Job Discussion Forums

[johnnyappleseed]

I m having a disagreement with a friend who's writing a book. He says that the proper term is "TESOL". I have always read "TEFL." Which is it? Or are they two different things?

[denise]

TESOL is teaching English to speakers of other languages, which can include both English as a foreign language or English as a second language. So TEFL and TESL both fall under the umbrella of TESOL.

d

[DoubleDutch]

From http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/English_language_learning_and_teaching I understand that TEFL is used mostly for teaching English to foreigners in their country, and TESOL for teaching English to foreigners in an English speaking country.

[johnslat]

From my post on the UAE forum:

""TEFL (Teaching English as a Foreign Language) is also sometimes referred to as EFL (English as a Foreign Language). As that "foreign" is considered at least by some to be politically incorrect, the term ELT (English Language Teaching) is sometimes preferred, though ESOL (English for Speakers of Other Languages) is now rapidly coming into fashion.

In the US, TESOL (Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages) is much more widely used than TEFL.

Confusingly, the acronym TESOL also refers to the American professional association: Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages.

For all practical purposes, however, these terms mean virtually the same thing.

TEFL and TESL
A distinction is sometimes drawn between TEFL and TESL (Teaching English as a Second Language), and hence also between EFL and ESL.

TEFL (Teaching English as a Foreign Language) involves teaching people, usually in their own countries, who want to use English for business, leisure, travel, etc.

TESL (Teaching English as a Second Language) involves teaching immigrants in English-speaking countries."

http://www.ihes.com/bcn/tt/tefl_tesol.html

In other words, it's trivial. I think you could teach splendidly for many years and go to your grave without knowing this "distinction" and be
none the worse.

I've done both TEFL and TESL. The main difference resides not so much in the teacher as in the students, who, in ESL, are surrounded by English once they leave the classroom. This usually makes for better learning conditions.
Another difference is often in the students' motivation. ESL students tend to be more highly motivated, often taking classes although they have a job or jobs and family. They know it's probably the only way they're going to improve their standard of living.
This is not always the case with EFL students.

But, in my experience, at least, the actual teaching is not all that different.
Regarding content, I'd say that ESL courses are generally more broad-based whereas EFL courses are usually more narrowly defined.
Regards,
John

[Glenski]