Our March 2023 TEFL course just graduated, and before they departed for the last time, we asked them what advice they would give to the new course attendees.
Here’s some of what they said:
- Believe you can do it – the students want to be taught by you.
- Get into it. Immerse yourself in the class and soak it all in.
- Trust yourself but also stay open to growing and learning.
- Heed the knowledge that has been shared with you by the trainers, it will serve you well.
- Don’t forget that your students are just as, if not more, nervous than you are.
- Don’t be afraid to be silly. Students of every age enjoy agood laugh!
- Be prepared for a lot of fun!
- Learn to have fun in the classroom. Teaching is super fun if you just allow yourself to relax and value your time with the students. Appreciate they are there, get to know them, and makethe most of every moment. This is perhaps the most important aspect of it all.
- Not procrastinating is crucial, it’s easy to fall behind on assignments.
- Do the work and be as prepared as you can, while still keeping an open mind about last minute changes.
- Preparation helps you develop a particular teaching muscle that is so essential.
- So much of the nerves of being a new teacher will dissipate when you turn your focus on your students, instead of you.
- Do some breathing exercises to calm your nerves.
- Lesson plans are a pain to write, but really do help you to cement the information in your head (don’t take them for granted)
- Always try brainstorming ideas/activities for your lessons – don’t wait until you are in school to think about it, you can think about it on the metro, for example.
- Do not be afraid of silence – give time for your students to think and also for you to think.
- The course is ‘just’ for four weeks and you will get a lot of support and meet great people and at the end you will feel a sense of accomplishment.
- Be open to teaching in a way that feels unfamiliar. In the end, it is effective.
- Take time to rest. Once the week starts, it can get overwhelming quickly. Rest.
- When you think your brain is at its limit, it means you’re in the home stretch. Finish Strong.
- Make sure to be prepared for a lesson (learning materials, photos etc).
- Always come in at least 15 minutes before to make sure the technology (laptop) works the way it should.
- Have a digital watch/ use the stopwatch on your phone to monitor your time during a lesson.
- Stay organized!
- Don’t assumeyou can get by, by just doing the bare minimum and not applying yourself.
- Both your time and your resources will be stretched beyond what you think you are capable of handling, but if you keep your ducks in a row and stay focused, this can be one of the best months of your life.
- Do not be afraid ofasking questions, feedback, and supervised help from those who are teaching.
In just 4 weeks you can be teaching English abroad. TEFL Worldwide was awarded as the Top TEFL Certification Course of 2018 and 2019! Courses offered monthly.
