ESL, EFL, TESL, TEFL, TESOL, ESOL

[Will]

What do ESL, EFL, TESL, TEFL, TELSOL, and ESOL mean? I've seen it a lot on this site, and I'm still not sure what exactly it means.

 

[Red5]

ESL = English as a Second Language
EFL = English as a Foreign Language
TESL = Teaching English as a Second Language
TEFL = Teaching English as a Foreign Language
TESOL = Teachers of (or Teaching) English to Speakers of Other Languages
ESOL = English for Speakers of Other Languages

;-)

 

[fargo2971]

...and it all mean the same thing, isn´t it? I got earned my TEFL certificate few months ago and I find it very useful. :-D

 

[bhaisahab]

...and it all means the same thing, doesn´t it? I got/earned (one or the other, not both) my TEFL certificate few months ago and I find it very useful. :-D

Bhai.

 

[redsonia]

I have a minor in ESL, I recieved ten years ago. Do I need to a seperate TESL or TEFL cerificate to teach in Hong Kong?

 

[Tdol]

The differences are not that great, and in some cases regional - ESL is more used in the US and ESOL in the UK and, I think, Australia, though both refer to learning the language in a country where it is spoken, while EFL is used for learning it where it is not spoken. If you can teach one, you can teach the other IMO.