Where is TESOL accepted?
TESOL certification is accepted globally as a qualification for teaching English, offering a world of opportunities for both native and non-native English speakers. Upon completing a high-quality TESOL certification course, graduates can pursue English teaching positions in various countries. This includes teaching hotspots such as China, Japan, and South Korea, as well as many other countries across Europe, Latin America, and the Middle East. A TESOL certificate opens doors to teaching English in diverse cultural settings, whether in public schools, private language centers, or online platforms.
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Accreditation: What does it mean and who does it?
Accreditation: What does it mean and who does it?
In order to have some form of standard across the world with respect to training qualifications, the system of accredited courses was developed. Accreditation requires an educational service provider to prove through a series of inspections and interviews that the education product they provide meets international standards. This relates to the content provided by the certification and the qualifications of the people providing the training. Accreditation is usually a 'one-off' event or may be for a number of year's duration. To ensure that these initial standards are being maintained an ongoing process of 'moderation' may also be carried out on an annual basis.
There is no single accreditation body for the ESL industry, however, the most respected and accepted agencies are typically associated with universities or higher education institutions. One of the main checks you should undertake before deciding upon a provider for your TESOL certification is to see if the course is accredited and moderated, and by whom.
Country requirements
As mentioned previously, each country has its own requirements for hiring teachers and for the legalization of teachers with work permits and teachers licenses, etc.
As these requirements can change due to geo-political reasons, you should always check out the most up-to-date information which is usually provided by the government within each country, particularly their Ministry of Education websites.
Typical entry requirements for an ESL position anywhere in the world often have two minimum standards:
- The teacher should have a TESOL certification of at least 120-hours
- The teacher should be at near-native speaker level of English proficiency (C2 level)
Further requirements may be needed depending upon a number of factors such as;
- Some countries require a degree to gain a teacher license
- Some countries only employ native speakers
- Some countries require previous teaching experience
- Some countries require all of the above
Where the employment opportunity is highly paid, has excellent benefits, or is in a very desirable location, you can expect the requirements to be above the minimum.
You should also be aware that the highest paid positions are typically in countries with a high cost of living. This means that a high salary does not always go as far as you might think. The opposite is also true of many less well off locations where a relatively low salary is often well above the local average salary, allowing you to live quite comfortably.
It is well worth looking at local salaries and costs when deciding if any salary offered by an employer is a good deal or not. Also add in any benefits to the equation, such as flight allowances and holiday pay.
