The role of the Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) in the certification of English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) teachers is discussed. The professional association has been considering taking on a certification role to reduce discrimination against non-native speakers trained to teach ESL, sometimes passed over in favor of untrained native English-speakers. A number of arguments against the associations' adopting a certification role are examined, including: the likelihood of TESOL's ultimately adopting a program accreditation role; financial problems faced by the association; difficulties in development and assessment of appropriate criteria for certification; controversy over the value of teacher training versus teaching experience; competition with master's degree programs; legal concerns over discrimination against teachers not certified by TESOL; the form of certification, whether at a single competency level or several; documentation of experiential learning; and a code of ethics or professionalism, a common element in other certification programs. It is recommended that all such issues be addressed when considering TESOL's role in teacher certification. (MSE)