Job Discussion Forums

[iverin]

I know this is a general type ESL question but I figured I'd post on this board since I've posted here before.

I've been looking into going back to school for some sort of ESL certification in hopes of either one day heading back to Asia/Japan or even teaching ESL to adults here at home. There are two universities in my general area that offer programs that grant certificates upon completion. They are both two semester long programs that include class experience and practicum hours. One awards a TESOL cert and the other a TESL. My question is: Is there a difference between a TESOL and TESL certificate? If so, is there one that is better than the other? Both schools offer plenty of satisfied past student success stories and both offer help on getting jobs upon completion. They seem very similar in structure and outcome and are similarly priced. So I was wondering if there was one that is more desirable to employers etc.

Any suggestions would be awesome. The programs I'm looking at are:

http://www.wdw.utoronto.ca/index.php/programs/tesol/overview/
http://www.georgebrown.ca/Marketing/FTCal/access/R400.aspx

Thanks again

[drdo]

Your question is asked and answered on this webiste:

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

Basicly:
What is the difference between TEFL, TESOL and TESL?

English as a Second Language (ESL) is English taught to non-native speakers who live in an English-speaking country. This would be the case, for example, with an immigrant living and studying English in the United States.

English as a Foreign Language (EFL) is English taught to non-native speakers who live in a non-English-speaking country. This would be the case with a Korean student studying English in his home country.

TEFL means Teaching English as a Foreign Language. A TEFL Instructor Certificate is the major ESL qualification required to teach English abroad.

TESOL -Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages, or TESL - Teaching English as a Second Language are all used interchangeably in different parts of the world.

Taken from: http://tefl.bloomfield.edu/Pages/FAQS/Q1/tabid/243/Default.aspx

[iverin]

Thanks for the info. So do you think that there are any major differences between the two program links I provided? Is one better than the other?

[stevenbhow]

I can't tell you what the differences are exactly, but in my case I got a TESOL certification from my university. It was a one year course. Employers seem to be more willing to hire me because of this.

I think TESL has gotten somewhat of a bad name in the ESL world because many of the schools are very short online courses with no actual time spent in the classroom.

To be honest though, I think the CELTA certification probably carries the most weight when it comes to getting hired, at least from what I've seen in Japan.

[iverin]

Edit: to avoid repetition

[iverin]

One more question to bring this up again....



Apart from the obvious difference in price and length, what would the difference be in getting one of these over the other. I'm looking for differences that are important both for teaching in Canada and abroad in say Europe or Asia again.

CELTA through Language Studies Canada (4 weeks)
http://www.lsc-canada.com/celta/celta-at-lsc-toronto

TESOL through the University of Toronto (8 months)
http://www.wdw.utoronto.ca/index.php/programs/tesol/overview/

[seklarwia]

In Europe, a recognised EFL cert is one that has more than 100 hours class tuition time. But a really good cert should also include a decent number of practical experience hours.

So in Europe at least, the TESOL from Toronto will probably hold more weight.

[Mr_Monkey]

Well, the CELTA is a one month intensive course designed to serve as an introduction to the field, the TESOL program at UoT is more than twice as long in terms of study hours, gives you twice the teaching practice hours and three times the observation hours, as well as giving you more time to absorb the information and concepts presented to you.

I know which I'd pick.

[iverin]

Thanks for the input. I had initially planned on doing the UofT one (when I get the money) but then had read about the CELTA being preferred in a lot job postings. I already have around 200 in class teaching hours (from my stint with Aeon before I came home due to illness) and have no issues taking the longer course over the shorter one. Just thought I'd ask questions about which one was better. Would it be beneficial to eventually take both the TESOL and the CELTA?

I think the TESOL would actually be easier to attend as it's only 4 days a week and I could travel there for the classes.

Thanks for the input

[Mr_Monkey]