Certificate Information

Certificates that meet English Language Fellow Program eligibility requirements include the following components:

• A minimum of 120 instruction contact hours or an equivalent in credit hours for a certificate granted by a BA or MA TESOL program
  • Live, online, and blended course instruction may be considered.
  • 100-hour certificates may be accepted for eligibility if the program includes 10 or more supervised and observed practicum hours. If the 100-hour certificate program has fewer than 10 hours of practicum, the candidate may be considered eligible with an additional year of full-time ESL/EFL classroom teaching.

• Classroom practicum/practice teaching (preferred 6 or more hours). This must be supervised and observed by a qualified professional.
  • If a 120-hour certificate program does not include a supervised and observed practicum, the candidate may be considered eligible with an additional year of full-time ESL/EFL classroom teaching.

• Curriculum components (minimum):
  • Second language acquisition
  • Motivation and the language learner
  • Methods and techniques
    • Teaching language skills: reading, listening, speaking, writing
    • Teaching grammar and vocabulary
  • Lesson planning
  • Classroom management
  • Resource and materials development
  • Testing and assessment
  • Cultural, linguistic, and multi-cultural sensitivity

For TESOL International’s Standards for Short-Term TESL/TEFL Certificate Programs, please click here.

When applying, applicants will need to submit the following:

• Scan of the certificate document
• Web address (URL) where the certificate program’s curriculum and practicum components can be verified.

NOTE: To be eligible, all candidates must have a graduate level degree. If candidates do not have an MA in TESOL or in a field related to English language teaching, and they also do not have a qualifying TESOL certificate or K-12 ESL state credential, they may be considered eligible if they have 5 or more years of full-time experience working with English language learners in ESL/EFL, TESL/TEFL, or TESOL related classroom contexts.