On deciding that I was going to do a TESOL course, I informed my family and friends and mostly the response I received was why do you want to do that? Well firstly this was a unique opportunity for me to learn new skills and would also give me the chance to combine my love of traveling and take it to a new level as not only does it enable you to work in other countries you will actually discover a world unknown to the average tourist. You are given the opportunity to immerse yourself into the culture of the country of your choice and give you time to get to know the land and to work and live in the community. As for myself there was only one company I would be happy to do this with, which is TESOL as anytime spent on the internet searching for English as a foreign language will throw up numerous different TESOL courses upon checking these there can be no argument that (1) TESOL is the number one internationally recognized qualification and is seen as such by thousands of schools world wide not only that the fact that you also have access to over 8000 overseas jobs and contacts.

So having done my research via the internet I then spoke with two people whom had already completed the course and they couldn’t praise the course enough one former student (2) Dale Laffoley of England had never attempted anything thing like this and couldn’t believe he hadn’t tried earlier and now a year on in he has just completed his first year and has already secured his next position in Japan which he starts in August. The second person I spoke to (2)Jim Peters also from England had left university and initially taken the course as a year out after finishing his studies and 6 years later he is finally preparing to head home having taught in some pretty enviable locations. He was initially a little concerned with his prospects of landing a good job when he returned home as he thought the English job market would see his 6 years teaching abroad as nothing more than a very long extended holiday! But he was surprised with the response of employers as they see this as a good thing, so rather than it being frowned upon it has helped him in landing his new job in the U.K.

(3)Helen Collier went to Poland for a year where she taught young learners, she is now an English teacher in a secondary school “My TESOL experience when I applied for the PGCE made me more confident when I went into the training process. A lot of people on my course had done TEFL and felt it was a really useful stepping stone. Once in the job no matter what subject you teach, you are likely to draw upon experiences you have encountered in TESOL...

(4)For many, the decision to do TESOL was not motivated by a desire to share English with students from around the world; it was more like a convenient passport to excitement in foreign climes. There’s no reason why this free spirit should be tamed once back in the U.K, indeed many teflers continue along unconventional career paths. So TESOL will still be a benefit to you once you return home or no longer wish to teach.

Having taken the TESOL course myself, I know whatever happens the skills I have learnt and the experiences I have had will benefit me both in out of work they have also helped to improve me as a person this has been one of the best choices I have made and cannot wait to begin my teaching career I hope more people will take this unique opportunity and go for it and take the TESOL course!