 Is TEFL a good career choice? What does TESOL mean? These two acronyms can often cause some confusion, but essentially they are used to mean the same thing. TESOL stands for Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages. TEFL stands for Teaching English as a Foreign Language. Where are TESOL and TEFL most commonly used? These two descriptions are generally used interchangeably, but you might find that TESOL is more common in North America and Australia, while TEFL is more common in the UK. However, it should be noted that while one country might prefer one acronym over the other, the qualifications are exactly the same as a TESOL course and a TEFL course follow identical curriculums. What are the technical differences between TESOL and TEFL? Despite the fact that TESOL courses and TEFL courses are essentially the same thing and the acronyms are used interchangeably, there are technical differences between the two descriptions. Speakers of English as a second language are considered to live in an English-speaking country where they need to learn English for daily use in the workplace or for socializing and shopping etc. In contrast, Speakers of English as a foreign language are considered to live in an on-English-speaking country where they don't need to use English on a daily basis but are choosing to learn the language for foreign travel, business needs or even as a hobby.