What Is LATIE?

LATIE, the Licensing Authority for Teaching of International English was founded in 1999, as a global accreditation body serving member teachers, member schools and their students worldwide. The initial LATIE mandate was to assess member school programs, both TESOL and ESL as well as the teaching credentials and experience of English teachers graduating from and applying to these schools. In 2002 LATIE was expanded to assist and accredit member English schools worldwide in evaluating its ESL students on an international level of achievement and award the students with the LATIE CERTIFICATE of ACHIEVEMENT IN ENGLISH. In 2003 LATIES´mandate was again expanded to provide a source of information on the ethical business operations of schools worldwide, allowing teachers and clients to obtain and provide information on the operating practices of member schools worldwide. The LATIE of 2004  is now open for membership and participation to all individual teachers, English schools, and institutions in the English profession worldwide.

LATIE through its various programs aims to promote a higher standard of ethical and academic practices in English schools and institutes worldwide.

MISSION

The LATIE mission in 2004 is to establish high academic and operating standards for the English educational profession worldwide, assess the academic standards of member and non-member institutions, uphold high academic and operating standards and promote effective teaching and operating practices in English schools around the world.

OBJECTIVES

• To establish and communicate to international institutions in the English profession the importance of maintaining high academic and operating standards
• To evaluate academic credentials of  international institutions in the English profession, and communicate this by providing licensing to institutions that meet high international standards
• To establish and communicate to present and prospective teachers of English TO SPEAKERS OF OTHER LANGUAGES the importance of obtaining and maintaining high academic and teaching standards
• To evaluate credentials of present and future Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages and communicate their high standard of qualifications by issuing international English teaching licenses
• To provide confirmation to  employers of the credentials of licensed English teachers
• To invite international schools and other employers to provide clear descriptions of their academic and experience requirements and teaching expectations and to provide them a forum to advertise their requirements
• To promote and help to facilitate learning environments that are safe and effective in schools worldwide
• To provide an international achievement scale for learners of English as a Second language, through certification of the school program as well as certification of the level of achievement of the student.
• To provide a better business forum for teachers and students to obtain information on schools and institutions and to file complaints against such schools
• To provide schools and institutions a better business forum to file legitimate and substantiated complaints against teachers
• To provide mediation to resolve complaints between teachers, students, schools, and organizations

FOUNDING PHILOSOPHY

The Licensing Authority for Teaching International English was founded in response to the following concerns:

• With the rapid growth in new ESL schools springing up worldwide and the lack of response by national and international bodies to establish standards, student can not determine the quality of ESL programs prior to entry into them.
• With the tremendous demand for English teachers worldwide and the proliferation of TESL training institutes, the schools and their students cannot determine the quality of the teacher in the classroom.
• With the growing concern in North America about sexual improprieties of teachers , international schools have no way of determining the previous criminal activities of new teacher applicants.
• That, because of a proliferation in teacher training programs, the term "TESOL certified" has lost meaning and no longer represents any level of standardized training.
• That, because global demand for teachers is so great and the long distance hiring process so difficult, schools worldwide are often forced to settle for teachers who are under qualified and, in the particular case of teaching children, unsuitable and even dangerous.
• that the academic and operating standards of schools and institutions vary greatly with no organized way in which teachers and students can predetermine these standards.

LATIE LICENSES AND RECOGNITION

In order to communicate the high standards of LATIE members, LATIE issues all approved teachers, schools. training institutes, and organizations a LATIE license or certificate of recognition.

ACADEMIC TEACHER LICENSES

LATIE grants licenses to graduates of TESOL, TEFL, TESL and CELTA programs that meet the requirements for teacher training and guidelines for the promotion of safe and effective learning environments.
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CERTIFICATES OF RECOGNITION

LATIE grants Certificates of Recognition to international schools and institutions of English for both their Teacher Training programs as well as their ESL programs. Such a Certificate confirms that the school provides an excellent teaching and learning environment for both the student and the teacher. Both the TESL and the ESL programs are required to meet a high standard of international professionalism.

CERTIFICATES OF ACHIEVEMENT

LATIE assists and grants the authority to LATIE certified schools to award international certificates of achievements to all ESL students and TESOL graduates of the school based on attaining prescribed levels of achievement.

BETTER BUSINESS CERTIFICATE OF GOOD STANDING

LATIE awards the Better Business Certificate of Good Standing to schools and institutes who operate at a high ethical standard without any unanswered substantiated complaints from teachers or students.