I suppose that there are many reasons for undertaking a TESOL course. Each individual has his or her specific motivation as to why they want to complete one. With the high demand in most countries to learn English it seems only natural that any native English speaker, with available time living in a non-English speaking country, would attempt such a course, with the view of teaching in a language institute, school or university. A TESOL course creates an open door for the English teacher to apply their skills in any country or the country of their personal choice.

A main reason for studying a TESOL course is obviously to teach the English language in a foreign country. TESOL is universally recognized as the standard for teaching English and with this in mind, any person considering the possibility of working abroad as an English teacher, must contemplate completing such a course. Once completed, there seems to be a myriad of opportunities of available jobs, especially for the native English speaker.

In my own personal case I was approached to teach English and my first year I did so without having completed a TESOL course. My main concern in that year was not having a thorough enough understanding of English, as speaking and teaching English are not the same thing. Studying the TESOL course has given me the confidence to know that I am teaching correctly. But I would have to say that along with the confidence that this course has given me, it has taught me to be a better teacher and to think more creatively. My first experience without TESOL was so positive that I look forward to this coming school year to continue teaching, but this time with the knowledge gained from TESOL, my ability to teach, should be that much more enhanced.

With English it is important to have a standard that is taught through out the world and the TESOL course meets this particular criteria. You could imagine what the standards of English levels would be like around the world if TESOL did not exist! TESOL as a worldwide standard helps teaching institutions around the globe, when they receive students into their colleges, gauge the level of their English proficiency. Although I am sure that most of these institutions have their own proficiency tests that they give to the students as a perquisite for studying there.

The TESOL course is extremely well constructed. It offers easy to understand grammatical structure and explains the tenses in a logical and simple to follow method. It gives the teacher the tools to effectively manage lessons and to be a more thorough teacher. The TESOL course focuses the teacher on drawing out the best from his students and advising the teacher on various pitfalls and difficulties that he may encounter along the way.

So, to summarize, the TESOL course benefits the teacher and the students. It benefits the teacher as it enables him to be more confident and proficient in his ability to teach. These benefits of the teacher’s TESOL training are then passed on to the students, as the quality of the teacher’s experience from TESOL should facilitate him to teach the students more effectively. The end result should therefore be that the English level of the students should increase. Is not this the desired aim of the TESOL course?

David Hucker