The CELTA and why the TEFL Certificate doesn’t actually exist

“I want to teach English, but first I have to get the TEFL certificate”.

If those in the English teaching industry received a pound for every time they heard that sentence, they’d be extraordinarily rich, indeed.

There’s probably no other industry worldwide with as many acronyms – from ESL to ELT, CELTA, DELTA and TESOL (see an explanation about these here) – but there’s one that’s used far above the rest.

TEFL…

Let us spell it out for you. T-E-F-L. Often pronounced like ‘teffell’, these four little letters stand for ‘Teaching English as a Foreign Language’. A well-known piece of industry jargon in the English language teaching world to describe a general concept which has transcended into something else entirely.

Here’s the thing, there is no the TEFL certificate. Just like the mythical dragon and spare seats on the London tube, it quite simply does not exist.

In truth, there are variations of TEFL certificates; from crash-course, online training, to more widely-recognised certificates such as the Cambridge CELTA or Trinity TESOL. All vary greatly in terms of quality, content, validity, and recognition, but – to the uninitiated – they all seem one and the same.

Unfortunately, the countless companies that spring up, offering ‘internationally recognised’ TEFL courses accredited by dubious third-party agencies, know this.

The CELTA

The CELTA is the well-known acronym for Cambridge University’s teacher training course and is rigorously evaluated to Cambridge University’s standards, meaning you get qualified with a certificate that is universally recognised and sought after by employers in the English language teaching world.

Companies coin ‘TEFL’ as an abbreviation for their lesser-born variety. And that’s where budding English teachers get caught.

If you’re looking to break into a new industry, the first port of call is normally a job search. You want to gauge the level of opportunity, the amount of demand, and exactly what an employer is looking for.

Minefield of abbreviations

Put yourself in the shoes of a prospective English teacher, for a moment. It’s at this point in their research they come across the minefield of complex abbreviations, which, despite their subtle differences (TEFL, TESL, ESL, EFL) mean much of the same thing.

Looking for guarantee of quality

There is no one governing body, worldwide, trusted to verify TEFL courses. While some have the advantage of bearing big, weighty names to guarantee their quality (Cambridge University primarily among them), others, quite frankly, do not have anything of the sort.

Anyone with a laptop and an internet connection could write an English teaching course, throw in the words ‘recognised’ and ‘respected’, and pay an outside accreditation agency for the use of their web banner. Sure, there may possibly times when certain TEFL courses are helpful, but for the most part, they’re a collection of PDF files and empty promises.

The English teaching industry is so inundated by white noise, it’s hard to ascertain exactly what stands, and what falls down in a stiff breeze.

Back to the statement: “I want to teach English, but first I have to get the TEFL certificate”.

Back in the mind of the teaching hopeful, again. They’ve finished ‘the’ TEFL course, feeling secure in the knowledge that it’s recognised and certified.

Until, of course, they are pipped at the post by candidates bearing the high-valued Cambridge CELTA, DELTA or Trinity TESOL.

Turns out, TEFL means so much more than just a singular certificate. It’s an umbrella term, and one that perhaps casts a little too much shade on the inner-workings below.

This is because, put simply, the ‘TEFL certificate’ doesn’t actually exist.