TESL Trainer/PTCT Instructor Approval Application

Introduction

The TESL Ontario TESL Trainer Certificate is for individuals who would like to work as a TESL instructor, a TESL practicum supervisor, and/or a TESL program academic coordinator for the TESL Ontario accredited TESL training providers. The TESL Ontario Post TESL Certificate Training (PTCT) Instructor Certificate is for applicants who have extensive training and experience in one or more PTCT area.

You may apply for certification in one or more TESL Trainer roles and/or one or more PTCT content areas.

Applicants are not required to be a Canadian citizen or a permanent resident of Canada.


Required Qualifications 

Applicants must meet the following requirements:

1. Valid TESL Ontario Membership: Applicants are required to hold valid TESL Ontario membership prior to submitting their TESL Trainer/PTCT Instructor certification application. If you are not a member yet or your membership has expired, please take the following steps:

To apply for new standard membership:

  • Go to https://applications.teslontario.org/
  • Click on "Join".
  • Click on "New Membership Application".
  • Select "New Membership Type".
  • Fill out all sections of the form (N-1, N-2, N-3, or N-4).
  • Submit the form.
  • Pay the fee.

To apply for standard membership renewal:

  • Go to https://applications.teslontario.org/
  • Click on "Renew".
  • Click on "Standard Membership Renewal".
  • Select "Membership Renewal Type".
  • Fill out all sections of the form (R-3, R-4, R-5, or R-6).

2. University Degree: A three or four year bachelor’s degree or a master's degree, or a PhD from an accredited institution located
in Canada, OR a degree deemed equivalent by a member agency of the Alliance of Credential Evaluation Services of Canada (ACESC), such as

3. English Language Proficiency (ELP) demonstrated in one of three ways (If you hold valid OCELT or CTESOL certification, your OCELT/CTESOL certificate is your proof of ELP.): 

     a) Completion of at least three years of full-time in-person instruction (or equivalent of that in part-time mode) leading to one or more           
         completed degrees (bachelor’s, master’s, PhD) with English as the language of instruction in an English-speaking country:

         Canada, Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda, Australia, Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Benin, Bermuda, Botswana, British Virgin
         Islands, Cayman Islands, Cameroon, Dominica, Ghana, Grenada, Guyana, Jamaica, Montserrat,  Nigeria, New Zealand, Republic of
         Ireland, Saint Kitts-Nevis, Seychelles,  Sierra Leone, Singapore, South Africa, St. Lucia, St. Vincent, Trinidad and Tobago, Turks and
         Caicos Islands, United Kingdom, United States, Uganda, US Virgin Islands, Zambia, Zimbabwe.

         Online courses and research-based courses do not count as in-person instruction. Also, completion of non-degree programs, i.e., one
         or more certificate or diploma programs, does not count as proof of ELP. 

     b) Minimum acceptable scores/bands from a TESL Ontario recognized ELP test taken within three years of the TESL Ontario Certification 
         application date:

         TESL Ontario accepts a combination of two test reports (for the same ELP test taken twice or for two different ELP tests) indicating
         that all required scores/bands have been obtained. 
         Test reports older than three years are considered on a case-by-case basis.

     c) Evidence of grades 6-12 completed with English as the language of instruction in one of the countries listed in (a)

 
4. Education in TESL:

For Theory Instructor, Academic Coordinator, and PTCT Instructor Roles: Master's degree or PhD in TESL/TESOL, applied linguistics, linguistics, second language acquisition, adult education (with a focus on TESL), or a comparable field with a strong concentration of courses relevant to the theory and practice of TESL such as phonetics, phonology, syntax, morphology, semantics, English grammar, second language acquisition, pragmatics, language teaching methods, and language testing.
 

For Methodology Instructor and Practicum Supervisor Roles:

  • Option 1: A minimum three-year Bachelor's degree (or a Master's degree or PhD) in TESL/TESOL, applied linguistics, linguistics, second language acquisition, adult education (with a focus on TESL), or a comparable field with a strong concentration of courses relevant to the theory and practice of TESL such as phonetics, phonology, syntax, morphology, semantics, English grammar, second language acquisition, pragmatics, language teaching methods, and language testing.
     
  • Option 2: a minimum three-year Bachelor's degree (or a Master's degree or PhD) in any field plus the TESL Ontario Certificate of Accreditation -OCELT Level, or a TESL certificate from a TESL Ontario accredited TESL training program (OCELT Level), or documented TESL training which equates to or exceeds training included in a TESL Ontario accredited TESL training program (OCELT Level).

5. CLB and PBLA Training for Methodology Instructor, Practicum Supervisor, Academic Coordinator

  • The CLB Bootcamp is a 10-hour self-directed online course that is available free of charge.

  • The PBLA training is an 18- to 20-hour self-directed online course that is available free of change.

    For detailed instructions on how to self-enroll in these courses, please click here. If you have any questions about the CLB Bootcamp or encounter any technical issues, please contact CCLB directly at support@language.ca

6. Adult ESL Teaching Experience for Methodology Instructor, Practicum Supervisor, Academic Coordinator, and PTCT Instructor Roles:

A minimum of 2000 hours of documented experience teaching adults in English as a second language programs, including at least 1400 hours in Canada

7. TESL Teaching Experience for Practicum Supervisor and Academic Coordinator Roles:

A minimum of 120 hours of documented experience teaching theory and/or methodology courses in TESL training programs accredited by TESL Ontario

8. Experience in Providing Professional Development or In-service Training for PTCT Instructor Role:

A minimum of 200 hours of documented experience providing professional development or in-service training to adult ESL teachers in the selected PTCT content area/s:

  • How to teach occupation specific language training courses
  • How to teach standardized test preparation courses
  • How to teach pronunciation
  • How to teach English for Academic Purposes
  • How to use technology in teaching and learning (Ed Tech)
  • How to teach advanced grammar

9. PTCT-related Expertise and Training for PTCT Instructor Role: Proven expertise and documented extensive training in the selected PTCT content area/s.

Required Supporting Documents

All documents must be in English. Documents in other languages are not accepted.

Proof of legal name change (e.g., marriage certificate, Legal Name Change document) in English or a certified translation is required if any of your documentation is under a different name than the one you are applying under.

Documents Required for Theory Instructor Role

Documents Required for Methodology Instructor Role

Documents Required for Practicum Supervisor Role

Documents Required for Academic Coordinator Role

Documents Required for PTCT Instructor Role
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  1. Proof of current TESL Ontario membership- Please write down your TESL Ontario membership number on the application form (Form A-5). 
     
  2. A university degree (or official transcript) in any discipline from Canada OR equivalency report if earned outside Canada
     
  3. A language proficiency test report and/or evidence of education in English (as outlined above)- (If you hold valid OCELT or CTESOL certification, your OCELT/CTESOL certificate is your proof of ELP.)
     
  4. Proof of education in TESL (official degree transcript and, if applicable, official certificate transcript)
     
  5. CLB Bootcamp Certificate & Introduction to PBLA Training Certificate from the Centre for Canadian Language Benchmarks (CCLB)
     
  6. Official confirmation letter/s (on letterhead, signed, and dated) from your employer/s attesting to a minimum of 2000 hours of experience teaching adults in English as a second language programs, including at least 1400 hours in Canada
     
  7. Official confirmation letter/s (on letterhead, signed, and dated) from your employer/s attesting to a minimum of 120 hours of experience teaching theory and/or methodology courses in TESL training programs accredited by TESL Ontario
     
  8. Official confirmation letter/s (on letterhead, signed, and dated) from your employer/s attesting to a minimum of 200 hours of experience providing professional development or in-service training to adult English teachers in the selected PTCT content area/s
     
  9. Proof of expertise and extensive training specific to the selected PTCT content area/s (e.g., certificates, diplomas, and degree transcripts)

Fee* 

$141.25 (incl. tax) for first-time application or $84.75 (incl. tax) for a subsequent application

*All fees are non-refundable.

Submitting Your Application Package (application form, supporting documents, and fee) 

  1. Go to https://applications.teslontario.org/
     
  2. Click on “Apply”.
     
  3. To apply for TESL Trainer Certificate, click on “Form A-5.1: TESL Trainer Certification”.
    To apply for PTCT Instructor Certificate, click on "Form A-5.2: TESL Ontario PTCT Instructor Certification Application".
     
  4. Fill out all sections of the form and upload your supporting documents.
     
  5. Submit your application form.
     
  6. Pay the application fee.

          Please note that you may be requested to submit the original supporting documents or their authorized photocopies to TESL Ontario by 
          mail or in person at a later date.

Application Review and Approval Process

  1. TESL Ontario confirms the receipt of application packages by email in 1-2 business days.
     
  2. Application packages are reviewed and applicants are notified of the results by email in 20-30 business days from the date of receipt. 
     
  3. Once an applicant is approved for certification, TESL Ontario notifies them of their approval by email. 
     
  4. Approved applicants may then follow the instructions in the approval email to order their certificate through the TESL Ontario Registry. Once ordered, the certificate is emailed to the certified member immediately. If you encounter any technical issues, please contact TESL Ontario at administration@teslontario.org.

Please note:

  • For operational reasons, TESL Ontario reserves the right to extend the application processing time, as necessary.
  • TESL Ontario may request additional documentation beyond the requirements described above.
  • All submitted documentation and information will be kept confidential.
  • The standards and requirements of certification application are reviewed by the TESL Ontario Accreditation Standards Committee on a regular basis and are updated, as necessary.
  • Any applicant who is denied the TESL Ontario certification shall have the right to appeal the decision to the TESL Ontario Appeals Committee within three months from the date the decision has been made. Please be aware that the degree and English language proficiency (ELP) requirements of the TESL Ontario certification are "non-appealable" requisites. For details about filing an appeal, please go to Appeals.

Questions? Please contact TESL Ontario by email at accreditation@teslontario.org or by phone at 416-593-4243, Ext. 205.