Advanced TEFL Course

Why Complete a TEFL courseWhy should one complete a tefl course? Well, that is a question I asked myself, off and on, for the last few years. I have been teaching in south korea since 2007, and with my Master?s Degree, my pay was better than most esl teachers. I really didn?t see the need for it. Also, as a former distribution center manager and trainer, I had no problems organizing myself, speaking to others in large groups, and lecturing/presenting information to others. The only difference was, instead of teaching someone how to produce a product, I was now teaching English. In the last year or so, I noticed a change in many of the online ESL job postings. Many teaching positions, especially the higher paying ones, were now either requiring tefl certification, or were paying more for those teachers that possessed it. So, I decided that I should acquire one, why not, it wouldn?t hurt and besides, there?s nothing wrong with making more money from that piece of paper! So, I decided then to sharpen my skills and make myself more marketable-- taking the tefl course was something that needed to be done. After I signed up and began doing the lessons, I realized there was a lot more to it than just the formalities of getting the certificate. Instead, I found that completing a tefl course was much, much more. For example, even though I have lots of experience in both teaching and training, there were many things from my tefl course that could help me as a teacher, such as; new interesting teaching techniques, conducting various activities to help reinforce lessons, addressing discipline problems, and providing lessons in grammar that I had long forgotten. That was very helpful. As a native english speaker, I know proper grammar and I knew what was right and what wasn?t when I heard or read something. However, it?s a different thing completely to have to explain it to someone, especially in a foreign country where many people look upon you as ?the expert.? That was the biggest plus, I think. Taking a tefl course helped me to be able to get a better understanding of the common problems students studying English have in their learning and understanding of the language and presents different ways to explain it in a simple, easy to understand fashion. So, there are many valid reasons to take a tefl course. Besides making you a better English teacher, there is the opportunity to receive higher pay than without, for example, according to one school in Xian, china, the difference in having a certificate can be almost $3,000 per year and the better schools around the world are requiring it more and more. Having a TEFL also provides a little job security as it gives a teacher who is certified an advantage in a tough job market over a teaching candidate that doesn?t have one. The certificate also can be used to teach English in your home country as well and in today?s tough job market, can be used in your CV/resume for future employers to see that you have tried to improve your skills, whether it?s in teaching field or not. Lastly, many institutes that offer tefl course also provide help in a student?s job search. So, why take a tefl course? Well, the answer is simply, it will be a plus for anyone who decides to pursue it with many benefits. Job security, more money, and most importantly, if you are really serious about being a very good esl teacher, this will help you to be one. Whether you are new to the ESL field, or if you are an experienced teacher, you will gain something valuable that you can use in your ESL career.