I spent February 12th and 13th on the 20hour intensive course in Edinburgh to get my TEFL qualification. And you know what?? It was actually such a laugh. When you sign up and see it's 9am-8pm it doesn't make you think this will be comical, its negative remarks about 'long days' that immediately jump to mind. I couldn't have been more wrong. 11Hours is long don’t get me wrong, I mean it is much longer than any University shift or work but the old cliché 'time flies when you're having fun' definitely applies.

It could be due to the great group that weekend. We had a mix of personalities and a few characters but there were no arguments, just laughs. I know someone else who has done the weekend and they say they had a blast too. I'm going to assume that is due to the teaching style of the course. The tasks can be intimidating and with a range of confidence levels in each participant, it can have a range of outcomes. This said the class is encouraging and understanding of this and anyone who is considering not applying due to social skills(?) should reconsider applying. If anything, the course will make you more confident.

Obviously it's not all fun and games, there is hard work. This said, if you get on with people and can work in a team as well as individually you will be fine.

I didn't sign up because I want to volunteer abroad right now, I was planning to wait a while but it has actually encouraged me to get a move on and do it! I hope everyone else enjoys it as much as I did. It's a great way to spend your weekend, its educational, fun and at the end of the day - TEFL is a great qualification to have.

• tefl
• fun
• learning
• education
• Edinburgh