When I applied for my previous ESL teaching position in the US, I was literally the only applicant. However, when I applied for a similar position in China, I was one of more than a thousand applicants. Reason being, the bar is set ridiculously low in China. Only TESL/TESOL majors would apply for such jobs in the US. Anyone else would be wasting their time.

Although I don't view others as competition, they are getting in the way. It's not easy getting noticed in such a deep pool of applicants. Employers might only take the time to look over a few resumes before coming to the conclusion that all applicants are equally unskilled, and then make a random decision without ever seeing my resume.

I long for the day when ESL/EFL classrooms are reserved for TESL/TESOL majors only. (Can you imagine what my salary would be?) But in the meantime, I'd settle for any restrictions that will disqualify the majority of 'teachers' here. Only allowing people with degrees related to education would be a good start.