foreign language teacher

assistant professor

associate professor

instructor

Defense Language Institute Foreign Language Center

Challenging but rewarding military organization in support of educating and training foreign language linguists. 

Typical day:  Day comprised of research and analysis, program improvement efforts, meeting with school, military leadership, and multiple presentations to local/national command, dignitaries, and school deans.

What I learned: Working in a multi-cultural, multi-lingual environment within a military structure.

Management:  Military leadership/command was top notch and  changes every few years.

Workplace Culture:  Military culture dedicated to the mission while being supportive, respectful, and demanding.

Hardest part of the Job:  Addressing the multicultural nature of the multiple language schools staffed by individuals from countries representing 26 different languages.

Most important part of the job;  The privilege of working with dedicated and mission oriented military personnel from all the US military service branches

My main duty as an assistant professor in Korean language was teaching linguists at all levels (Basic, Intermediate, Advanced). Teaching hours were from 4 to 6 hours a day plus material development, evaluations/assessment and giving group/individual feedback.
While I worked for DLI, I was trained intensively to teach linguists effectively and efficiently. The trainings/workshops I completed were ILR Skill Levels workshops; Text Typology Course; OPI Familiarization Course; Diagnostic Assessment Specialist Certification Course; Post Basic Instructor Certification Program.
DLI requires team teaching and strong teamwork to accomplish the missions, so it was very crucial to get along with co-workers.
The hardest part of the job was providing high quality lessons in multi-levels classroom (1+ students with 2+/3 students together).
The most enjoyable part of my job was teaching Korean language and culture to highly motivated students who were always eager to learn something new, more and better. Interacting with students and having students engaging into various learning activities were very fun and exciting.

This is not a legit survey to allow a true rating. The questions (statements provided for rating) combine to irrelevant aspects of the institute. For instance, job work/ life balance. Work is defined and regulated by OPM, while work balance is a choice of the individual. Another example of this poor survey questionaire is, Job security/ Advancement. The job security is great because it is a federal job. Advancement at DLI is based on favoritism and friendships. You get left out of training that are usually used as pount for advancement. I had to file an EEO case to be able to get OPI certified and to attend and become certified for diagnostic assessment, that every teacher should be trained on as it is a part of successful teaching. 

The pay, rank advancement and tenure track systems have major problems. The senior management acknowledges the problems and keeps promising they will fix it but it never happens. The lower level management is very corrupt and the senior management does nothing to fix it. The employees and the students are very unhappy but the management wants students to get higher grades. The curriculum has had fundamental problems for a decade and a half, millions has been invested in fixing it, and it is not fixed. The people in charge sometimes change if a senior leader retires, but the problems still exist.

 Let me lead off by saying I adore this school. I was first a student here back in 1982. The work is challenging, the mission is fantastic, and the results are rewarding.

  Budget cuts, management turnover, and other issues have lowered my ratings in some areas, but I would still recommend this place to anyone wanting to pursue a career in language training and helping in building a military force that knows other languages and cultures. 

The DLI is right on the border of Monterey and Pacific Grove which happen to have many events and beautiful scenic ocean views. I was in the military while there so I trained in a language and worked out as my job. We did get opportunities to engage with the local community and explore, which was nice, and we also reaped the benefits of the military's great health and dental plans. I enjoyed a lot of the time I spent here.

The biggest problem  is double standard behavior, the leadership of our institute   are military staff , they do not respect the civilians personal as well as military staff. A low rank military staff has 10 times more power than a high rank civilian staff. 

Typical 8-5 work with good government-provided benefit. Salary doesn't commensurate with skills, education and experience that they require. Management is open but not necessarily available. Not enough professional development for field support.

DLIFLC has provided me with best environment for my professional growth as a language teacher.
During my eleven year service, I have been given ample opportunity to attend various courses and workshops.

Serving here at DLIFLC has been a privilege and an honor.

It's a very great and valuable opportunity and experience to work there. 
Good compensation and people are very friendly. 
The management can work better to support the employees in addition to achieving their targets. 
Fair treatment for rank advancement. 
Nice place to live in

Top Job Titles	Average Salary
Foreign language teacher 15 salaries reported	$96,100 per year
Assistant professor 3 salaries reported	$86,000 per year
Associate professor 1 salary reported	$103,760 per year
Instructor 3 salaries reported	$76,863 per year

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