Teaching English as a second or foreign language

Teaching English as a foreign language (TEFL), Teaching English as a second language (TESL) or Teaching English to speakers of other languages (TESOL) are terms that refer to teaching English to students whose first language is not English.

The terms TEFL, TESL, and TESOL distinguish between a class's location and student population.[1]

• TEFL describes English language programs that occur in countries where English is not the primary language. TEFL programs may be taught at a language school or with a tutor. For some jobs, the minimum TEFL requirement is a 100-hour course; however, the 120-hour course is strongly recommended as it often yields higher-paying teaching positions.[2] TEFL teachers may be native or non-native speakers of English.
• TESL and TESOL include English language programs that occur in English-speaking countries. Often, these classes serve populations who have immigrated there (either temporarily for school or work or permanently) or whose families speak another language at home. TESL is regarded as an outdated term because students may speak more than one language before they study English.[3] TESOL is an umbrella term that includes TEFL and TESL programs and is a widely accepted term in the field of English language teaching.[4]

Students who are learning English in their home country, typically in a school, are EFL (English as a foreign language) students.[5] More generally, students learning English are referred to as ELLs (English language learners).