For Barry Welsh, an English teacher from the United Kingdom, getting his TESOL certification at Sookmyung Women’s University was one of the best decisions he’s ever made.

“It improved my teaching immensely and I was very, very fortunate to have a trio of incredible teachers who provided a great deal of inspiration and were all just excellent examples of what an excellent teacher could be,” he said.

Taking the course led to him continuing his professional development by enrolling in the MA in TESOL program at the university, which is one of the oldest TESOL master’s programs in the country, and then to eventually working there.

He had been working at a public middle school at the time and already had an honor’s degree and in English literature and a master’s degree, but wanted to improve his development as a teacher. After attending training with the Seoul Metropolitan Office of English and obtaining an online TEFL certification, he researched more options for furthering his abilities.

And while he knew going on to do the master’s program would be a big commitment ― nine hours of classes a week on top of a full-time job ― he wanted to commit himself to developing as a teacher as much as possible.

Also, with the program, his 16-week TESOL certification program counted toward the first semester of the MA and he discovered that if he kept an A average, he qualified for an international student scholarship that would cover his tuition.

He said that although he did not regret doing the program, it was a challenging two years juggling work and school.

“It was really a commitment. You have to commit yourself to focusing on studying if you want to do well in the program, especially if you want the scholarship. So for two years, I basically spent all my time either teaching or studying,” he said.

Even with the challenges, Welsh said the program was an incredible experience overall, commending the classes as well as the faculty who taught them.

“The range of classes was fantastic and the focus on practical and theoretical knowledge was very beneficial.”

Not only does he now have the degree, he also was able to begin working at the university. He said he now teaches a variety of classes including conversation, reading, academic English and literature.

By Emma Kalka (ekalka@heraldcorp.com)