TEFL, TESL, TESOL, CELTA Certificates

Nowadays there is a huge variety of certificates in foreign languages. Sometimes people are confused about which certification to get. They just don`t know what these acronyms mean.  Maybe here you can find the information which can help you. So what is the difference between the courses? First, let's look at what they are and then explore some differences.

• TEFL (Teaching English as a Foreign Language) course: This prepares teachers to teach English in a country where English is not the primary language. For example, John from England goes to China to teach English.

• TESL (Teaching English as a Second Language) course: This would prepare a teacher to teach in an English speaking country to students whose first language isn't English. For example, John from England stays in the London and teaches English to students who want to learn English.

• TESOL (Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages) course: This encompasses both TEFL and TESL and can mean either one or both. Basically, this prepares a teacher to teach a student whose native language isn't English. For example, John from England is teaching a student who didn't learn English as their first language.

There are many well known and respected TESOL courses (Trinity TESOL or SIT TESOL) but CELTA is by far the most internationally well-known accreditation. There are literally thousands of other TESOL courses, and I'm not saying that all other TESOL courses are bad. In fact, some would consider many TESOL courses to be superior to the CELTA course. The problem is that because there are so many other TESOL courses there is a lot of variability in quality and price. For example:

 CELTA  - awarded by Cambridge TESOL

Course Length:
Full-time course: 4 to 5 weeks. Part-time course: several weeks to several months

Price:
Varies greatly but around 1,500 to 3,500 USD


Prerequisites:
Over 18 and an adequate level of English proficiency (usually determined by a test and phone interview) is required to take the course

Coursework:
6 hours of assessed teaching practice with real EFL classes at two levels of ability

4 written assignments: one focusing on adult learning; one on the language system of English; one on language skills; and one on classroom teaching. Each one is pass/fail. To be awarded the certificate you must pass both components the assessed teaching practice and the written assignments of which the teaching practice holds more weight (and lots of people do fail the course)

TESOL/TEFL/TESL - some accredited by proper institutions others not

Course length:
Varies greatly some as short as a week some as long as several months but most respected TESOL courses are 100+ hours of instruction

Price:
Also varies greatly 200 to 4,000 USD, but generally less expensive than the CELTA

Prerequisites:
Depends completely on the school issuing the TESOL certificate

Coursework:
Varies with some courses being only easy online work to some that require hours and hours of grueling work and include practical training in a real class but the coursework is usually easier than the CELTA coursework

And now let`s summarize!

Go with the CELTA TESOL certificate if you want to have the best chance of getting your certificate recognized by the majority of potential employers. Money/time isn't a big consideration for you.

Go with TESOL certificate if you want a cheaper/easier/shorter option than CELTA, or if you look for better quality/more instruction, or if you want to be taught a specific teaching methodology.

https://www.eslconversationquestions.com/difference-between-tesol-tefl-tesl-celta/

Here is a certification cost! (2018)

https://allesl.com/tesl-tesol-tefl-certification/