Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages

If you are interested in Teaching English as a Second Language (ESL) or Foreign Language (EFL), you are not alone! The market for learners and teachers of English is booming.

If you want to teach at a community college or a university, you will benefit from specialized training in ESL instruction. Most countries where EFL/ESL is taught require a TEFL/TESOL certification and many are looking for a certification that includes a minimum of 20 hours of in-class practice.

The UNT TESOL Graduate Academic Certificate responds to the rapidly expanding English language market by providing a fully-online four course sequence. This teacher training focuses on new methods, techniques, and activities to optimize student learning resulting in higher retention rates for their programs and schools. A leveling course is required for students with no linguistics background.

Here are a few testimonials from individuals who completed this certificate program:

"I earned my Graduate Certificate in TESOL while I completed my MA in Linguistics at UNT. I credit the TESOL certificate specifically with my receiving full funding for my PhD and for my subsequent experience teaching English during graduate school. Had I not done the graduate certificate, I never would have discovered my love of English language teaching! Now, I teach international graduate students at Stanford University in addition to teaching private clients both here in the US and abroad."
-Kristopher Geda

"The education I received as a student in UNT's ESL graduate certificate program provided the foundation I needed to go on to successfully complete a PhD in Second Language Acquisition and Teaching while teaching academic ESL at the university level. Now, I serve as the Associate Director of Language Programs at Rice University in the Glasscock School of Continuing Studies where I work as part of the administrative team helping to oversee 4 ESL programs and the foreign language program."
-Rachel Kraut

"I started my TESOL career at UNT and have been teaching college ESOL classes as a full time instructor for several years; in the last few I was made program coordinator. It’s a wonderful program balanced real world pedagogy with a strong theoretical foundation. If you want to help students from around the world achieve their goals, I can’t think of a better place to start."
-Gabe Edgar

"One of the best decisions I made during my graduate studies in Linguistics at UNT was getting my TESOL certification. Since I graduated, I have taught and designed programs for ESL institutions in South Korea, Mexico, and the U.S., and currently serve as Director of Language Programs at LanGo Institute."
-Lisa Jeon

There is demonstrated demand for English Language Teachers in the United States and Worldwide:

• The number of English languages learners in the United States has grown by roughly 60% in the last decade.

• In 2019, 1.5 billion people were learning and using English worldwide.

• ESL exam providers such as the University of Cambridge (IELTS) and the British Council/Trinity College London have continued to expand their operations and increase their global market reach.

• In 2018, the ESL industry grew to $45 billion and it is estimated to rise to $56.2 billion by 2021.
• The National Center for Education Statistics reported that 27% of all schools with bilingual/ESL teaching vacancies found them very difficult or impossible to fill and this is a higher percentage than for many other teaching fields.