Jo, I agree. However, I think my students CAN overcome problems such as lack of motivation on their own. Have you ever heard of the mormons? They're a religious cult in Utah, USA. They more or less dominate that state, and they're spreading all over the country. They're spreading all over the world, in fact. They're always sending missionaries to anywhere and everywhere (where there's money, that is). There's a problem with their efforts, however. Yeah, you guessed it. The problem is language.

The mormons have a special language study lab at their missionary training center to remedy this. When a mormon missionary is 'called' to go on a mission, he doesn't know where he'll be going. He may go someplace in the US that's close by or far away. He may go to another country, a country where he is unfamiliar with the culture and doesn't speak a word of its language. Using only motivation and effort, mormons go from not being able to speak a word of their target countries' languages to being able to speak them fairly well. They're not fluent, mind you, but they can get around just fine in those countries when they get there.

If the mormons can do it, so can TEFL students. ANY students. Asian, European, et. al.

With motivation and practice, anyone trying to learn English as his/her L2 can become fluent. He or she must practice, however. I KNOW what learners can do when they make up their minds to do it.
Convincing TEFL students that motivation and practice is the key to learning is 'where it's at' in this field. Super-teachers using fun and games in the classroom to charm their students, super-recruiters weeding out supposed 'losers' to protect classrooms from incompetents, and TEFL TESOL programs turning out 'superior' grads are all futile efforts if TEFL students aren't motivated enough to practice outside of class.

I'm NOT mormon. I don't like the mormons. I DO admire their efforts in learning L2s at the training center, however.