Things I Wish I'd Known Before Beginning my TESOL Course

Things I Wish I'd Known before Starting the Course

It has always been my ambition to be a teacher and specifically to teach English as a foreign language. I have lived in London for 16 years, having moved from Portugal when I was eleven. My career up to this point has been in a totally different direction although I harboured secret ambitions to pursue my dream. 

I finally decided to take control of my future and looked for a course which could help me achieve my ambition. After much searching I came across this course on the internet which would fulfil my needs. I looked forward to starting the course and personally felt that being Portuguese, having attended an English Comprehensive school and living in the UK for so many years that I would find the course quite easy. However that was not the case it soon become apparent that the English I learnt at Comprehensive school was only a taster and that there was much more I had to learn. For example I don’t remember the English teacher at High School teaching us the different tenses and nouns and pronouns. I wished I had known this before starting the course as with some research I would have found it easier to do some of the tasks assigned. 

Personally I really enjoyed doing the course and learned so much from it. Some of the units which really stood out for me were the different tenses, lesson planning, teaching pronunciation and phonology, English grammar and the passive voice and introduction to grammar parts of speech. On reflection there were times when I needed to be more patient when doing the course. I had a tendency to rush things and this meant that some of my tasks were incomplete. Other times I didn’t understand them but once I went through them again I would see my mistakes and correct them. At times it was hard going and I felt like giving up. I would hit mental brick walls and struggle to get to grips with some points. Also at times I found it hard to find time to study and my concentration would suffer because things were happening in my personal life. However I was determined to succeed at this course and gain a qualification which would help me realise my dream of becoming a teacher. Therefore I persevered and when the going got tough I visualised achieving my goal and also reflected on how far I had come and how much I had learnt. 

I am confident that I will pass and gain my teaching qualification. However I know that gaining the qualification is only the first step of the journey. To maintain the knowledge and skills I have gained I need to put them into practice. Therefore I will be contacting local schools which teach English as a foreign language to offer my services, whether that is paid or unpaid so I can put what I’ve learnt into practice. 

What Do Students Learn In A Business English Course?

I started this research out of my own curiosity. I was curious as to what business English would include So I scoured my local libraries, and came up with just one book, titled arron’s ESL Guide to American Business English. This paper summarizes the material that students would learn in a course based on this book. In our course material, business English was described as a lot of grammar and vocabulary, but focused on the particular needs of the students. The research I did led down a different avenue, into more business protocols. So this short paper describes that aspect of content, which won’t apply to every business English situation. Between the class material and the book, I feel much less intimidated by the topic!

Business English helps the future businessperson, employee, or entrepreneur become familiar with the customs, written communication and etiquette of the business world in English-speaking countries. It gves the student a foundation in how to address a wide variety of situations which may arise, from sending invitations to an event, writing press releases, writing sales information, and general correspondence. This more advanced aspect of English assumesa solid working knowledge of the language, and covers grammar and structures which are important for the business person to master. These may include the fundamentals of grammar and sentence structure to the use of quotations and titles for addressing dignitaries.

Letters

There is a wide range of types of letters utilized in the business world. These include the following formal communications, which represent areas where the business interacts with its customers, or the public.

-Letters of inquiry

-Inquiry replies

-Orders

-Order acknowledgements

-Confirmations

-Delayed delivery letters

-Refusal letters

-Letters of congratulations

-Letters of condolence

-Letters of appreciation

-Invitations

-Formal Announcements

-Sales letters:

-Direct mail letters

-Sales promotions letters

-Public relations letters

-News releases

-Letters of complaint

-Complaint responses

-Letters related to credit

-Collection letters

Besides the above formal communications, there are several in-house forms of communication. Some are formal, and some are less formal:

-Memos, or informal reports -Pre-printed reports, such as travel reports -Formal reports, which may include several parts (title page, contents, introduction, summery, conclusion, recommendations) -Proposals - Meeting minutes

In addition to the company’s business, the job applicant needs to be familiar with the following:

-Letters of application

-Reference letter

-Letters of recommendation

-Letters of introduction

-Letters declining a job offer

-Letter of resignation

This is quite a body of information for someone new to the English-speaking business culture! However, I imagine that many cultures use at least some of the above.

In American business English, one should maintain a natural tone, and refrain from trying to sound too "businesslike", as in adding extra words which aren’t needed (herein, heretofore, etc.) This only shows the person’s inexperience. Extra words can also make a letter difficult to understand. The advice from this resource is to say things in a natural way.

Letters should be courteous, tactful, and have a positive outlook. Even if the purpose is unpleasant, it is important that the correspondence be courteous and tactful. This helps to build and sustain the goo will of the reader, and, hopefully maintain the best possible relationship with the customer or potential customer.

Business letters should be well organized. It is a good habit for students to plan ahead, and jot down the points they wish to make, along with any facts, reasons or explanations which might be useful.

Reports deliver information to others in a formal manner. They may be financial reports, progress reports, quarterly reports. Proposals formally present well-developed ideas for consideration by the appropriate group.

Finally, business English helps the student to become aware of customs to follow. These include official business hours, the concept of promptness, how to do introductions, awareness of body language, use of gratuities, taboos related to religion, politics, humor and gender relations.

Through this material, and an emphasis on grammar for the written language, business English students should find themselves well prepared for most situations they might encounter in the business world.