Many people ask themselves this question before signing up to a TEFL course. What is it like? What will I be doing? Is it easy? Is it difficult? Am I qualified? Do I need to know grammar? It is a significant but worthy investment so it is worth taking the time to get informed and have some insight into exactly what you will be doing over the six week course.
First of all TEFL courses are hard work! You are of course here to enjoy yourself but you will only get out what you put in. You will spend 3 hours a day in the classroom doing a mixture of tutorials, workshops, lesson preparation and teaching. It’s not a case of sitting still and listening to the tutor for 3 hours; you will be actively encouraged to participate and get involved in the class. Part of being a good English teacher is being able to stand in front of a class, interact with people and conduct a lesson. There’s no space for shying away or blending into the back of the classroom!
No previous grammar knowledge is required as you will spend considerable time on the course learning it then practising teaching it. Some people feel daunted by grammar and see it as a dry, boring subject – I disagree! I always remind people that they are studying English; not Japanese, not French, not Greek; it’s English. You already know how to speak it perfectly so you just need to learn to deconstruct it.
You will be in a group of no more than eight people and will be spending a month working and learning with them. You’ll have more than one tutor who will guide you through the different modules of the course, namely Language Awareness, Teaching Techniques and Teaching Practice – see our syllabus for more details. All the tutors are qualified, have been through the same process as you are about to go through and have ample experience to share with you. They are also very friendly and welcoming!
The biggest challenge and difficulty most new / trainee teachers face is the initial amount of preparation required for one class. Considerable time will be spent mastering what you are going to teach and preparing the classroom material and activities. You’ll be glad you put in the effort; there is nothing worse than an ill-prepared class!
Our TEFL courses are hard work but very satisfying. You come here to learn a new skill in a fun, interactive environment. Many people even make lasting friendships from TEFL courses and useful connections for later on in life. That’s the beauty of studying TEFL – who knows where it will take you?
Check out our TEFL courses in Cultural Center for Languages
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