Okay, so you decide to see what this ESL thing is all about and you look at the certifications. The most common ones are TEFL (Teaching English as a Foreign Language) and TESOL (Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages). What’s the difference? Well, most people will claim that there is no difference. They’ll say that they’re pretty much the same. Except for one minute detail; getting a TEFL takes about a month and getting a TESOL takes about a week.
While working towards a TEFL, you’ll take tests, read linguistic reports, and you will probably be given some contact hours in front of a classroom. As far as a TESOL is concerned, you’ll get those sort of things condensed into a week and the degree of effort made by the teacher will depend on the location of the class and the amount of students attending. Both certificates generally run about $1000-1200 for the course.
My only option was a TESOL it was the only class offered in Arizona and I wanted to arrive in Thailand ready to look for work. My teacher was late twice, had us end class early almost every day, and showed us an instructional video displaying the exact same things she had just taught us. She rushed us through our last class quickly so that she could go to a recording studio and finish making her music. Complaining to her superior with one of the two other students in this class to her superior earned me a discount, but the truth was that I wanted a real education in ESL.
I have been told by several Canadian co-workers (the company originates in Canada) that they had much more positive experiences with TESOL. I wish I had gone to a better class myself, but hey, live and learn. Regardless, there are many unprofessional English schools that function similarly to the one I attended, so I suggest an official TEFL school for a sure shot. Truth be told, most schools just want to see the certificate.
As for the CELTA (Certificate in English Language Teaching to Adults), it can take one month to one year, depending on the pace one wishes to learn it. The way I understand it is that most schools will honor a CELTA and that it’s a more rigorous course than either TESOL or TEFL. Just like attending a university or a private school, it never hurts to do some research before you get started.
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5 users commented in " The Truth About Teaching English in Foreign Countries #2:TESOL, TEFL, CELTA "
Follow-up comment rss or Leave a TrackbackHi Jonas,
Just to clarify the use of the the terms TEFL and TESOL - they actually don’t refer to the certifications themselves but to the area in which you’re being certified. (TEFL = Teaching English as a Foreign Language; TESOL = Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages.) As you say, nowadays, the content covered amounts to roughly the same thing. Also, a TEFL or TESOL course can last as long as the certifying body wants it to - the acronym is no actual guide to the length.
As for the CELTA (Certificate in Teaching English to Adults), this is a TESOL qualification, which importantly includes an assessed practicum, which they call Teaching Practice or TP. Any future employer worth their salt will want you to have a Cambridge University CELTA or an equivalent (Trinity College or SIT) which includes TP. The other important thing about the CELTA is that it does actually prepare you for work in the classroom (language awareness, methodology, observations of experienced teachers, classroom management, TP). So in terms of professional development this is the one to go for at some time early in your teaching career. (Courses are usually 120 hours in the form of one month intensives or 3 months part-time.)
In terms of acceptability, however, and this is a big ‘however’, it really depend which country you’re going to work in. Many employers in Asia, for example, especially in Korea, are totally ignorant of the difference between say, a one-week on-line $200 cheapie cert. and a more expensive but worthwhile CELTA. So the choice is basically a certifcate for apppearences’ sake, or one which will allow you to survive and thrive. In the end, it all comes down to your personal priorities. Your advice to do some research beforehand is well founded.
Seoul Agent
I plan to teach in China. I would like to identify a one-week TESOL course in Chicago. What is YOUR suggestion?
Try to find a place with a high student enrollment so that your teacher will have too much of the company’s reputation to stake. Or make sure you go to a place that has had a history of teaching classes in the same area for a few years. Good luck.
I agree with the top comment, but it is complicated even more by the fact that TESOL has different meanings in America and the UK. In America TESOL is an umbrella term that includes TEFL and is more or less equivalent to ELT (English Language Teaching). In the UK, TESOL traditionally means teaching immigrants who have moved the the UK. Therefore, in Britain CELTA would be defined as a TEFL qualification rather than a TESOL qualification. The Trinity CertTESOL started out with that clear distinction to the (TEFL) CELTA, but as the TEFL market is much larger in the UK most people who take it do so to teach abroad or for foreign students who come to the UK to study and then go home.
TESOL certification ensures that one can teach in any country worldwide.
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