TEFL or Teaching English as a Foreign Language is defined as the teaching of English in a non- English speaking environment and to someone whose first language is not English. TESoL is the acronym for Teaching English to Speakers of other Languages/Teaching English as a Second or other Language. Students who apply to these programs are usually adults who are paying for the courses themselves or being sponsored by their company. They are usually highly motivated, individuals. Teaching such people is not difficult as they already have an aptitude for languages. TESoL, however, includes teaching English language to people living in an English speaking country but are not native English speakers - such as refugees and first generation immigrants. The faculty is provided by the state and supported by the Learning and Skills Council, in the UK. Thus, sometimes the students do not pay for their own lessons. TESoL courses provide these pupils with a level of English that allows them to integrate into the country's educational, work and cultural environment. Read the following section to find out more.
TESoL Program
TEFL and TESoL involve teaching of English as a foreign language in a foreign country. Read the article below to find out more on TEFL/ TESoL teaching courses.
TEFL & TESoL Courses
- TESoL was incorporated in 1966 as a global association for English language teaching professionals and it is headquartered in Virginia, USA. This program includes a network of approximately 52,000 teachers worldwide consisting of more than 12,000 individual members and an additional 40,000 educators. Representing a versatile academic discipline and profession, TESoL offers to its members periodic publications, books and electronic resources on existing issues, ideas and opportunities in the field of English language teaching. TESoL also carries out a variety of workshops and symposiums for English language educators worldwide.
- Teaching English is a global profession and it is absolutely essential to have received formal training prior to embarking on your career. Formal TEFL qualifications are generally aimed at postgraduate level even though many courses admit non-graduates if they have an aptitude for this area.
- If you are devoted to 'give back' something, grow in experience as a teacher and gain knowledge about other cultures then can apply to voluntary organisations such as VSo or The Peace Corps. To join either of these you need to put remuneration aside.
- If a good salary is important to you then carefully do your research and be prepared for stiff competition! Choose your intended destination carefully since some countries' economies cannot translate into a good sum of money, in times of savings and living. Therefore, it is all the more important to have a degree/diploma in English, a good TEFL qualification and at least two years experience.
- There are now TEFL training courses that you can take via the internet. These not only allow you to study at your convenience but they are generally more flexible in terms of spreading your study hours to fit in with existing commitments. It is a myth that distance study necessarily means studying in isolation. Nowadays, technology allows interactive training courses which comprises of a teaching practice module too.
- TEFL Professional Network is currently the most extensive English Language Teaching (ELT) jobs postings site on the internet as its career database allows ELT employers to view current vacancies. The advantage is that job seekers can view these jobs free of charge.
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