Certificate Program

Teaching English as a Second Language (TESL)

TESL Courses

There are two types of TESL certificates: the TESL Coursework Certificate and the TESL Certificate with Practicum.

To receive the 12-credit TESL Coursework Certificate from the Department of Language and Literacy Education, a student must complete LLED 489A and B or LLED 489C (6 credits) and LLED 478C (6 credits).

To receive the 15-credit TESL Certificate with Practicum, a student must complete LLED 489A and B or LLED 489C (6 credits), LLED 478C (6 credits), and LLED 399 (3 credits).

There is a fee of $25.00 (cash or money order) for the TESL Certificate. A request form for the TESL Certificate can be obtained either by picking one up at the main office of the Department of Language and Literacy Education, Room 100, Ponderosa Building E, 2034 Lower Mall Road, UBC Campus
or by writing to:
TESL Certificate
Department of Language and Literacy Education
2125 Main Mall
Vancouver, B.C. V6T 1Z4

The TESL Certificate Program with Practicum offers professional training and development to teachers of ESL and prepares them for graduate studies. To receive the certificate for this 15-credit program, a student must complete: LLED 489 (either 489 A and B or 489C, 6 credits), Applied Linguistics for Teachers, LLED 478C (6 credits), Introduction to Teaching English as a Second Language, and LLED 399 (3 credits), Practicum in Teaching English as a Second Language. There are often separate LLED 478 sections offered for teaching kindergarten to twelfth grade (K-12) and for teaching adults.

Both LLED 489 (either 489A and 489B or 489C) and LLED 478C are also taken as part of the Diploma Program in Education or the Bachelor of Education degree. A TESL Coursework Certificate is issued to students who take LLED 489 (either 489A and 489B or 489C) and LLED 478C.

Length/Duration

The 3 courses for the TESL Certificate Program with Practicum cover a total 195 hours of teaching and practice. An effort is made to make sections available in all three sessions of the academic year.

LLED 478C (78 hours) is offered:
- usually in Winter Session (September to December on Saturdays),
- every Winter Session (September to April),
- and every Summer Session Term 2 (July and part of August).

LLED 489 (78 hours) is offered:
- every Winter Session (September to April),
- every Summer Session Term 1 (May to June),
- and every Summer Session Term 2 (July and part of August).

LLED 399 (39 hours) runs concurrently with the second half of LLED 478C.

Target Learners

The target learners include the following groups:
- School teachers who want to be certified to teach ESL
- Education students in the process of getting their bachelor degree
- Students in their third or fourth year of university study
- Other unclassified local or international students who wish to teach in colleges or private language schools in Canada or overseas

Student Admission Criteria

• Students who wish to enroll in the certificate program must have obtained their first degree or must currently be in the third or fourth year of university study.
• Students must take LLED 489 (either 489A and 489B or 489C) prior to taking LLED 478C or currently with LLED 478C in the Winter Session from September to April.
• Students who speak English as a Second Language must demonstrate high English proficiency.
• All students, especially those without ESL/EFL teaching experience, are strongly advised to volunteer in an ESL setting prior to enrollment.

Program Delivery Format

LLED 478C and LLED 489 courses are taught by means of lecture-discussions in the Language and Literacy Education Department (UBC campus, Ponderosa Annex E).

LLED 399 comprises 39 hours of teaching and practice. The practicum itself involves 10 hours of observation time and 10 hours of teaching. For each student, there will be a 4-hour pre-practicum orientation with the advisor/instructor and the sponsor teacher. The associated campus-based classes will comprise 9 hours of pre-practicum workshops and 6 hours of post-practicum workshops.

There is also a Joint TESL Certificate Program between Ritsumeikan University (Kyoto, Japan) and UBC, held in Japan. It is offered through the External Programs & Learning Technologies. The Japanese students come to take LLED 489C at UBC in the summer and an LLED instructor delivers LLED 478C and LLED 399 in Japan in the following summer.

Teaching in B.C. Schools

Students who wish to teach English to ESL students in the public school system (K-12) must hold a B.C. Teaching Certificate and have another teaching concentration. A teaching certificate is usually not necessary for those who wish to teach adults.

Before you register for LLED 478A or LLED 478C, please read the following information. Note that LLED 478C is required for the TESL Certificate with Practicum and for the TESL Coursework Certificate.

• Registration
• Admissions (application form available at this site)
• LLED 478A & LLED 478C Descriptions
- Prerequisites
- Time of Offering
- Content of the Course
- Calendar Description
- Course Overview
- Course Format
- Evaluation
• LLED 489A & LLED 489B Descriptions
• LLED 399 Description

Joint TESL Certificate Program between Ritsumeikan University (Kyoto, Japan) and UBC, held in Japan. Offered through the Office of External Programs & Learning Technologies (604-822-2013).