A question about TEFL/TELC/TESOL etc., acronyms/abbreviations

[kangaroo.gov]

Greetings,

Could someone please help me regarding this very long list/index of acronyms/abbreviations within the landscape of the teaching of English as a second language?

http://www.europa-pages.com/uk/ELT-Acronyms.html

Where should a beginner, student, part-time teacher etc., who would like to get some form of qualification start?

I'm a Brit/Scot writing from Germany.

I am limited as I do not have the 'entry' qualifications for TEFL, due to the fact that I visited a total of 15 schools in 11 years, and missed a lot of schooling. The longest time in any one school was 3 1/2 years. Went to just about every school one could imagine, including boarding schools, convent schools etc.

At present I am working part-time as a 'native-speaker' teaching English to adults, and basicly just 'learning' by 'doing'.

I would appreciate ALL points of view, and would welcome all suggestions and comments from the 'experts' within this landscape.

Thank you.

Regards,
Sid

[Tdol]

The CELTA is probably the most recognised qualification. With regard to 'entry qualifications', many courses don't require someone to be a graduate and a will consider applications based on a person's experience, etc, so I'd suggest applying for that.

[kangaroo.gov]

Thanks tdol, I'll look into it.

Regards,
Sid

[Tdol]

It's a qualification that's accepted pretty much everywhere, which is the most imporatnat thing. There are plenty of places offering in-house training that isn't widely recognised. At least the CELTA is known the world over.