TESL is a field in the process of professionalization. As TESL organizations in Canada struggle to gain professional stature for the field, market demands for ESL teachers in Canada and around the world increase exponentially. This creates a dilemma; whereas professionalization require making the field more difficult to access without specialized education and induction, this makes it difficult for individuals and programs to respond to short-term market demand fluctuations. Yet, at the same time, as the field becomes more exclusive, it becomes more attractive to high-quality candidates looking for more stable, secure, highly paid and respected employment. This article offers an overview of some current challenges to this process of professionalization, as viewed through the lens of three key interrelated areas of professional activities: TESL professional associations; TESL professionals; and TESL education. Using these three categories as an organizational framework, the authors offer both research and reasoned reflection to contribute to the wider discussions of the ESL teaching community in Canada on how to improve the stature and quality of this rapidly expanding and changing field of educational activity. (Contains 3 endnotes.)