Taking the Cert TESOL at the Shane School, Tokyo

After having taught ESL for over 20 years, I was starting to feel that my methods were becoming stale, so I decided to take a refresher course in the hope of making a new start. Two of my friends had already taken the Cert TESOL course run by Shane, and both recommended it to me. They warned me that it was hard work, but I knew of the course's good reputation, so I decided to apply.

When I attended the interview, the course director, Sophia, told me that there were full-time and part-time options available and that both were very challenging. However, she reassured me by saying that she would give whatever support was needed to make sure I and the other trainees passed. This reassurance, plus the outline of the course contents convinced me that the Cert TESOL was the right qualification for me to take, so I signed up for the part-time course.

Regarding the course itself, the first thing I would say is that it does indeed involve a great deal of work and dedication. If you are looking for an easy-option teaching course requiring minimal effort, this is not the course for you; the pace of the classes is intense and the amount of homework is considerable. If, however, you are serious about teaching and are willing to throw yourself 100% into the course, then you will come away with a top-class teaching qualification and the confidence to use it.

The course was held in Kasai, and I looked forward to going out there every Sunday. My fellow trainees were a great bunch of people, and I appreciated the rapport I built with them; we supported each other throughout the course and are still in touch even now. The in-school activities were comprehensive and comprised a mixture of theoretical and practical classes. In the former, we covered a wide range of ESL essentials - classes on grammar, phonology, classroom management, methodology and types of student. We were also given projects which enabled us to empathize with learners (The Unknown Language Project), assess and develop courses for students (The Learner Profile Project), and learn how to make and use teaching materials (The Materials Assignment).

Perhaps the biggest advantage of this course compared to the many other ESL courses offered is the amount of time spent on actual teaching practice. Each trainee was able to observe the classes of qualified teachers and also had ample opportunity to teach large group classes themselves every other week. The tutors were intensively involved with both class planning and feedback with the aim of giving the trainees the best chance to learn and develop. I am happy to report that not only did I pass the course, but I did so with a good set of marks, and with hindsight I am sure that was because the tutors pushed us so hard to achieve.

All in all, I would recommend this Cert TESOL course to anyone who is serious about a career in ESL and wants to get a top-level teaching qualification. It was probably the toughest course I have ever taken, but it opens doors in the teaching profession that would otherwise remain firmly closed.