Starting Out in TESOL

Short Courses and ‘Tasters' (shorter than 100 hours of study time)
These courses may be helpful in themselves and you may meet other interesting people who want to learn how to teach ESOL. However, you will not get the full range of input (training in teaching methodology, language analysis, classroom management etc.) that you will get on a longer course, and you will not be eligible for the same range of jobs that a longer course (one that is externally validated, and has all the other features discussed above) and its associated qualification will give you.

Online Courses and Other Distance Learning Courses
Many of these are very helpful and you may enjoy working in the privacy of your home or workplace. However, you may not get the full range of training that you will receive on the kinds of courses described in detail above. Also, you will need to check the element of observed and assessed teaching practice with genuine learners. There may be less of the very good experience of working face-to-face with trainers and other trainee teachers. This is very important for teachers at an early stage of their professional development. Again, an online qualification may not give you access to the range of teaching posts that you would be eligible for with a qualification following a longer, face-to-face course. This will depend, of course, on whether the course is completely or only partly online. A part online and part face- to-face course may be very useful. A completely online course could be useful for teachers already qualified in other curriculum subjects, though an element of supervised teaching practice would be equally vital for you. 10. What if the course you are thinking of following does not meet the above criteria?

Endorsement
This guidance has been prepared by QuiTE, the Association for the Promotion of
Quality in TESOL Education, with endorsement from the following organisations:

• ABLS Association of British Language Schools
• ACELS Advisory Council for English Language Schools
• ACTDEC Accreditation Council for Distance Education Courses
• AoC Association of Colleges
• BAC British Accreditation Council
• BALEAP British Association of Learners of English for Academic Purposes
• British Council
• Cactus TEFL
• Cambridge ESOL
• EAQUALS European Association of Quality Language Services
• English UK
• IATQUO International Accreditation of TESOL Qualifying Organisations
• IH The International House World Organisation
• LLUK Lifelong Learning UK
• Londosa London Directors of Studies Association
• NATECLA National Association for Teaching English and Other Community
Languages to Adults
• ODLQC Open and Distance Learning Quality Council
• TCoT The College of Teachers
• Trinity College London

Glossary terms continued…

Teaching Practice: An opportunity for the trainee teacher to teach genuine learners of English under the guidance of properly qualified trainers or mentors; an essential part of any initial teacher training course, even for teachers already
qualified to teach other curriculum subjects, since teaching a language is unlike teaching any other subject.

Validation: The course can be validated by the Examination Board or by an independent awarding body. That is, the Examination Board or awarding body checks the course to ensure that the curriculum as offered is appropriate.