ELT Associations

A list of English language teacher associations in Australia and New Zealand, with a brief description and details of PD events, publications, etc.

English Australia

English Australia (EA) is the national peak body for the English language sector of international education in Australia. They represent member institutions that teach ELICOS (English Language Intensive Courses for Overseas Students).
The EA website has a Teaching in Australia section, covering eligibility, conditions, and more.

Professional development

Australian Council of TESOL Associations (ACTA) and state/territory affiliates

ACTA, the Australian Council of TESOL Associations, is the national coordinating body for all associations of Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) across Australia. ACTA aims to advocate for and enhance the profile of the TESOL profession in Australia though a wide range of activities in local, regional, national and international contexts. They cover all levels and sectors of TESOL, from early learning to adult education.
Membership of ACTA comes automatically through membership of one of its constituent associations:

Some associations also have guides to TESOL education and employment in their state/territory.

Professional Development
Most PD is organised by the various state/territory associations (see links above), though ACTA does organise the following nationally:

National English Language Teaching Accreditation Scheme (NEAS)

NEAS provides accreditation and quality assurance services in English language teaching for International English language programs (ELICOS) and government programs such as the Adult Migrant English Program (AMEP).

Professional Development

Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages Aotearoa New Zealand Te Rōpū Kaiwhakaako Reo Ingarihi ki Iwi Reo Kē (TESOLANZ)

TESOLANZ is the New Zealand association of ESOL teachers in all areas of education. TESOLANZ offer you an opportunity to network with others in the ESOL field, professional development, conferences and expos, and we are also a major representative of the ESOL sector lobbying for the language needs of migrants and refugees.

Professional Development

  • An  biennial conference (in ‘even’ years) – CLESOL Conference –  held in conjunction with CLANZ – Community Languages Association of New Zealand.
  • An annual journal: TESOLANZ Journal

University English Language Centres Australia (UECA)

UECA is a network of Australian universities offering a variety of English Language Courses for Overseas Students (ELICOS), TESOL teacher training and professional development programs.

Professional Development

  • UECA run annual PD Fests in Sydney and other cities.

Applied Linguistics Association of Australia (ALAA)

ALAA is the national organisation for applied linguistics in Australia. ALAA aims to provide leadership in applied linguistics and supports the development of teaching, learning and research in the field. ALAA includes national and international members and is affiliated with the Association Internationale de Linguistique Appliquée (AILA).

Professional Development

Applied Linguistics Association of New Zealand (ALANZ)

ALANZ is the national organisation for applied linguistics in New Zealand

Professional Development

Australian Linguistic Society (ALS)

The ALS is the national organization for linguists and linguistics in Australia. Its primary goal is to further interest in and support for linguistics research and teaching in Australia.

Professional Development

[NOTE re ALS and ALAA:
“If you’re looking at TESOL and related topics, then definitely ALAA. I’m a member of both, but I always find that ALS is more focussed on fine grained analysis of various languages (particularly under-documented ones) where ALAA is all about the applications and is very useful. You’ve mentioned language learning, motivation and teaching methodologies – all of which had multiple presentations at ALAA this year.”
– Thanks to #AusELT community member Lauren Sadow for this useful overview (Dec 2016)]

Association for Academic Language and Learning (AALL)

AALL aims to provide a forum for professional development, networking, and information for academic language and learning educators working in higher and further education institutions. AALL members play a valuable role in their institutions by providing teaching both inside and outside curricula to assist students in developing appropriate academic skills; by collaborating with other academic staff in the development of curricula so that they provide better learning opportunities for students’ development of academic skills; and by contributing to the development of policy in relation to academic language and learning.

Professional Development

Association of Language Testing and Assessment of Australia and New Zealand (ALTAANZ)

The purpose of ALTAANZ is to promote best practice in language assessment in educational and professional settings in these two countries and to foster collaboration between academia, schools and other agencies responsible for language testing or assessment.

Professional Development