Someone somewhere in the world is having his/her EFL lessons. In fact, someone across the world – from Europe to Asia all the way to South America – is having an EFL class. Many Americans, Australians, and Britons are scattered across the globe earning from their TEFL job. But what are TEFL and EFL?
Understanding TEFL/EFL
TEFL stands for Teaching English as a Foreign Language and EFL, apparently, is English as a Foreign Language. This is a specialized English language lessons given to learners – young and adults alike – whose first language is not English, and whose country does not use English very prominently. More commonly, schools and institutions offering EFL classes prefer native speakers to Teach English to their students.
In others, a TEFL training certificate is necessary. The TEFL certificate can be acquired from an accredited training institution that certifies the holder has had the necessary lessons and training to handle classroom and non-classroom teaching setups made especially for foreign learners of English.
Some institutions, however, do away with the TEFL certificate and accept a Bachelor’s degree, others specifically require Education, English or related degree while others will accept any college degree.
Areas of EFL study
Like any course in English, EFL learning covers different areas. It encompasses lessons on Conversational English, Vocabulary, Grammar, Reading and Writing in English. The lessons can be taught to children as young as 3 to adults of any age.
EFL learning are mostly a combination of classroom learning as well as real life situations simulation in the form of conversations.
Another emerging popular form of learning English for Foreigners is via online study. Students learn and interact with individuals who teach English via a video calling system i.e. Skype which, to some, is just as effective but not as expensive as actually getting a private EFL tutor from a foreign the US.
EFL vs ESL
Many people confuse EFL and ESL simply because they are both taught to foreigners of different language. The difference depends mainly on the country where it is taught in. While EFL lessons are offered to foreigners who come from countries where English is not spoken by the majority, ESL is for learners of English in countries where English is commonplace and used alongside their mother tongue language. Examples of these countries include the Philippines, India, and the Netherlands among others.