Graduate Certificate or Diploma of TESOL overview
The Graduate Certificate in TESOL is a sound gateway into teaching English to speakers of other languages. They tend to require a three or four-year bachelor level degree in any field, taking six months to complete if undergone full time. The University of Melbourne provides just such a course, offering insights into the specialised teaching methodology utilised by TESOL professionals.
Graduate diplomas are somewhat more specialised; although they accept bachelor level degrees in any field, some courses will prioritise students with linguistics or English literature background. The University of Wollongong hosts their Graduate Diploma in TESOL without this standard of prioritisation.
Employment options
Graduates from either of these programs will find themselves suited to the career paths mentioned here. Graduates from these programs are still advised to gain some level of proficiency in another language to grant them access to a specialised area of the world. Spanish speakers can teach English to native Spanish speakers, for instance.
Graduation from these programs is an excellent avenue to further study in the field, which will improve employment prospects and teaching capability. Both certificates and diplomas often qualify students for credit in a subsequent master level program.
Scholarships and funding
Specific funding options for TESOL students are rare, but not imperceptible. The Alumni Postgrad Scholarship is an example of this, granting students in a variety of disciplines, including TESOL, a partial scholarship. General scholarships are also available, such as the Endeavour Scholarships and Fellows initiative or Gallipoli Scholarship Fund. Like many other general scholarships, however, students are advised to check their eligibility, as requirements can be more extensive than just GPA.
Prerequisites and selection process
Both certificates and diplomas require bachelor level degrees in any field to commence, but both tend to prefer students with a credit level GPA (65%). A linguistics background is an explicit advantage for many diplomas, but it can be equally useful in many graduate certificate courses too.