Job Discussion Forums

[algernonsidney]

What is the difference between a TEFL and a TESOL? Which one is more valuable to have? Is one easier or harder to get?

[nomad soul]

TEFL = Teaching English as a Foreign Language
TESOL = Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages

Although you might see certificates in TEFL or TESOL, they're essentially the same thing with similar teacher training content.

[spiral78]

TEFL = Teaching English as a Foreign Language (in a country where English is not the native language). TESOL = Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (may be immigrants or in a non-Anglophone country).

Neither of these is a course. TEFL/TESL courses have a variety of names, many of which incorporate one or both of these acronyms.

Depending where you hope to teach, the basic entry-level course for most regions is 120 hours on site, and including at least 6 hours of practice teaching with real students. Online courses are generally not considered to meet the standard.

CELTA, SIT, and Trinity offer good basic courses - these are the name brands. There are also some generics that meet the standard.

Where do you hope to teach? If we have that info, someone who is there can tell you what certification is accepted in that region.

[Chancellor]

[spiral78]

The acronyms are sometimes mixed, but the functional reality of teaching in an Anglophone country as versus a non-Anglophone country remains very different.

Another reason it's best if at all possible to take a cert course in the country where one wants to start working.

[nomad soul]

[Isla Guapa]

[spiral78]

I've also taught both EFL and ESL. For me, the biggest difference is whether the students in a given class share a first language or not.
There are pros and cons for both.

Isla Guapa, if you've worked with primarily Spanish speakers, whether they are immigrants or in their home country, that could colour your experience a bit. Was that the case? I don't know what percentage of foreign students in the US are native Spanish speakers - maybe not so many. But Mexico and Spain would share an L1 (roughly:-)).

[Isla Guapa]

[spiral78]

Yes, students not sharing an L1 can make a teacher's life a bit easier in some ways Harder in others...

Another important difference in EFL and ESL is that students studying English in Anglophone countries may (not always!) be more directly motivated. Also, they may have more need for regionalisms as versus EFL learners who will more likely use their English with other non-native speakers or Anglophone speakers from a variety of countries.

As you already know well, I.G.!! Sorry - didn't intend to preach to the choir (how regional is that idiom??!!).

[nomad soul]

Not to mention the importance of teaching the culture of the target language, especially to present the language usage within authentic contexts. For ESL, the students already have some exposure to the culture because they're living in it, unless they're newly-arrived refugees. But for teaching EFL, the students' knowledge and understanding of the general culture(s) of English-speaking countries may be limited or based on stereotypes and misperceptions. Then there's the cross-cultural challenge of including the target culture in the students' language learning experience. For example, those of us teaching in conservative Midde Eastern countries have to be ultra careful about how we present and incorporate information about our home culture without offending the students or breaking any laws or mores. In this respect, it's critical to have a solid understanding of the students' culture---more so than in other countries or language learning situations we're teaching in. Overall, this mostly has been my experience in varying my approach to TESL versus TEFL.

[spiral78]

[denise]

I agree with spiral78 and Isla Guapa. I've done EFL and ESL (TESOL can be used as a blanket term to include both). The methodology is more or less the same, but my current students in the US are generally much more motivated. Once they get through their English courses, they can be enrolled as university students--HUGE motivating factor for them.

But back to the terminology--I've never really been comfortable using 'ESL' to refer to students who study in English-speaking countries and then return home. Once they're home, English is a foreign language, not a second language. They're in a very different situation from immigrants or refugees. So although I am teaching in the US now, and according to the standard terminology I am teaching ESL, it still doesn't feel like the correct label. But maybe that's just me. I'm weird about labels.

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[algernonsidney]