TESOL, TEFL, and TESL are often used interchangeably by teachers, employers and students and it doesn’t matter a great deal which you use as most people will understand what you are talking about. However, each term does actually have a slightly different meaning as described below.
TESOL (Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages) is now the recognised umbrella term that covers both TEFL and TESL. It is the term used to describe the industry of teaching the language of English to non-native speakers. However, it is often used interchangeably with the term TEFL which is still widely used by both teachers and learners.
TEFL (Teaching English as a Foreign Language) is a term used to describe teaching English to learners in a country where English is not the first language. This is the most common form of English teaching which is why it has become so popular.
TESL (Teaching English as a Second Language) is a term used to describe teaching English to non-English speaking learners who are living in an English speaking country.
If you want to learn more about what you can do with a TESOL certificate, read this article “What can I do with a TESOL teaching certificate”?