TEFL vs. TESOL.

Acronyms can be confusing and even more so when there are multiple ones floating about in the same industry but with crucial differences between them. If you’ve decided that teaching abroad is what you want to do then online research will throw up a lot of websites full of information and before long you’re bound to stumble across the TEFL (Teaching English as a Foreign Language) and the very similar TESOL (Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages) acronyms. So what do they mean and what’s the difference anyway?

An online TEFL course is the most economic option for those on a tight budget who are looking to get to work quickly. Or alternatively you can try an in-person combined TEFL-TESOL course which covers the theory of language with teaching methods which are obviously very important to know as an English teacher.

Which is better, TEFL or TESOL?

The short answer is that a lot depends on how much time you have, where you want to teach and your budget.

TEFL: this course is intended for those people who want to go abroad and teach English to students in their own country where English is not the first language. The study of English via this method is similar to the way that you would study history or geography, i.e. an academic subject. Including:

• Grammar
• Vocabulary
• Reading
• Listening comprehension
• Speaking

And all of the above are for academic reasons. Speaking English focuses on the proper pronunciation and use of grammar.

TESOL: The methodology behind this course is that it’s for people who want to teach non-native English speakers living in an English-speaking country. Make sense? These teachers are there to equip these students for daily life in English, things like going to the shops, restaurants plus making small talk and tutoring for interviews. So it’s less academic and more practical use of the language.

It might seem straightforward but there’s a slight difficulty in that the acronyms are often used interchangeably even though there are subtle, but distinct, differences. Although there is some overlap in helping students master English as a foreign language. For example, a TEFL course is for those students who want to study English in their country and then be prepared for exams. But when they arrive in the English speaking country they need the skills of a TESOL teacher to help them get by in daily life in their new country. But they may also need the more formal, academic English skills in order to get good grades in exams. So you see how the overlap happens.

There’s no doubt though that both types of courses are useful for learners who are moving countries for a wide variety of reasons and they need to master English for everyday life but also for academic purposes. The two are very similar but they have definite, solid differences.

There’s no surprise then that some programs label themselves as TEFL/TESOL, or even TEFL/TESL/TESOL simply because they are aiming to turn out teachers who have a combination of these skills.

The price tag is another thing that you need to consider before deciding which course is the right one for you because there will always be a wide range of different prices. Be careful which one you go for though, in this context cheapest is not always the best. You need to learn, yes, but you also need to ensure as much as possible that the quality of the teaching is of a high standard. Different price factors:

• How many hours are you looking to do? The more the hours, the higher the cost.
• Are you intending to do the course online or in person? Unsurprisingly the latter will be more expensive.
• Which course provider are you going for? If you choose a Uni or a college then you’ll find it’s much more expensive than online courses which teacher the same thing. That’s not to say that online courses are always the best ones, however.
• What sort of teaching practicum do they offer? A comprehensive one means a higher price tag – but also a higher value to the course.

If you’re planning to teach abroad then gaining a TEFL certificate might be the best choice for you to start out with. Those who are more thinking that they want to work with English learners in their own English-speaking country could benefit more from a TESOL qualification. Combined courses are good in terms of flexibility and getting potentially better jobs, for example teachers could work abroad teaching English and then continue working with English learners even when they go home.

Basically, which course you go for depends on your personal and professional goals to determine which is going to be of the greater value to you. But before you make a hard and fast decision, do your research and weigh up the pros and cons of both. Just make sure that:

• You are getting the skills that you want.
• That’s good value for the cost of teaching.
• That you’re gaining a certificate that you can use for several years. You definitely don’t want something that you can only use short term otherwise you’ll be back in the same quandary as before.

Essentially you’re going to have to weigh up exactly what you want to achieve and then find the course that offers it. If you do your due diligence then you can’t go far wrong.