What does a person have to do to get certified to teach ESL? Does it matter what country or language of people you are teaching to? Can you get one certificate that will cover you for any place you want to go teach?

Are there any prerequisites you must have before you can go for this certificate?

Thank you for any help you can give!

You need to get your Teaching English as a Second Language (TESL) certificate. If you want to teach English in a foreign country, I believe you need your TEFL, Teaching English as a Foreign Language certificate. These certificates are recognized as the standard wherever you want to go. You do not need to have a teaching credential to do either. It takes about 1 year, or 26 units.

You can get a certificate from a university or from a private vocational school; try an online search for one in your area. I think you have to have a Bachelor's degree first to be employable, but you can teach in many places in China with only a Bachelor's degree (without the special certificate, or so I've heard). The certificate covers you for teaching English anywhere; where you teach depends on who's hiring. The classes will teach you the structure of English and pedagogical methods (i.e., how to teach). At San Francisco State, I think you have to major in Linguistics to take the Master's degree in ESL. You could go to their website to get a list of courses required as prerequisites, and they may offer a certificate, which is less academic. (SFSU.edu) If you teach in the U.S., the students have to know enough English to sign up for the classes (with help if necessary) but none to actually take the class. In another country, you would surely have an easier time if you knew the local language. Some places take you there and provide housing, because, like China, they are desperate for an English-speaking segment of the population to help with foreign trade.

I hope I didn't get to far off what you actually wanted to know.

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Great question! I wish that I was brave enough to ask this question once upon a time. I had to research for months to derive at the answer that I am about to present.

First, if you want to teach ESOL (English to Speakers of Other Languages or ESL), you have to have certification. As mentioned, the most highly acclaimed version of this is at a local university. For instance, in South Carolina, the only university that carries ESOL certification (K-12) is University of South Carolina. No matter where you are in the world, they will be familiar with a state university that has a strong Linguistics Department. (In some states, they coordinate the ESOL program with either English or Multi-Cultural Studies.)

Next, if you want to teach in the U.S. public schools, you have to have your teaching certificate as well. In my case, I am in an M.A.T. program or a fast-track graduate level program + PRAXIS tests to receive my initial certification. If you don't have your undergraduate degree, you can obtain initial certification with the Education major + PRAXIS tests. For time constraints, I decided to go with Elementary Education. The initial certification combined with the ESOL certification gets me in the door to both ESOL and other teaching positions.

Wherever you decide, there will be a need. There are many students waiting to learn English as a Second Language. If you are thinking about teaching ESOL in the U.S. or a Spanish-speaking country, it is highly advantageous to learn a little Spanish - key vocab words, cultural issues, and grammatical structure. The more you know, the faster that the students will learn. Just make sure that you use English as the primary method of communication and instruction. You can't learn a language that you do not use. Remember, there is a need to learn English, more so than many other languages.

Good luck in your pursuits and endeavors! Hopefully, I was able to provide some insight into your long and difficult search. Personally, I had to have two forms of certification to become highly marketable throughout the world.

The answer to your question really depends upon your long-term goals. If you want to teach ESL as a career, you would need to get a BA and TESOL certification.

For a short-term ESL teaching experience, you could find a position with just a TESOL certiciate in places like China, Venezuela, or Mexico.

For more information about TESOL certification and teaching abroad, refer to: http://www.oxfordseminars.com.

Lyndsey Pratt
Oxford Seminars
http://www.oxfordseminars.com