ID #1052

Q. What’s the difference between TEFL, TESL and TESOL?

Category: Favourite TEFL Questions

A. Answer:

So many acronyms, so very little difference! TEFL stands for Teaching English as a Foreign Language. TESL stands for Teaching English as a Second Language. TESOL for Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages.

The TEFL acronym is best known in the UK and is associated with teaching English in countries where English is not the native language. TESL applies to teaching English in countries where English is the native language, for example a French student studying English in the US (still with us?!). TESOL is more common in the US, Canada and Australasia and is associated with teaching students who have migrated to an English speaking country.

Bottom line is that jobs overseas that require a TESOL/TESL qualification will happily accept a TEFL qualification and vice versa. So, don't spend too long fretting about whether you're going to be a TESL, TESOL or TEFL teacher, as you can be all three!

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