TEFL, TESL, TESOL?! What's the difference?

This seems to be a question that gets asked very often on the ESL forums, Facebook, and other teacher centered places I inhabit. These terms can be confusing and are often used interchangeably but usually mean different things depending on what college you attend and what State/Country you work in which is why it can get so confusing! Why do we have so many different acronyms if we are teaching the same students the same English language?

One of the simplest reasons is that every State must follow its own laws on the designation and education of students who speak English as their second or foreign language. The other reason is that the teaching of English to children versus adults is much different. Yet another major reason is that ELL/ESL students and EFL students come to English with a completely different skill set and often vastly different backgrounds that affect the reasons why they are learning English and (more often these days) where they are learning English. Before we go any further into the subject, lets look at the different acronyms and what they mean:

ESL = English Second Language

ELL = English Language Learner
EFL = English as a Foreign Language
TESL = Teaching English as a Second Language
ESOL = English Second or Foreign Language
TESOL = Teaching English as a Second or Foreign Language
TEFL = Teaching English as a Foreign Language
TEYL = Teaching English to Young Learners

All of these terms mean (almost) the exact same thing in that you are either a student of English or a teacher of English. So whether your degree, certificate, or teaching license is labeled as ESL, EFL, TESL, ESOL, or TESOL it is pretty much the same as far as your education goes. You will be expected to have taken classes in Phonology/Morphology, Culture, Reading/Writing, etc. There are differences (usually when we speak of ESOL/TESOL we are referring to adult students) but most people believe that they are not enough to matter by very much unless you are focusing on children, and then you will get a TEYL certificate, but the basic theory and pedagogy is the same. Different Universities/colleges call it different things (for whatever reason) but in the end, you learn the same basic strategies for working with students who are learning to speak English. And, in general, most of your learners are going to be tested on their knowledge of the English language in some form or another and usually, this will be via the TOEFL.

TOEFL = Test of English as a Foreign Language.
Not to be confused with a teacher certification of any type. This is the huge exam that students take to get into American (or other University where English is required) and is usually taken by adults but MANY schools across the world now offer the TOEFL as a way to test their students English abilities for class placement or for prestigious school acceptance.

The differences in how learners are taught continue to be something of a debate among teachers but it can be best summed up in two quotes:

"My MA is in TESOL. It includes EFL and ESL. While the "second" language part of it may not be literally true, what does matter is whether or not they are living in the country that speaks the language they are learning. This completely changes what and how you teach." - S.P. (VIPKID Teacher) 4/15/2017

In regards to how "teaching EFL and ESL are the same":

"Oh how I wish this were true, but they are actually VASTLY different. ESL is when a student is LIVING in a country where their native language is NOT the primary language being spoken. TESOL is when a student is living in a country where their primary language is spoken, but they are attempting to learn another language. The pedagogy is vastly different primarily because you're talking a difference in NEED and WANT. EX: The Spanish speaking children in my classroom NEED to understand English as a means of survival. The Chinese children in my online classroom WANT to learn English (in theory) to have a leg-up in the world economy. You can't worry about Bloom until after Maslow is taken care of." - K.E. (VIPKID Teacher/Public School Teacher) 4/16/2017

So what is the difference? It is both many things and none at all. You might use the same basic strategies for all your English language student but the strategies will be used in varying degrees based on their age, their current level of English ability, and even their country of origin and why they are learning to use English. After all, you wouldn't use an exercise such as counting sheep with an adult nor would you practice applying for a job with a child. With experience, you will quickly be able to select which strategy will work best with your particular set of students.