What is TEFL?

Simply speaking TEFL stands for “Teaching English as a Foreign Language”

When the term “TEFL” is mentioned, one is usually referring to teaching students who are not native speakers of English. The teachers themselves may or  may not be native speakers of English as well.

Usually, the students of a TEFL teacher will are not able to speak and write English fluently but are understood by a native English speaker and understand what is being said to them their day-to-day lives.

TEFL exists on every continent and in almost every country worldwide due to the high demand of learning the English language. TEFL even exists in countries where English is not the first language (for example Thailand, Spain, France) as well as in countries where English is the first language (for example the U.K, Australia, Canada). TEFL concentrates on those wishing to teach English rather than on those who want to learn it.

There may be a variety of desired outcomes and requirements, depending on the student and the organization preparing the teaching (if there’s one involved). Some people want to practice their conversation skills, some want to enhance their grammar and some just want a general knowledge of the language.

In some schools a TEFL teacher may be a teaching assistant, in some they will have to actually teach grammar.

Students may be taught grammar by their regular teachers and the TEFL teacher is there to help them with pronunciation and speaking but not theoretical skills.  

There is a broad range of TEFL teaching situations, including:

• Private Language Schools
• Kindergartens
• Colleges / Universities
• Private / Freelance Teaching
• Corporate Training Departments
• Summer Camps
• Charity Organizations
• Government-Sponsored programs

And many more!

While pursuing your TEFL certificate you may come across a variety of different terms such as: ESL, EFL, TESL, TESOL and CELTA are the most common. These terms basically  mean the same thing – TEFL. Their name only changes on their country of origin.

Here is a detailed explanation of each term:

ESL – English as a second language
English language programs in countries where English is the dominant or official language. Examples of ESL students would be immigrants or visa students studying English in an English speaking country (e.g. United States). Reasons for learning English in this context may be for settlement purposes, academic study, or to fulfill a language policy requirement.

EFL – English as a foreign language
English language programs in countries where English is not the common or official language (e.g. Japan). Students in this situation often speak the same first language and only encounter English in their classroom. Reasons for learning English in this context may be for business travel, academic requirements, holiday travel, etc.

TEFL – Teaching English as a Foreign Language
A term that refers to teacher training programs in EFL.

TESL – Teaching English as a Second Language
A general term that refers to many things. For instance, a TESL program refers to a program where students learn how to teach English as a second language. A TESL organization refers to a professional organization that represents teachers of English as a second language, for example, TESL Taiwan (national organization), TESL California (provincial) and TESL Prague (city). TESL may also refer to the teaching English as second language field in general (e.g. “I work in TESL.”).

TESOL – Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages
This term is used in the United States and refers to the professional organization that represents teachers of English as a second language.

CELTA – Certificate in Language Teaching to Adults
This is a trade name TEFL certificate course developed in the U.K. by University of Cambridge. It is a highly regarded course and offered worldwide. The program trains people to teach English as a second language. DELTA is the advanced Diploma course

For more information on TEFL Certification be sure to check out the following programs:

ICAL – Teach English at Home or Overseas – The TESL/TEFL Certificate is the basic qualification to teach English as a Second or Foreign language. ICAL is the largest provider of online TESL courses on the net today. Click Here for more details.

TEFL Scotland  – Training courses for people who want to teach English abroad. Online courses and classroom-based courses. Click Here for more details.