There are many reasons people give for completing a Teaching English as a Foreign Language (TESOL) course. These reasons depend on the person and situation and can therefore be very different from each other. People’s reasons can also change during the course as your students, peers and experiences can all have an influence on you.

For some the reason may be to enable them to live and work abroad. A TESOL qualification can be a great way to fund your travels as it allows you to teach almost anywhere in the world, although some countries desire a degree as well. It can be used to enhance your CV and increase your career opportunities. For others it is to make a positive impact on the lives of people around the world as for some students, fluency in English is the key to a better and more successful life. The qualification can also be a way to experience a foreign culture or even just a way of enjoying yourself. It gives you the opportunity to get to know the country, to work with the community and live with the people.

My reasons include a mixture of these which may be the case for several people. I want to travel but at the same I want to come home with some valuable skills and also develop the skills I already possess to help me personally and professionally. I’m not necessarily thinking of a career in teaching but I still feel that the TESOL course will be a great push in the right direction. Teaching in front of a class of foreign students has given me more confidence in myself.

You can choose between completing the course in your native country or in the country you wish to eventually work or travel in. There are advantages and disadvantages to both. For example, learning TESOL in a different country gives you the opportunity to gain a gentle but direct experience of the cultural differences and it also makes it easier for you to secure a job. However, it does tend to cost more when taking the course in a different country and for some people it can be very daunting.

There are also many different course options you can choose from; online, intensive 4 week program, part-time and weekend courses. However, I would think very carefully about choosing a course as I cannot imagine how one can learn the skills, knowledge and methods and use these effectively in the classroom by studying an online or even a weekend course. How would you practice teaching on an online course? I am close to completing a 4 week course and I feel that without having several observed teaching practices I would not be as competent as I am now in teaching a class.

The 4 week course gives you the skills and confidence you need to successfully teach English as a foreign language. It teaches you the knowledge and techniques needed to deliver effective lessons. The course provides you with teaching skills such as: lesson planning, classroom management, Engage, Study and Activate (ESA, Harmer, 1998) methodology, presentation skills, phonology and grammar. It also introduces techniques for teaching productive and receptive skills. You don’t need any previous experience to enroll on the course just determination and hard work will get you through.

Bibliography

http://www.i-to-i.com/tefl/about-courses/about-tefl-course.html

http://education.guardian.co.uk/tefl/courses/story/0,,1882234,00.html

http://www.auburn.edu/~nunnath/engl6240/lessonpl.html