English as an additional language

English as an additional language is used to refer to the learning of English by speakers of other languages. The term is commonly abbreviated to EAL and to many it is effectively synonymous with ESL\, EFL, TESOL and TESL.

Table of contents

1 Issues

1.1 The English Business
1.2 Academia
1.3 Around the World

2 See also
3 External links

Issues

The English Business

Teaching English is a multi-billion dollar business, and so the field is sometimes thought of as being divided between those who teach in the public sector and those who teach in the private sector. It is not uncommon for those who have taught in the private sector to be "type cast" and thus unable to advance into the public sector.

The average career for an ESL/EAL/EFL teacher in the private sector is two years which is barely enough time to scratch the surface of such a complex field. Most teachers will only experience the private sector aspect of English teaching and leave frustrated.

Teacher training is also a big business and several certificates are available to purchase without ever having to set foot in a classroom.

Academia

Applied Linguistics is the academic branch of EAL/ESL/EFL. Sometimes it is called the "grape nuts" of academia because like the cereal of the same name, it is often neither applied nor is it linguistics. This partly comes from the fundamental issue that there is no standard research methodology for the field, and thus it is not uncommon for supposedly academic research to in fact not be based in any standard empirical methodology. However, standard research methods are sometimes used from cognitive psychology or education.

Applied linguistics departments can be found in American universities, but in the UK they are rather scarce and even more so in Canada and the rest of the world.

Around the World

There are significant differences between professional teacher training in the United States and the United Kingdom.

In the UK, many language programs are administered by International House, a non-academic organization but connected to the British Embassy. Consequently, the average ESL/EFL/EAL teacher goes through the RSA/CELTA Certificate program which is administered through Cambridge University. This is an intensive 4 week course with many hours of actual teaching which is critiqued until the learner has adopted teaching methods such as "Test, Teach, Test" and "Pre-Listening, Listening, Post-Listening."

However, in the US, most English teaching institutions are part of an American university. Therefore, the teachers need to have academic qualifications, usually a master's degree. In this training process, it usually takes 2 years for a potential teacher to take academic courses on pedagogy, linguistics and sociology. However, there is little actual teaching in comparison with the RSA/CELTA Certificate training.

Many Asian language schools in particular do not require formal teaching qualifications, although universities and other public sector employers are often more stringent.