Professional Organizations

For over 50 years, TESOL has been advancing the expertise of English language professionals. The development of TESOL began in 1963 when a small group met during the annual conference of the National Association for Foreign Student Affairs (NAFSA) to discuss the idea for a more specialized organization for teachers of English to speakers of other languages.  

The first conference on the teaching of ESOL took place in Tucson, Arizona in 1964, attracting more than 700 participants--far more than expected. 

In March 1966, at the third annual conference, a constitution and bylaws were adopted and Teachers of English to Speaker of Other Languages (TESOL) was created. Each year TESOL celebrates Founders' Day on 17 March.

Founded in 1977, the American Association for Applied Linguistics (AAAL) is a professional organization of scholars who are interested in and actively contribute to the multi-disciplinary field of applied linguistics. AAAL members promote principled approaches to language-related concerns, including language education, acquisition and loss, bilingualism, discourse analysis, literacy, rhetoric and stylistics, language for special purposes, psycholinguistics, second and foreign language pedagogy, language assessment, and language policy and planning.  

For over 50 years, the International Association of Teachers of English as a Foreign Language, (IATEFL) has been linking, developing and supporting English language teaching professionals worldwide. From our humble origins in 1967 as a forum for English language teachers (ELT) and other professionals to make contact with one another and share ideas, we are now one of the largest and most internationally representative teaching associations in the world.

IATEFL is a global professional membership association, and a UK registered charity, and yet we remain a community. We support teachers and other ELT professionals in their professional development, and provide a platform where they can offer their views, exchange research and teaching experiences and learn from each other.

ILTA is an international group of language testing and assessment scholars and practitioners whose dedication and work are respected both within and outside the profession, and who together define what it means to be a language tester. ILTA’s purpose is to promote the improvement of language testing throughout the world.

The goals of ILTA include the following:
1. Stimulate professional growth through workshops and conferences
2. Promote the publication and dissemination of information related to the field of language testing
3. Develop and provide for leadership in the field of language testing
4. Provide professional services to its members
5. Increase public understanding and support of language testing as a profession
6. Build professional pride among its membership
7. Recognize outstanding achievement among its membership
8. Cooperate with other groups interested in language testing
9. Cooperate with other groups interested in applied linguistics or measurement