If your plan is to teach English abroad, more countries now require teachers to have their TESOL, TESL or TEFL certification authenticated by the government of the country where the certificate was issued. Unless a government agency authenticates your certificate, many countries won’t issue the work visa you need to go abroad. There are many certification courses out there that do not have accreditation, including those university TEFL brands offered by teacher recruitment agencies, so don’t limit your job options with a certificate that isn’t valid in Canada and cannot be used for teaching abroad.
As a provider of TESL Canada-approved certification courses, OnTESOL is one of the few online institutes that meet the requirements for Canadian and international teachers interested in teaching English abroad. Below you will find more information about how to have the Government of Canada authenticate your OnTESOL certificate.
Canadian Government Authentication
Through Global Affairs, the Government of Canada authenticates TESOL, TESL, and TEFL certificates on the list of course providers recognized by TESL Canada or TESL Ontario. Therefore, Canadian accreditation is required and essential to teach English in Canada and abroad. If you took a TESOL, TEFL, or TESL course that is not recognized by one of the main accrediting bodies, your job options abroad would be limited.
Both online courses offered by OnTESOL are on the list of TESL Canada-approved courses. To get your OnTESOL certificate authenticated by Global Affairs, you need to go to a public notary first and then submit your certification to the government. Visit the Global Affairs’ website for more information.
Find TEFL Jobs Abroad on the OnTESOL Job Board
Government Authentication Outside Canada
People from all over the world complete our online TESOL certification courses. You can have your TESOL/TEFL certification authenticated at the nearest embassy.
Global Affairs notes on their website that some consulates may not have the capacity to authenticate teaching credentials. If this is the case in the country where you teach, you can send your documents to their mail-in service in Ottawa. For more information on getting your certificate authenticated outside Canada, visit their website.
Using Private Companies to Authenticate Your TESOL/TEFL Certification
Moving to another country can be a tenuous process. Candidates need to gather all university documents and process their Criminal Background. In addition, they need to check at the national level and get the public notary to notarize the certificate. Finally, the government of Canada must authenticate the certificate.
This whole process takes anywhere between 2 and 5 months from the moment the candidate applies for a TESOL job to the moment they receive the work visa. For this reason, there are many private companies that specialize in fast-tracking the authentication process. Although it costs a few hundred dollars, companies like International Documents Canada can lower the burden on you.
Their service is especially useful for those who are outside Canada or those who are on a time crunch.
