Find out why Rachael should learn not to judge a book by it’s cover and fall into the procrastination trap.
As excited as I was to start my TEFL certificate journey I still found excuses not to get started. I think we have all been there right? Especially when it comes to something we perceive that could be difficult or time consuming. I have been sick which delayed my start date and then I put it off for a couple of days as I thought I just couldn’t handle using up brain power with my still flu addled brain.
Well what a mistake that was, and I feel a bit silly now.
I finally sat down the other evening after dinner when I knew I would have plenty of time to go through the arduous process of logging in for the first time and then reading all the instructions and then finally getting started.
Well that so called long boring process took all of two minutes if that and I was already on my way to completing my TEFL certificate. Oops! One should not procrastinate or judge a book by it’s cover. One day I will learn!
After logging in I was presented with a short welcome video and instructions about how to complete the course. I then received an email notification which happened to be a welcome email from my tutor Nadine, who is available to answer any questions I have while I complete my TEFL certificate.
The TEFL certificate is self directed which means if you are making plans to be able to quit your job and work online from wherever in the world you call home, you can do it at any time of the day or night. It is also accredited and accepted by employers, recruiters and schools all over the world, so you can be assured that it’s worth your money and your time.
I honestly thought that I would be overwhelmed and after not studying for a while I would struggle to get back into learning mode. However I have been pleasantly surprised at how easily I am able to get back into study mode each time I open my laptop to do some more coursework.
I think it’s because this TEFL certificate course is really well laid out and doesn’t have dozens of topics with titles that seem daunting every time you look at it. I remember being at university and each semester was 12 weeks long, I did 4 subjects each semester and each subject had 1 topic a week. Then I had all the assessments plus exams on top of that… you just wonder how you will learn anything and whether you will actually make it through the semester.
But the eTEFL course is really something different, even compared to other short certificate courses I have completed. The course is broken up into 12 lessons that include a PDF to read through which is accompanied by a video.
At the end of each lesson you complete a short assessment to ensure you have a good understanding of what has been covered in the lesson. I have presently completed and passed 3 of the 12 lessons and while there was some new terminology it was presented and explained in an easy to understand manner.
The first three lessons have really given me a great understanding of how I can be a good ESL teacher, manage a classroom and what I should be doing when writing a lesson plan.
I have previous qualifications in Australia in delivering training to adults and it did not cover how to manage a classroom nor how to decide what the objectives and purpose of a lesson plan is, so it was interesting to see that eTEFL see this as an important factor in ensuring their graduates are prepared for stepping into the classroom, whether it be face-to-face or online.
I wanted to try and replicate how most people would be completing this course if they are still working the 9-5 job that they want to quit. So for the first three lessons this week I have opened my laptop each night after dinner and completed a little work each evening. As I said, because of how well the course is laid out, it is very easy to get back into it each night.
I think it would be very easy for most people to be able to complete this course bit by bit with just a little time invested each evening. I will be trying a couple of other ways next week, such as completing some coursework during lunch time or even if it would be possible to do it while catching public transport to and from work.
The idea being that I can show you that even if you are busy with work and family you still can have the opportunity to get a qualification that will allow you to work online from home wherever in the world you are.
While the course is 120 hours which is industry best practice, it is very likely that you may be able to finish some lessons far more quickly than expected, which is something to consider as well. Don’t get overwhelmed by the fact it is 120 hours!
That was one of my first thoughts… that is equivalent to three 40 hour weeks which just makes it sound scary! When you are self directed online it is much easier to complete readings and tasks than sitting in a classroom surrounded by other people who talk and may ask questions about content where you already know the answers.
So far I would consider that doing the eTEFL TEFL course really is a reasonable qualification consideration for those who want to work online. I will continue to keep you updated on my progress as I complete the course, and whether it really is as easy as we suggest!
Further Reading:
Is Doing a TEFL Certificate Online Really That Easy?