Acronym overload! Which certificate is the best for teaching English to non-native speakers?
I’ve been in China for five years, and have taught in various levels, and while I’ve seen a few schools that boast of having teachers that have some of those certifications, I’ve never seen it required, and I’ve never seen any evidence of it affecting one’s ability to get a job over here in any kind of school, from crappy private language schools all the way to well-known colleges. Some schools require a bachelor’s degree, but it often doesn’t matter too much what field it is in. You could almost argue that any field is English related if it was taught in English. Another thing to consider is that most of those acronyms, if not all, are just private companies that “certify” people in English teaching. As far as I can tell (and I never got one myself) is that many of them are just looking for suckers. Someone else may tell you otherwise, but that’s my impression. I know that doesn’t answer your main question, but I hope it helps with perspective.
I am an EFL/ESL teacher trainer. I have trained as a CELTA and SIT TESOL Certificate trainer. Both of those certificates are internationally recognized. What you want is a certificate that is a) externally assessed and b) includes a practical teaching component. The CELTA has been around longer, and is more widely recognized in Europe. The SIT TESOL Cert is newer, and is mainly known in the Americas. Most of the terms you have asked about are really just acronyms, and as far as I understand they are not specific qualifications! TEFL = teaching Eng as a Foreign lang. TESOL = teaching Eng to speakers of other langs TESL = teaching Eng as a second lang. ESOL = Eng as a Second or other lang. Email is in profile if you would like any further information, good luck.
I can’t really help you with US specific stuff, and all my advice is peppered with the disclaimer that I haven’t taught TESOL for 6 years. I did the Trinity College TESOL course about 7 years ago. The other main option at the time I could find was the CELTA. They both seem to disagree over which is the most widely recognised worldwide 😉 They are both short courses, typically done as an intensive 4/5 week course, or 1 evening a week for a year. If you go for the intensive route, be aware it is intensive, and you will have to put your life on hold while you do it if it is going to be worthwhile. When I was doing my course I was told that the difference was that CELTA only looks at teaching adults (that’s what the A stands for). I did my course at a state community college (not quite the same thing as what you guys have in the US, but similar), and most of the teaching practice they offered
