TESOL certification, just like its equivalent, TEFL certification, is what you need if you plan to become an EFL or ESL instructor either in a traditional classroom or online. You’ll see this requirement listed in TEFL job postings for online teaching companies, English language schools, and other institutes around the world that hire English teachers. Usually, a TEFL/ TESOL certificate of 120 hours is the minimum standard to qualify for these types of jobs.
TESOL stands for Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages. TESL stands for Teaching English as a Second Language is actually the more specific programme under the more general TESOL. TESOL includes teaching English as a foreign language (such as in the China example) as well as teaching English as a second language (TESL), where you teach English in a country where the primary language is English. An example of TESL would be a teacher at an English language institute in the U.S. who teaches students from around the world.
The important thing to keep in mind is that although there is technically a distinction between these two terms, they are widely used interchangeably, so either a TEFL or TESOL certificate will meet certification requirements for jobs teaching English.
What are the requirements for TESOL certification?
For most online or in-person TESOL courses, the only requirement to sign up is to have an English language level sufficient to succeed in the course. For non-native English speakers, the recommended level for certification usually ranges from a B1 to C2 CEFR level (CEFR is the Common European Framework of Reference, an internationally used standard for describing language ability level).
The most common way to get TESOL certification is to enroll in an online course. Online TESOL courses come in a range of hours, such as 40, 60, 100, 120, or 150, and usually provide the flexibility to complete coursework when it’s convenient for you.
You can also take in-person TESOL courses in a traditional classroom setting, either locally or in the country where you plan to teach. These courses are typically four weeks long and often follow an intensive, full-time schedule. In-person TESOL courses are, however, less common nowadays, as most people choose to get certified online, especially since COVID-19 changed the way TESOL courses are delivered, moving them to the virtual space. There’s essentially no difference in certification quality with in-person vs. online TESOL courses.
The biggest benefit of being armed with a TESOL / TEFL certificate is that you add to your teaching arsenal to be able to reach your student more effectively and to be able to teach them in a way that is most accessible to them because of the limitations of their language proficiency level. Teaching techniques and methods are covered in the TESOL / TEFL certificate so that students and teachers are able to have that seamless exchange of ideas to keep the digital classroom as warm and familiar as the traditional classroom instead of a cold chip and key driven tool for transmitting knowledge.
Whichever you choose to take, or should you choose to get both, choose a programme that would be as comprehensive as possible without sacrificing practicality. Programmes, to be effective, should be up-to-date to reflect the ever changing needs and trends as teachers and students use the digital platforms as ordinarily as turning on the TV or picking up the phone.
Programmes should arm the teachers with the most innovative strategies to keep learning fresh, fun, and effective. This will help sustain both teacher and student in their journey in the classroom because no two days are ever alike. Each day presents its own set of challenges and if an educator finds himself or herself in a rut, he or she should be able to pull out form his arsenal the tools by which he or she could provide a workaround or a more permanent solution to the problem. After all, it is the sad reality that teachers, as they create bridges with their students online are mostly isolated and are left to their own devices to figure out a technical glitch or a plateauing of their teaching journey.
It is then up to the teacher or the school to mitigate these dangerous flames to keep a burnout from happening. The teacher needs to be equipped, not only in matters of substance and form of the lesson material, but also in terms of delivery and presentation of material. And since the students are still learning the second language, the teacher has to be somewhat like a self-sustaining, self-contained machine without being isolated from the rest of his or her colleagues.
Having the TESOL / TEFL programmes will ensure that the student will be the greatest beneficiary of the flame fanned by the teacher in the course of the learning process.