The field of TESOL is a complex, multifaceted, profession practiced in a wide variety of teaching and learning environments worldwide, ranging from positions that require a master’s degree or doctorate in TESOL and many years of experience, to those available to prospective teachers with shorter-term training in the field.
The TESOL Core Certificate Program is an online certificate program of Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages, Inc. (TESOL), organized on a pass (satisfactory—completion of all requirements)/no pass (unsatisfactory) basis, providing short-term training on the fundamentals of ELT for a diverse group of current or prospective teachers or administrators with limited formal training in the ELT field. It is not a certification program. In addition, a student teaching component is not required to earn the TESOL Core Certificate. However, the TESOL Practitioner Certificate requires all its applicants to meet the teaching requirement.
All TESOL professionals should engage in ongoing professional development throughout their careers, as appropriate for the specific settings in which they teach or administer programs involving ELLs.