Hard, hard work but a worthwhile challenge

This was a challenge for me, genuinely a challenge. I’ve been a teacher overseas in one country or another for almost 15 years now and this course pushed and pulled me into ways of thinking about TEFL I’d not considered or explored before and for that it was enlightening and interesting. I feel I’ve seen beyond the borders of my limitations and learned because of it. The course was well run and very well supported by tutors who gave me all the help I needed and who were willing to push me beyond my comfort zone to get the best result and understanding I could.
The facilities were good, easy to reach and provided the space for the practical side of the course easily and the learners who came to the practical lessons were motivated and fun, old hands at the game and knew how to be sympathetic when needed yet always giving you a genuine teaching challenge for the course.
Was it stressful? Yes, there were many hard times, long nights and times I thought I’d give up but if you are determined to see the course out, willing to take a lot of challenges to things you know and believe to be the ‘best way’ and learn from that it’s a very rewarding experience. For me at 38 years old this was honestly the most challenging and difficult academic course I’ve undertaken and yet upon completion I feel a genuine sense of honest pride in passing knowing that this course was not a stroll. With the brilliant support I got through the course and the willingness to help me when things got tough I always felt the tutors had my best interest at heart. If you’re not fully certain about taking this course or are not fully aware of the commitment it will demand I’d not take it until you’re ready, it will take up a lot of time. I’d recommend being committed to doing it and being prepared to put a lot of your regular life on hold, especially during teaching practice. We called it TP Hell, which was an accurate description. However the sense of accomplishment I got upon doing it and knowing I’d genuinely learned a lot about teaching and my own attitudes towards it made it worthwhile. On the whole it was a very rewarding enterprise which has given me a broader perspective on the industry I’m not locked into, it has given me greater confidence and allows me to apply what I’ve learned to my work to the betterment of myself and benefit of my students.
A hard course but worth it if you can overcome the challenges.