United States ESOL Training

• 1). Get a bachelor's degree in education, English, applied linguistics or a related field. Most public and private schools in the U.S. only hire ESOL teachers with a minimum of a bachelor's degree, and the courses will typically include on-site training with real ESOL students.
  
  
• 2). Find out your state's ESOL certification requirements or options. Certification Map offers information for all 50 states. Also check the requirements for the specific school you are applying for. Public schools usually have regulated training requirements, but private schools may have other expectations for ESOL teachers they hire.
  
  
• 3). Find the recommended training programs in your area for ESOL, which will be offered through community colleges, universities, and other centers, and enroll well before your certification exams.
  
  

International ESOL Training

• 1). Get a bachelor's degree. Depending on which country and type of school you choose, you may need a degree specifically in English or education. However, many accept a bachelor's degree in any subject.
  
  
• 2). Sign up for a TESL (Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages) or TEFL (Teaching English as a Foreign Language) course if you are interested in teaching children, or the CELTA (Certificate in English Language Teaching to Adults) if you will be teaching adults. All three certificates are recognized as high-quality ESOL teacher training internationally.
  
  
• 3). Take the final exam or complete the course (not all ESOL courses have final exams for certification). In all cases, you can sign up for the course at certain universities, or you can register to complete the course entirely online. In addition, all of the courses offer "intensive" study if you are in a hurry to complete your ESOL training.