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Why Complete a TEFL CourseI am so glad that this question was an option for a research article as I found that I was asking myself this question, and others were asking me this question as well. I taught english for the past couple of years in both the U.S. and Mexico without being certified. The question that continually came up was is the tefl certification really necessary and as a Christian missionary wasn't my goal to share the gospel and not necessarily teach english? So, now that I have been on both ends of the spectrum, I feel like I can fully answer this question with all honesty. Something that has truly amazed me over the past couple of years is how many people are truly and sincerely interested in learning english. When I moved to Mexico, I was looking for a way to get involved with the locals, to get intertwined in their lives and culture. Teaching english was a natural bridge for this interaction to happen. I started offering english classes a couple of times a week, and was truly surprised at how many people came. Both young and old, with all language levels, they just wanted to learn and improve their english. I found that this was an excellent way to build relationships and build rapport. Now, couldn't I teach english and build relationships without taking a TEFL course? The answer is "Yes," I did it for a couple of years. But was I doing a disservice to the students and myself by not getting TEFL training, I believe the answer to this question is also, "Yes." There are several reasons as to why I think that training is important which I will relay below. One of the main reasons that I think TEFL training is important is simply for the confidence level of the teacher. I would feel so insecure in my teaching skills and what I was teaching the students as I was not sure if I was doing it correctly. I had been through some ESL training and outreach training, but had no experience teaching foreign learners. In taking the TEFL training, I was so pleased as the training taught TEFL methodology, grammar, lesson planning, gave valuable teaching ideas for all stages of the lesson planning, and gave endless resources for all facets of teaching. No wonder I felt so insecure in teaching, I had not been taught the very valuable skills and insights which I needed in order to be an effective teacher. The TEFL methodology is a huge reason why I think that this training is so important. When teaching, I was teaching the way that I had oftentimes been taught, by writing on the board and teaching with very little engagement or activation by the students. TEFL training not only shows you the ESA methodology, but it also shows you why it works. In order for the students to learn a language effectively, they must use the language. Through lesson planning which is taught in the TEFL course, you are able to plan lessons correctly and enable the students to learn by engaging and activating the student into the language. I hate to admit this, but one of the places I struggled the most when teaching was with the different facets of grammar. Because I was afraid of grammar, oftentimes I would avoid teaching grammar. This, of course, was doing a huge disservice to the students. Through the TEFL class I have learned how important it is to teach the complete picture, not just what I like or what I am comfortable with. Just because I do not like it, does not mean that it will be taken out of the english language and is not necessary to teach. But, because of the TEFL grammar modules I feel much better equipped to teach grammar. Last, but not least, the TEFL training has given me skills which will allow me to live and work in a foreign country. The TEFL certificate is internationally recognized, and would enable me to find a job, and teach students how to learn the english language effectively. I can use the TEFL training and certificate whether teaching in the U.S. or abroad. After working through the TEFL course, I think it is absolutely essential for a teacher to have TEFL training when teaching language in a foreign country. The skills learned, the tools and resources which are given, and the numerous teaching ideas make TEFL certification essential in my book. References: www.teflonline.com - TEFL articles