If you have recently completed your TESOL/TESL Certification, congratulations! Teaching English is one of the few fields where there is no shortage of opportunity around the world. Indeed, you are probably in the process of looking to teach English as a second language in places such as China, the UAE, Kuwait, Qatar, Mexico, Spain, and many other countries in Asia, Europe, and the Middle East. It is possible that you have already been offered a position and are scrambling to put together the necessary requirements to meet your deadline. If this is the case, you may have already been told to get your Canadian TEFL or TESOL certificate apostilled for use in China, UAE, Kuwait, Qatar, or another country. However, Canada has not signed the apostille convention like many other countries. This means that you can not get an apostille of your TESOL or TEFL certificate. Instead, you will have to have your TEFL or TESOL certificate authenticated and legalized for use in whichever country you will be working. This two step process is equal to an apostille and it is recognized as such in every country around the world. You will need to have this done if you want to teach English in a foreign country.
TEFL or TESOL Certificate Authentication Legalization Canada
So now that you know the process you need to go through, let’s break down how it’s done. The first step of authentication takes place here at Global Affairs Canada in Ottawa. Their job is to verify the signatures of authorized individuals on Canadian documents to prove that the document is authentic. For Canadian TEFL and TESOL certificate authentication, most will require notarization by a lawyer or notary public to be valid for authentication. However, there are many TEFL and TESOL certificates that Global Affairs Canada cannot authenticate even if they have been notarized. This is because not all institutions which issue these certificates are recognized by the Canadian government. Click here to see which TEFL and TESOL certificates are valid for authentication at Global Affairs Canada after they have been notarized. This step of authentication can take as long as 20 business days to complete. This does not even include the next step of legalization which has its own processing time and is even more complicated. This quickly adds up to months of waiting to have your TEFL or TESOL certificate ready for use in China, Kuwait, Qatar, UAE, or elsewhere. Having worked with these documents for over 25 years, we know everything there is to know about TEFL and TESOL certificates for use abroad. We are even able to notarize these documents when you choose to use our services. We offer a priority same business day authentication service where we personally present your TEFL or TESOL certificate (and any supporting documents required) to Global Affairs Canada on your behalf the same day your documents arrive in our office. This can save you up to 20 business days of processing time. If you are rushing to meet a deadline to begin teaching abroad, we strongly recommend you contact us and get started now.
TEFL / TESOL Certificate Canada for China, Qatar, UAE, Mexico, and More
The second step you will have to go through to make your TEFL or TESOL certificate valid for use in a different country is legalization. This takes place at the consular section of the embassy of the country in which you will be teaching. Most of these consulates are also located in Ottawa and they also have their own requirements, fees, and processing time which vary substantially between embassies and usually change over time. Some embassies have extremely strict and extensive requirements of educational documents such as TEFL or TESOL certificates which can be very confusing for many people. This is why thousands of Canadians choose us to help them with their TEFL, TESOL, degrees, police checks, and other documents that are commonly requested to teach overseas. We have worked with these embassies for over 25 years as well and have built strong professional relationships that allow us to provide an unparalleled service to our clients. In addition, our clients are protected by our service guarantee which ensures their Canadian documents will be valid for use in the country of their choosing. Please note that this does not mean we guarantee the requesting party will accept your documents. The most important part of getting ready to teach English overseas is communicating clearly with the requesting party that has requested these documents from you. They will tell you exactly which documents you will need and what processes you will have to go through. This will help us help you get your documents ready on time by processing them all at once. As Canada’s first provider of authentication and legalization services it is our pleasure to assist graduates going to teach ESL abroad and we look forward to assisting you as well!
Trust ALSC, the first company in the authentication and legalization industry with your Canadian documents to teach English overseas. Click below to get started.
