Completing an accredited TESOL course has many advantages, with the potential for personal growth and gratification, travel opportunities, and exposure to different cultures being among them. I decided to take this course because I wanted to do something different, other than the usual nine-to-six desk job. I believe teaching English to young learners or adults is more stimulating and rewarding mentally because you personally have a hand in transferring knowledge to other people, and doing so forces you to stretch your imagination and creativity beyond the boundaries you previously set for yourself.

After consulting with some friends and looking at websites, I decided to take an online TESOL course because taking a comprehensive, two week hands-on course in a brick-and-mortar setting here in Hong Kong costs an arm and a leg, and wouldn’t have allowed me to take time off from work, while on the other hand, I would be able to study at my own pace with the online course.

As I was studying and moving from one lesson to the next, I was given a crash course in grammar, which felt like going back to grade school English class, having had to cover topics like the tenses, parts of speech, conditionals, and so forth. I am sure that anyone who has taken TESOL courses will agree that the different tenses could be very tricky, so every teacher-to-be must be familiar with them, if not know them and their structures by heart. I have also learned about the various techniques of teaching students with different levels of ease in English, and troubleshooting difficult learning situations. Needless to say, I developed a newfound respect for English teachers - all teachers, actually-- while studying TESOL.

In between study sessions, I also visited various EFL websites and read about what issues I would probably encounter and things I would need in the course of teaching: different kinds of problem students and situations, games and activities for students, lesson plans and worksheets. I started to teach kindergarten kids on a part-time basis recently and looked forward to it, although it made me a bit nervous. As we all know, children of this age are a handful; they have a short attention span and are very impressionable, therefore the teacher will need a lot of patience and perseverance to hold their attention and make sure they have fun and learn at the same time. I feel it’s better to start a teaching career with young learners first, gaining experience and improving oneself at the same time, and working one’s way up.

If you have dreams of working in different countries and become exposed to cultures other than your own, of bettering yourself personally through communication and teaching of the English language, and love interacting with people, I strongly recommend taking up TESOL. Guiding and helping other people to better their communication skills with what you have learned gives fulfillment, and opens many doors for career advancement, travel opportunities, and proficiency with the English language.