What is an ESL teaching certificate?
An ESL teaching certificate is a professional qualification for educators who specialize in teaching English to students whose native language is not English. It encompasses acronyms like TESL, TEFL, and TESOL, which all signify training in teaching English to non-native speakers. Employers globally, including government schools, private language centers, and online teaching platforms, often require this certification. There are three primary paths to obtaining an ESL teaching certificate:
- Onsite Courses: Typically these 4-week courses offer a 120-hour certification. They provide the advantage of hands-on teaching experience with real ESL learners in a language school setting.
- Online Courses: These provide flexibility, allowing you to complete your certification remotely at your own pace.
- Combined Courses: These integrate both online theory and onsite practical teaching experience.
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Online courses
These courses may also produce a 120-hour certificate and have a couple of benefits in that they can be taken from anywhere, including your own home and therefore require no travel. This also means they are generally less expensive as travel and accommodation is not required. The fact that they are taken online means that no teaching practice is typically undertaken and some employers prefer their teachers to have some experience of the classroom.
Combined courses
These courses combine the best elements of both the other types of course, by breaking the theory and practical elements of the course into two. The theory may be done as an online component and the practical teaching practice is done at a physical language center with real ESL students. As the practical component is the only element that requires travel this can be done in ten days to two weeks, rather than the normal four weeks of an onsite course.
Typical certification options
There are a number of certification options and these include the standard 120-hour TESOL course which is the normal entry level qualification required by employers. There are also a number of specialist courses which may be undertaken, typically, Teaching Business English (TBE), Teaching of Young Learners (TEYL) and Teaching English Online (TEO).
120-hour course: Completed as an onsite, online or combined course format. Usually there are two main components of study, these being, Teaching Skills and Language Awareness. Onsite and combined courses also have a teaching practice component.
BE courses: Typically 50 hours of online study. As business English students are all adults these courses cover factors important to adult learners. This will include motivation techniques for this group among other andragogy factors.
YL courses: Typically 50 hours of online study. As young learner English students are all children these courses cover factors important to young learners. This will include motivation techniques for this group among other pedagogy factors.
TEO courses: Typically 50 hours of online study. Teaching English online will involve teaching children and adults, so courses will cover factors important to both these groups.
