Careers in TESOL

last updated April 2013

Do you want to teach ESOL (English to speakers of other languages)?

VicTESOL receives many enquiries from people who are thinking of becoming ESL teachers and who want to know what employment opportunities there are and what TESOL training courses they should undertake. Opportunities will vary depending on the following factors:

• where you want to teach (public/private sector, geographical location)
• what level you want to teach (pre-K-12, adult, or higher education)
• your qualifications and experience

The following information is provided by VicTESOL for informational purposes only and relates mainly to employment in Victoria. VicTESOL does not claim that this information is comprehensive or complete, and recommends that individuals carry out their own research to determine the most accurate and up to date information.The information on this page was compiled in May 2011 with some minor modifications made in June 2012 and February 2013.To see what type of education and certification various jobs require, we recommend looking at job advertisements.

If you are intending to work overseas as an EFL or ESL teacher, in addition to general academic requirements, many countries have government or visa regulations with which ESL/EFL teachers must comply. In the European Union (EU), for example, most ESL/EFL jobs require candidates to have EU passports.

Considerations before choosing a TESOL course

• Where do you want to teach? In Australia or overseas?
• Who do you want to teach? Young people (primary, secondary tertiary)? Adults? Migrants and refugees? International students?
• Do you want to teach in a government school, an independent school, an English Language School (Intensive English Centre), a private college for international students, at TAFE, in a Neighbourhood House, university or elsewhere?
• Do you want to study a course which is covered by HECS or a full fee paying course?
• How do you want to study? Full time? Part-time? By distance education?
• Are you considering TESOL as a career or are you looking for a way to combine work and overseas travel for a year or two?
• Do you want your TESOL course to be counted toward a higher degree, e.g., Master of TESOL or Master of Education?
• If you have a course or institution in mind, what is the quality of the course and institution you are considering?
• How well regarded and recognised is the course and institution in Australia and/ or overseas?
• Does the training institution assist new teachers to find employment?

It is important to note that there is no accrediting body with the role of granting worldwide official recognition to any teaching certificate or diploma.

NOTE: The TESOL field involves many acronyms. See our Acronyms page.

How can I get a job in a government school?

Teaching in government schools in Victoria requires registration with the Victorian Institute of Teaching (VIT). Contact VIT directly http://www.vit.vic.edu.au/Pages/default.aspx

 The following may be required in schools:

TESOL (Teaching English to Speaker of Other Languages)

Sub-major study in one of Linguistics or a second language (i.e. not the teacher’s first language) or
Appropriate TESOL Studies that includes the following core content:

• the nature of the English language and the learning of English including formal systems, spoken and written discourse, language and social context, and bi/multilingual language and literacy development,
• the socio-cultural context of TESOL including educational, cultural, historical and inter-group issues and the implications for teaching and learning,
• acquisition of English as a second or additional language. The study of how a second or additional language is acquired with reference to English with implications for TESOL pedagogy,
• the institutional context of TESOL including the role of the TESOL teacher in the school organisation, with parents (as appropriate) and the wider community,

together with teaching methodology which covers TESOL principles and approaches for a range of educational contexts, including factors affecting the development of language proficiency, and assessment procedures to facilitate appropriate placement of students with ESL needs.

For more information on school ESL visit the DEECD website

ESL teacher qualifications requirements in the Adult Sector

The following is a summary of some of the qualifications and experience requirements for different programs and settings for adult ESL.

Please note that these requirements can change when new commonwealth contracts are announced and often additional skills can be required by individual employers. It is best to check with the organisation you wish to apply to work in before you make decision about what courses of study to take. You may also need advice on whether your experience and qualifications are considered ‘equivalent’ to the requirements.

LLNP. The commonwealth funded Language Literacy and Numeracy Program (LLNP) is provided in a number of settings including TAFE, and community providers. The requirements for this program 2010-2013 are:

Assessors:

The following minimum qualifications and experience:

1. A formal pre-service teaching qualification (that is, Diploma of Teaching; Bachelors degree plus Teacher’s Certificate; Bachelor of Education; Bachelors degree plus Diploma of Education; or Bachelors degree plus Diploma in Educational Studies (TESOL), plus
2. A postgraduate qualification in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) or Adult Literacy, plus
3. At least three years full-time equivalent experience in teaching in TESOL or Literacy Programmes at adult, secondary or pre-tertiary level.

Teachers:

1. An undergraduate degree of at least three years duration, plus
2. A recognised specialist TESOL qualification or specialist Adult Literacy qualification, plus
3. At least 100 hours teaching English as a Second Language (ESL) or Adult Literacy/ Numeracy in the last three years.

AMEP (Adult Migrant English Program) is provided by AMES (Adult Multicultural Education Services), some TAFE and community providers. Adult Migrant English Program (AMEP) teachers meet the requirements to teach the Certificates in Spoken and Written English which are :

1. A teaching qualification such as a Bachelor of Education or equivalent which includes TESOL methodology as a major strand, or, both of the following
   • A recognised undergraduate degree, diploma or formal qualification awarded by an Australian university or tertiary institution, or its overseas equivalent. This may be a Bachelor degree, Advanced Diploma or Diploma provided that it is at least three years full-time in length, or its part-time equivalent.
     Please note: Teachers holding qualifications such as those above from overseas should contact the Victorian Overseas Qualification Unit (OQU) to obtain recognition of their overseas qualification.
   • A recognised undergraduate or postgraduate TESOL qualification. This qualification must include both:
     • At least 100 contact hours of content focus on English language, language learning and TESOL methodology, and
     • A supervised teaching practicum of at least 60 hours.
   PLUS
   
   
2. A TAE40110Certificate IV in Training and Assessment or equivalent.

For up to date information visit the NEAS website.

ESL courses in TAFE and community providers (ACE) are usually the Victorian ESL Framework Certificates. (Some TAFEs and ACE providers use the Certificates in Spoken and Written English which have similar requirements). The requirements to teach these courses are that the teacher is a qualified TESOL teacher and also has the Certificate IV in Training and Assessment or equivalent.

A qualified TESOL teacher is a person who holds a postgraduate qualification that includes a supervised teaching practicum in TESL/TESOL or a 4-year B Education qualification with a TESL/TESOL method*.

*Approved qualifications include:

1. B Ed with TESL/TESOL as a method
2. Diploma of Education with TESL/TESOL as a method
3. TESL/TESOL within Graduate Certificate in Education
4. Graduate Certificate in TESL/TESOL
5. Graduate Diploma in TESL/TESOL
6. Appropriate Masters degrees which include a TESOL specialisation such as: Masters of Arts (TESL/TESOL), Masters of Teaching, Masters of Applied Linguistics.

ELICOS programs. Currently the commonwealth and state governments are tightening requirements for programs involving overseas students. This includes Foundation programs. A new set of standards has been introduced and includes requirements for teachers of ELICOS programs (Intensive English Language Programs for Overseas Students).

For more information visit the ASQA website

National Standards for Foundation Programs. The national standards for Foundation Programs are a set of criteria developed to benefit international students undertaking foundation studies as a pathway into higher education in Australia.

The minimum requirements for teachers primarily responsible for academic English language subject areas are:

• A recognised degree AND
• An appropriate English language teaching qualification (Grad. Cert. TESOL, Grad. Dip. in TESOL/Applied Linguistics, or Dip. Ed. (English) approved/awarded by a university, approved by government, or a recognised TESOL program such as the Cambridge Certificate of English Language Teaching to Adults (CELTA) AND
• 2 years’ ESL/EFL teaching experience (at least two years senior secondary, VET college, ELICOS provider or university ESL/EFL.

Other programs in the private sector for overseas students may have different requirements. Teachers wishing to work in this area are advised to seek information from the employer.

 Where to gain TESOL qualifications

TESOL teacher training is offered by various universities in Victoria as either part of pre-service teacher training or as specialist post graduate qualifications.

Other TESOL training

Private organisations (and some universities) provide training in the CELTA. These organisations may be found by typing "CELTA" into your search engine.

What is CELTA?

CELTA (Certificate in English Language Teaching to Adults) is issued by the University of Cambridge ESOL, part of Cambridge Assessments, which is a department of the University of Cambridge. The certificate can be obtained after completing a 4 week full-time course or an equivalent period part time. The CELTA is a practically oriented short course which is widely recognised overseas. It teaches important practical skills but is normally not sufficient on its own to gain a CELTA holder employment as an ESL teacher in Victoria. Some ELICOS colleges require this qualification. The CELTA is accepted as a component in some university TESOL certificate, diploma and masters courses. In Australia, the CELTA course is usually full fee-paying.

Further information CELTA

 

To gain an idea of job prospects in Victoria, look at job advertisements at sites such as http://mycareer.com.au/ or http://www.seek.com.au/ or in the press.

English Australia offers an employment service for those seeking or offering a job in ELICOS in Australia and abroad: You can also subscribe to a mailing list for direct notification of new positions as they become available at http://www.englishaustralia.com.au/

Other TESOL qualifications

A number of nationally accredited VET qualifications exist for TESOL such as the Certificate IV in TESOL. These can be searched on http://training.gov.au/Search under 'Accredited Courses'. These courses require fees. Claims about the opportunities provided by gaining such qualifications need to be thoroughly researched before being undertaken, in relation to working both in Australia or internationally.

New LLN qualifications

IBSA (Innovation and Business Skills Australia) has included two new Vocational Graduate qualifications in Language, Literacy and Numeracy in the new Training and Education Training Package (TAE10) with outcomes similar to those undertaken at a Bachelor degree level:

Vocational Graduate Certificate in Adult Language, Literacy and Numeracy Practice Vocational Graduate Diploma of Adult Language, Literacy and Numeracy Leadership A User Guide has been developed to support the delivery and assessment of the qualifications.

The user guide includes advice regarding these qualifications and TESOL in the adult sector on page 8.

A number of resources are also available to support these courses . 

Teaching internationally

Find out more about the work in an international context TESOL’s FAQs

 

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