Certification Programs for Teaching English

Here the subtle differences between TEFL and TOEFL certification, TESOL programs, TESL certification, ESL and TEFL are analyzed.

TOEFL - TESOL - TESL - TEFL Certification - What's the Difference?

Earning a TEFL certificate isn't the only way to get training to teach English abroad. Many accredited providers will offer a degree equivalent to a TEFL qualification, with a few small twists and specializations. There are a ton of acronyms out there in the field of teaching English abroad - we'll try to clarify a few more here, but check out this in-depth article for a more detailed description.

ESL Certifications/ESL Certification Classes

ESL means English as a Second Language and is used equally to apply to both students and teachers of the English language. While an ESL certification is often accepted in place of its TEFL counterpart, and vice versa, the technical difference between the two is that ESL certifications are geared towards teaching native English speakers living in an English-speaking country. If you are planning to teach English as a second language in your home country, this might be a good option to look into.

TOEFL Certification

TOEFL stands for Test of English as Foreign Language and is often a must-pass for ESL students planning to study or work in an English-speaking country. The TOEFL certification is what many of your students will work on, especially if they themselves intend to live abroad one day. TOEFL teacher certification trains teachers to not only educate their students in the English language but also to instill in them the strategies needed to master the all-important test itself.

TESOL Programs

TESOL stands for Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages and is on par with a traditional TEFL or TESL certification. TESOL programs represent the latest variety of ESL teaching accreditations, aiming to instil in their teacher's strategies for teaching English to second-language speakers in both native and non-native English-speaking countries. TESOL certification is often accepted as an equivalent alternative to ESL and TEFL certifications.

TEFL Degree

Finally, if you want to go all-in with the field of teaching English as a second language, then you might want to consider earning a TEFL degree. TEFL degrees are mostly awarded at the master's level, for which a university education in a field such as linguistics, English, or education makes a great match. A TEFL degree can be a very valuable and useful product if you are determined to become an expert in the field. That said, it might not be bad to get on-the-ground experience with TEFL overseas before fully committing yourself.

Finally, after earning your TEFL certification, the next natural step is to start looking for TEFL jobs overseas. Many TEFL and TESOL programs offer indefinite placement assistance after graduation, which means you'll always have a primary resource for asking for help from employers around the world. Online resources such as Go broad’s Directory of English Abroad also offer hundreds of TEFL jobs abroad that you can apply for directly.

When you start looking for work to teach English abroad, you will find that there are significant variations in availability, requirements and compensation for jobs between different regions of the world. For example, there are large markets for ESL teachers in China and Southeast Asia, so TEFL jobs are widely available and the compensation is quite good in these regions. Europe, on the other hand, is a more competitive market for ESL teaching jobs, so pre-requisites are often higher and wages relatively lower.

For more information on teaching abroad jobs, check out Go broad’s extensive collection of articles abroad to teach, including those on the best programs for teaching English abroad and the highest paid to teaching jobs abroad.

Now that you are ready to go with some basic knowledge about English Teaching Certification Programs, it's time to go out and get your TEFL certification. Learn more articles on getting TEFL certified - such as

  • how in advance should you do it
  • how to get certified as quickly as possible
  • what to do after the new certification
  • And many more.

ESL teachers

Yup-TEFL certification is the new black

Becoming TEFL certified is only the first step towards what will be a deeply engaging experience teaching abroad, for both you and your students. Like our modern lingua franca, English is an extremely valuable skillet that will open up new avenues of success for your students. At the same time, you will likely find yourself learning more from your guests than you could ever hope to teach them in return.

Some ESL teachers choose to live abroad for a year or two, while others pursue careers without teaching English to second-language speakers. The only way to know where you fit in that spectrum is to take the first step; enroll in a TEFL certification course, study hard to absorb as much material as possible, then set out to land a job in the destination of your dreams. This is just the beginning; from here on, let your educational path unfold as it will be.

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