If you are up to the challenge of teaching English abroad or at home, it can be one of the most exciting and rewarding times of your life.  The world is full of people eager to study English as a foreign language, which means there are always opportunities for those looking for jobs teaching English. The Canadian College of Linguistics TEFL TESOL Certification Course in Vancouver is held on weekends and offers people of all ages and backgrounds a chance to have a lucrative career, meet new people and learn about the world through teaching English.

There are many acronyms that are used in the English teaching industry, such as EFL, ESL, TEFL, TESL and TESOL. The acronyms stand for:

EFL – English as a Foreign Language
ESL - English as a Second Language
TEFL - Teaching English as a Foreign Language
TESL - Teaching English as a Second Language
TESOL - Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages

The essential difference between these terms is as follows:

TESL (Teaching English as a Second Language) is used when English is spoken as a common second language in the context of official communication and administration in many countries where several other language groups co-exist – such as Nigeria, Kenya, India and Singapore. Another term that may be used in this context is TEAL (Teaching English as an Additional Language).

TEFL (Teaching English as a Foreign Language) refers to a particular methodology for teaching people whose first language is not English, but who need to learn it for work or choose to learn it for leisure. These students are adults or children who are paying for the courses themselves, or their employer or parents are. They are often highly motivated and literate, and already have an aptitude for languages. TEFL methodology is highly developed and the most up-to-date training courses turn out teachers who use a communicative approach and a student-centred style of teaching. In these key respects, TEFL courses are different from the way English is taught in most mainstream compulsory education.

TESOL (Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages) is often used to mean the same thing as TEFL, but it is also used to describe English language teaching to people living in an English speaking country who are not native English speakers – such as refugees and first generation immigrants. In Canada, ESOL courses provide students with a level of English that will allow them to integrate into the country’s educational, work and cultural environment. There may be a need to teach basic literacy and other life skills as well.