ELT Abbreviations & Acronyms

ACTFL American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages
ARELS Association of Recognised English Language Services
BASELT British Association of State English Language Teaching
BC British Council
BE bilingual education
CALL computer assisted language learning
CEELT Cambridge Examination in English for Language Teachers
CELTA Certificate in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages
CLT communicative language teaching
CILT Centre for Information on Language Teaching and Research
Delta Diploma in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages
DOS director of studies
EAP English for academic purposes
EFL English as a foreign language
ELICOS English Language Intensive Courses for Overseas Students (Australian)
ELL English language learner
ELT English language training or teaching
EMT English mother tongue
ESL English as a second language
ESOL English for speakers of other languages
ESP English for specific purposes
EST English for science and technology
FES fluent English speaker
IATEFL International Association of Teachers of English as a Foreign Language
IELTS International English Language Testing System
JALT Japan Association for Language Teaching
JET Japanese Exchange and Teaching Programme
L1 first language
L2 second language
NATESOL National Association of Teachers of English for Speakers of Other Languages
ODA Overseas Development Agency
PGCE Post Graduate Certificate in Education (UK teaching qualification necessary for state sector)
RSA The Royal Society for the encouragement of Arts, Manufactures & Commerce
SLA second language acquisition
STT student talking time
TEFL teaching (of) English as a foreign language
TESL teaching (of) English as a second language
TESOL a) teaching (of) English to speakers of other languages
b) Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages, Inc.
TOEFL Test of English as a Foreign Language
TOEIC Test of English for International Communication
TSE test of spoken English
TTT teacher talking time
TWE test of written English
USIA United States Information Agency
VSO Voluntary Service Overseas