Preview
What actually is TESOL/TEFL?
Before getting started, it’s a good idea to really get to grips with what TESOL/TEFL is, what it involves, and some of the other acronyms you’ll see.
TESOL stands for Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages
TEFL stands for Teaching English as a Foreign Language.
These different acronyms are generally used to describe the same subject.
A TESOL/TEFL course covers the key knowledge and skills needed to effectively teach the English language to non-native speakers.
🏛 The history behind “TESOL” and “TEFL”
Traditionally, a TESOL course would be more suited to teaching people who speak one language, but move to an English-speaking country and need to improve their English language skills. This could mean a student from Germany that moves to study at university in the UK, or perhaps a family that recently moves to Australia for work – their children would need help learning English.
TEFL courses, on the other hand, were traditionally developed for people teaching English in a country that doesn’t use English as its first language. For example, this could be somebody flying to Thailand and teaching English there.
Nowadays, the industry has evolved quite a lot and the terms have grown to cover the same overall skillsets needed to teach English in either setting.
Key information: TESOL and TEFL are now interchangeable terms. For a job that requires a TESOL certificate, a TEFL certificate would generally be usable too – as long as it’s suitably accredited and of equal quality.
Different types of TESOL/TEFL courses
TESOL/TEFL courses often come in a range of lengths and can be studied online, at a learning center, or a combination of both. While class-based courses can offer a great experience, for many people they can be difficult to afford and inconvenient to attend. This is where online courses can bring great convenience and accessibility.
To ensure that online courses still provide the high level of training needed, there are accreditation organizations that examine the content and teaching practices of these courses. Only those which meet the strict standards set by these organizations are able to gain accreditation. This course has been accredited by ACCREDITAT – we’ll cover this in more detail later in this introductory module.
After completing the course, you’ll receive a TESOL/TEFL certificate which shows the training you have covered. This certificate has long been an essential requirement sought by ESL employers around the world and for online teaching too. In recent years, many governments have also started to require foreign English language teachers to have a 120-hour TESOL/TEFL certificate in order to qualify for a work permit. So for those wanting to move overseas and teach, gaining a certificate can be very important.