high +2.0% 6%
  5. 5 Secondary School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education High -0.2% 4%

Where people moved in from

of 9,021 moves in

  1. 1 Middle School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education High -0.4% 10%
  2. 2 Teachers and Instructors, All Other (2010 group) an older group BLS has since split; no exposure group today 9%
  3. 3 Interpreters and Translators Very high +2.0% 7%
  4. 4 Secondary School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education High -0.2% 4%
  5. 5 Postsecondary Teachers, All Other Very high +2.0% 4%

Resumes over-represent younger, white-collar job-seekers and moves into management. Schubert, Stansbury and Taska (resume data).

Education and training for the occupation

Education people in it hold

O*NET survey of workers in this occupation

  • 9% bachelor's
  • 18% master's
  • 73% research doctorate

O*NET 31.0 survey of workers in this occupation · 21 people answered.

Census survey (American Community Survey)

  • 1% less than high school
  • 3% high school
  • 4% some college
  • 2% associate's
  • 16% bachelor's
  • 28% master's
  • 5% professional degree
  • 42% doctorate

Census ACS 2024, all workers in the Census group “Postsecondary teachers” · 15,280 people surveyed.

Why the two can differ

O*NET asks about 20 people in each occupation, which makes its shares uncertain, but it reports the exact occupation and counts certificates. The Census survey reaches thousands, but it groups some occupations together and counts degrees only. More in the Guide

Median pay by highest degree full-time, year-round · Census ACS 2024, all workers in the Census group “Postsecondary teachers”

Programs that prepare people for it (NCES)
88 programs, such as Foreign Language Teacher Education, French Language Teacher Education and German Language Teacher Education.
See all
  • Foreign Language Teacher Education
  • French Language Teacher Education
  • German Language Teacher Education
  • Spanish Language Teacher Education
  • Latin Teacher Education
  • Foreign Languages and Literatures, General
  • Linguistics
  • Language Interpretation and Translation
  • Applied Linguistics
  • African Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics
  • East Asian Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics, General
  • Chinese Language and Literature
  • Japanese Language and Literature
  • Korean Language and Literature
  • Tibetan Language and Literature
  • East Asian Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics, Other
  • Slavic Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics, General
  • Baltic Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics
  • Russian Language and Literature
  • Albanian Language and Literature
  • Bulgarian Language and Literature
  • Czech Language and Literature
  • Polish Language and Literature
  • Bosnian, Serbian, and Croatian Languages and Literatures
  • Slovak Language and Literature
  • Ukrainian Language and Literature
  • Slavic, Baltic, and Albanian Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics, Other
  • Germanic Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics, General
  • German Language and Literature
  • Scandinavian Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics
  • Danish Language and Literature
  • Dutch/Flemish Language and Literature
  • Norwegian Language and Literature
  • Swedish Language and Literature
  • Germanic Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics, Other
  • Modern Greek Language and Literature
  • South Asian Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics, General
  • Hindi Language and Literature
  • Sanskrit and Classical Indian Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics
  • Bengali Language and Literature
  • Punjabi Language and Literature
  • Tamil Language and Literature
  • Urdu Language and Literature
  • South Asian Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics, Other
  • Iranian Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics
  • Romance Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics, General
  • French Language and Literature
  • Italian Language and Literature
  • Portuguese Language and Literature
  • Spanish Language and Literature
  • Romanian Language and Literature
  • Catalan Language and Literature
  • Hispanic and Latin American Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics, General
  • Romance Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics, Other
  • American Indian/Native American Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics
  • Middle/Near Eastern and Semitic Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics, General
  • Arabic Language and Literature
  • Hebrew Language and Literature
  • Ancient Near Eastern and Biblical Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics
  • Middle/Near Eastern and Semitic Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics, Other
  • Classics and Classical Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics, General
  • Ancient/Classical Greek Language and Literature
  • Latin Language and Literature
  • Classics and Classical Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics, Other
  • Celtic Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics
  • Southeast Asian Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics, General
  • Australian/Oceanic/Pacific Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics
  • Indonesian/Malay Languages and Literatures
  • Burmese Language and Literature
  • Filipino/Tagalog Language and Literature
  • Khmer/Cambodian Language and Literature
  • Lao Language and Literature
  • Thai Language and Literature
  • Vietnamese Language and Literature
  • Hawaiian Language and Literature
  • Southeast Asian and Australasian/Pacific Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics, Other
  • Turkish Language and Literature
  • Uralic Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics
  • Hungarian/Magyar Language and Literature
  • Mongolian Language and Literature
  • Turkic, Uralic-Altaic, Caucasian, and Central Asian Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics, Other
  • American Sign Language (ASL)
  • Linguistics of ASL and Other Sign Languages
  • Armenian Language and Literature
  • Foreign Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics, Other
  • Economics and Foreign Language/Literature
  • History and Language/Literature
  • Linguistics and Anthropology

Jobs that require a credential BLS Occupational Requirements Survey 2023

BLS publishes no credential figures for this occupation.

Look up certifications, training and licenses U.S. Department of Labor

These open in a new tab and send only the occupation's public code. More in the Guide

See where your own career could go Start by uploading your resume Browse careers

BLS AI exposure categories (Aug 2026) · BLS Employment Projections 2025–35 · O*NET 31.0 · Task ratings: Eloundou et al., Science (2024) · Microsoft "Working with AI" v1.1 · Anthropic Economic Index (2026-06-26) · Schubert, Stansbury and Taska · NCES CIP–SOC · Census ACS 2024 · BLS JOLTS · Brynjolfsson, Chandar and Chen, Stanford (Aug 2026)

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