Why is it Important to Complete a TEFL Course?
TEFL which means Teach English as a Foreign Language is a certificate that proves a teacher is trained and certified and is fit to teach English as a foreign language. TEFL has become a very important certificate today for every English teacher or aspiring English teacher to lay hands on due to the benefits that individuals can get for being a TEFL certified teacher. The following paragraphs will be outlining clearly why it is important to complete a TEFL course as an English teacher.
This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Walaa S. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT.
Professional training
To begin with, one very important reason to be TEFL certified is a simple fact that it is the right thing to do to be a professional. As a teacher looking to grab a job abroad, the most important factor that determines and proves to your potential employer that you are fit for the job is a TEFL certificate. This is because a TEFL certificate proves that you are not just passionate about teaching English but that you have undergone the necessary forms required for teaching English. Some teachers or aspiring teachers tend to have the belief that being a native English speaker or being fluent in English is enough to make you a professional English teacher but in effect, this is not true. To be a professional means to be well trained and deemed fit to enroll in a given position and this as well is very important for every English teacher.
Also Read: English as a Tool for Global Communication
Confidence building
Secondly, another great importance of being TEFL certified is the fact that it transforms you into a better teacher and gives you confidence as a teacher. To be a professional teacher, it is important to be confident about yourself and most especially in the classroom in front of your students.TEFL training gives you a thorough training on the art of teaching the English language and helps you get ready to face your career squarely without getting shocked or confused about what to do and how to do it when you stand face to face in front of your future students.TEFL certification trains you on handling the different needs of English students as well as the different language levels of students you might be teaching as you embark on your career to teach abroad. This helps the teacher to be confident enough when teaching as no classroom circumstance would easily come up as a surprise to a professionally trained TEFL teacher.
Also Read: How long does it take to get a TEFL job?
New opportunities
Furthermore, it is worth noting that getting a TEFL certificate opens teachers up to a wider range of job opportunities around the globe. This is possible first of all because most TEFL trainers provide a wide job pool to the teachers upon completion of a TEFL course which is another way means that TEFL certified teachers to an extent have a reasonable guarantee to get a job upon completion of their TEFL course. This is very important to the teacher as it is most common that the teacher is getting TEFL certified as a result of the desire to land a job abroad. It is also important to note that most TEFL trainers do not only assist teachers in getting a job, but also help the teacher get a job in a desired location or destination. A TEFL certificate also increases the chance of a teacher getting recruited upon submission of a CV for an English teaching job compared to non-TEFL certified teachers. All of this, therefore, means that getting a certificate is a very close step to getting an English teaching job.
Also Read: 6 Facts about Teaching English in China
Salary benefits
Also, one other important reason to complete a TEFL course is the chances of getting a better salary package. Being TEFL certified as earlier mentioned shows professionalism and of course the reward for professionals is usually more handsome than the amateur. Looking for an English teaching job abroad is often influenced by a lot of factors and the pay package generally is never left out of the list. Every teacher desiring to live abroad is conscious of the expenses that will be covered while living in a foreign country which in most cases has higher costs of living. This, therefore, means that getting a job abroad will be highly influenced by whether the pay package is worthy enough to give the teacher a comfortable stay in a foreign country. A TEFL certified teacher who is therefore usually considered as a professional often will get a good pay package compared to a non-certified teacher. This means that not only does a TEFL certificate earn a teacher much respect both from the employer and the students, it also secures for the teacher a handsome pay package and so is therefore worth going in for.
Also Read: 2 Things That Help to Effectively Manage Your Classroom
Teaching skills
Also, last but not least, going in for a TEFL training course successfully and professionally trains teachers to be good classroom managers. Being able to manage a class is something every professional teacher should be able to do despite the difficulties that could come up. Good classroom management earns the teacher respect and admiration from students and could be very difficult to realize for a teacher who hasn't undergone a TEFL training course. This is because TEFL training trains teachers especially on how to manage a classroom and build positive rapport with students. This, therefore, means that a teacher who hasn't undergone a TEFL training course is most likely to experience difficulty in keeping the class under control especially when dealing with a difficult or complex set of students. This, therefore, means that a TEFL training course is the only way out to gain classroom management skills.
Do you want to teach English abroad? Take a TEFL course!
To conclude, the above paragraphs have demonstrated the importance of undergoing a TEFL certification course for every teacher or aspiring teacher before hunting for a perfect English teaching job abroad. These, therefore, could serve as a guideline for any English teacher who may have not realized the importance of a TEFL certificate yet.
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