When searching for courses that certify teachers to teach English to non-native speakers, you will encounter a variety of acronyms. The most common of these is TEFL, which means teaching English as a foreign language. TSOL stands for teaching English to speakers of other languages, and TESL is teaching English as a second language. Other acronyms include TEAL, or teaching English as an additional language, and TELF, teaching English as a lingua franca. There are numerous institutions offering courses in these areas.
To find a course with a good reputation and an increased chance of helping you get a job, a training course should meet industry standards. The standards include 100 hours of methodology input in the classroom or training sessions, and at least six hours observed teaching practice. Two highly respected courses meeting those standards are CELTA and TESOL.
Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages Inc., TESOL, is a highly regarded organization headquartered in Alexandria, Virginia. The organization is a gathering place for TEFL professionals, organizations and educators, and it puts on conventions, symposia and workshops. It maintains a listing of TEFL programs by major, by institution, by geographic location and by program type. The TESOL directory is a great place to search for a respected certification program.
Trinity College in London offers another TESOL certification that is respected by employers around the world. Academically rigorous programs that have a great deal of respect offered by U.S. institutions include The School of Teaching ESL cooperating with Seattle University College of Education, the ICAL online TESL certification program, the Boston Language Institute program, San Diego State's four-week TEFL certificate and the International TEFL Corporation certification.
One of the most widely respected certification courses is CELTA, or the Cambridge Certificate in English Language Teaching to Adults. It is open to people with little or no experience teaching. The course can be completed full time in four to five weeks, or part time over a period of months to a year. The course includes instruction in teaching, in English and in adapting to different contexts. The certificate is awarded after a candidate completes full classroom training, a six-hour working experience with classes at two different ability levels and four written assignments. The course is available in 54 countries at nearly 300 centers.