- What is the difference between TEFL and TESOL?
- Do I need a degree?
- Where can I teach?
- How do I find a job?
- Do I need to speak the language?
- Is there an age limit?
What is the difference between TEFL and TESOL?
One of the questions we are frequently asked is what is the difference between TEFL(Teaching English as a Foreign Language) and TESOL (Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages).
The answer is simple. TEFL and TESOL are just two acronyms or terms with the same basic meaning. They both refer to teaching English to anyone who does not have English as their first language or mother tongue. TEFL is the term used more in Europe and TESOL is the term used more in America and Asia.
Employers are aware of both terms and treat teachers with a recognised TEFL or TESOL qualification in exactly the same way.
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Do I need a degree?
You do not need a degree to enrol onto any of our programs and you do not need a degree to have a successful TEFL/TESOL career
However, there are a few countries where the local Ministry of Education will not grant a work permit to teachers who do not have a degree. The countries concerned are very small in number and currently include Japan and South Korea.
Please contact us if need the latest information on which countries require a degree to teach there
Where can I teach?
TEFL/TESOL is a global industry and the number of teaching posts or teaching vacancies is continuing to grow year by year
It is a 100 % recession proof industry or profession
You can teach anywhere around the globe from the UK, to Europe, the Middle East, Asia, Australasia, North, Central and South America etc-just about anywhere
How do I find a job?
Once you are qualified you can apply for any of the teaching positions listed in our careers office.
We also have a large number of partner schools, some of which are always looking for new teachers to employ.
There are also many agencies that specialise in placing teachers in all corners of the globe.
Many employers also place advertisements on forums and on the internet
Some teachers prefer to contact employers directly by choosing a country or city where they would like to work and then using the local yellow pages or local language schools directories.
Other teachers fly out to the town or city where they would like to work and go door to door seeking a suitable post.
We have been training teachers since 1984, for more than 27 years and our experience has always been that a qualified teacher of English does not generally encounter any difficulties in finding work
Do I need to speak the language?
As you will be teaching totally in English you do not need to speak another language in order to be a successful teacher of English.
However, if you are working abroad it makes good sense to try to learn a little of the local language for social purposes
Is there an age limit?
We have come across a few employers who prefer to employ young teachers, perhaps those under 40 years of age.
However, we have trained numerous teachers of retirement age who have gone on to find employment and to enjoy second or new careers in this field
Generally speaking there are absolutely no age limits other than 18-80
