Please note that no new applications will be accepted at this time.

The Certificate in Teaching English as a Second Language (CERTESL) Program is a 23-credit unit, undergraduate-level, distance-delivered program designed to meet the instructional needs of current and prospective instructors of English as a second language or dialect both in Canada and abroad. This program (with a practicum or, for teachers with relevant teaching experience, a professional project) is recognized by TESL Canada, TESL Ontario and TESL Saskatchewan.

All of the courses are delivered in online distance modes. All CERTESL students must carry out observations in live ESL/EAL classrooms under the supervision of a qualified local teacher of ESL/EAL. Eventual English as a Second Language teacher accreditation by TESL Canada or TESL Ontario requires that a practicum be completed in an adult context, regardless of K-12 EAL teaching experience or B.Ed. degree completion. TESL Saskatchewan requires either an adult or K-12 ESL/EAL practicum for anyone without ESL/EAL teaching experience.

In the Saskatchewan Pre-K to 12 education system, CERTESL is recognized as an 18-credit unit Integrated Program Component of the 30-credit Additional Qualification Certificate (AQC) which moves teachers in the provincial Pre-K to 12 school system upwards on the provincial salary grid. To complete a full ten-course AQC, however, new candidates must register not in CERTESL but in the PDCEAL (Post-Degree Certificate in English as an Additional Language).  

Therefore, experienced Pre-K to 12 teachers interested in teaching English as an Additional Language within the Saskatchewan Pre-K to 12 school system who currently hold a Professional “A” Certificate, are encouraged to consider the Post-Degree Certificate in English as an Additional Language (PDCEAL) rather than CERTESL. The PDCEAL fulfills the complete Additional Qualification Certificate (AQC) requirements for the Saskatchewan Professional Teachers Regulatory Board. Teachers wishing to teach in adult programs in Canada must complete CERTESL requirements.

Program Requirements (23 credit units)