Teach English in Tiesuoguan Zhen - Hanzhong Shi

The 20th century brought in its wake the concept of globalization, changing the dynamics of the world to what we have come to know it as today. As the world continues to become a grand global village, many countries, people and things which once seemed so far out of reach are now more readily available and closer to home. Undoubtedly, with the advent of globalization, communication has become paramount to the ways in which we share knowledge and gather or receive information. Why? Because without this, humans will have a much more challenging time building relationships with others be it for economic, social or spiritual gains (just to name a few). As a result of this, languages have come to play an ever important role in our interactions with others. While Chinese and Manadarin have the most speakers worldwide with about 1.2 billion and one billion native speakers respectively, Spanish holds second place with about 400 million speakers. Despite these grand figures, over the years English has managed to attain and maintain the position of “lingua franca” for while there are over 360 million native speakers worldwide, it has become the language of international relations, trade and travel with over 430 million speaking it as a second language. The English language has become the second language for many people from different countries across the world as it helps make areas of travel, business and even diplomacy much easier and more relatable for all those involved. Globalization as brought to the fore a great desire for not only improvements to be made in areas of global trade, economy and commerce, but has also managed to create a more urgent need for people to possess desires to travel and learn about other cultures and languages, have better opportunities to study abroad in fields of interest, and make money! These are just a few of the reasons I have found particularly compelling when I first made the decision to study a TEFL course and this goes for both native and non-native speakers alike. Nowadays, the crave for travel has become more apparent with more and more people growing intrigued by what the world has to offer. Traveling not only exposes one to different cultures and languges but it has been said to rewire the brain by offering different perspectives and thought patterns in ways that cannot be garnered by staying solely in one’s home country. Studying a TEFL course makes the experience easier as almost every country has some (working) knowledge of the English language. Thus, while traveling and learning about new cultures, English can help as a segue for learning another language. For instance, I have learnt a lot of Japanese from living in Japan through my use of the English language. A prime example is when I make frequent trips to the market. I may not know the Japanese names for the foods or fruits I want, but when I point and say it in English (in this case “mushrooms”), the kind woman I buy produce from repeats the English and then says “Japanese for mushrooms is kinoko”. In that moment, I have managed to teach her the English word for ‘mushrooms’ and in turn, I’ve learnt the Japanese word. Talk about cultural and language exchange! I have also come to learn that many young people , especially in Asia, seem to be interested in studying in the fields of science and art and have a strong desire to do so abroad. Studying a TEFL course would go a very long way in this undertaking as it would provide a good grasp of learning the English language for which most course studies are undertaken, thus resulting in non-native speakers having a better understanding of their studies. It will also increase the chances of being exposed to some of the best learning experiences and job opportunities after the courses are complete. With the internet becoming a vast storehouses of information and commerce, 9-5 jobs are becoming somewhat obsolete. Networking marketing and other opportunities are quickly evolving and becoming more attractive to young people who believe that there is more to gain by seeing the world than sitting behind a desk. As such, studying a TEFL course helps make one more marketable especially in countries like Japan, China and Korea where it is becoming imperative that children and adults learn the English language. As a native speaker while it may seem a “waste since (I’ve) been studying English for all (my) life”, I have found that the knowledge to be gained from this course of stud goes much deeper than what I thought I knew. Since studying TEFL, I have come to gain a greater understanding of some of the important nuances of the language native speakers take for granted, as well as varying perspectives on the diffficulties non-native speakers face while learning. And there’s the added fact that never before had I thought I’d be living in Japan, teaching others the language, all this while traveling around the country and getting paid! Now I can go virtually anywhere in the works and teach English as a foreign language because not only am I a native speaker, but I am qualified to do so. The benefits to be derived from studying a TEFL course are far reaching and from my experience, highly encouraged. Studying a TEFL course makes one equipped with what I like to consider a double edged sword. You can learn about the English language and be better qualified to teach the language. It can help change not only your life, but the lives of those with whom you may come in contact. As William Shakespeare penned in the ‘Merry Wives of Windsor’ (and said by the character Pistol), “The world’s mine oyster/Which I with sword will open”.