What is a TEFL/TESL/TESOL Certificate?
Certificate programs, which may go under a number of names, including TESL, TEFL, and TESOL, are short-term programs that provide an introduction to ESL teaching. Generally speaking, there are two types of certificate programs: graduate certificates and independent certificates. Both usually require applicants to have a bachelors degree. Graduate certificates are taught at the university level and generally include about half the number of required credits for a full masters degree in TESL/TEFL. These usually take two to four semesters to complete. One advantage to this type of certificate is that it usually counts toward the completion of a masters degree and may count toward state teaching certification in the United States. Independent certificates are usually much shorter-term programs (two to six weeks). These courses focus on practical training and teach different language methodologies. It is important to understand that these programs do not provide a certification (that is, a
