CELTA

CELTA (Certificate in English Language Teaching to Adults) is the name of the initial teaching qualification. TEFL (Teaching English as a Foreign Language) is the name of the profession, although the terminology is changing, and many professionals now speak of ELT (English Language Teaching).

There are many TEFL (ELT) courses offered in the UK, but the CELTA along with the Trinity Cert-TESOL (Certificate in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages) are the gold standard.

Before you are invited for interview, you will be asked to complete a written task. This will include a focus on language awareness as well as consideration of other issues related to teaching English. If this written task shows that you have the appropriate level of English and the potential to develop the skills needed to pass the course, you will be invited to interview.

At interview, you will be asked to show how you think about language and learning/teaching English so that the interviewer can confirm that you have the potential to develop the skills needed to teach English, and meet the criteria to pass the CELTA course.

Assignments and lesson plans can be hand-written, but if you feel more comfortable, you can submit these in electronic form. It is essential that you have access to a laptop or home computer as you will be sent electronic material and coursework to access before and during the course.

There are many benefits to having a CELTA certificate:

• a globally recognised TEFL qualification
• enables you to teach anywhere in the world
• a job that is always in demand
• meet loads of new people with diverse cultures
• become a better listener, communicator and planner
• help people to learn a new language
• earn serious self-respect and confidence.

For many CELTA students just starting out, the certificate is primarily a way to break into the TEFL industry. That reason is perfectly valid, but there are also loads of life-enriching skills and experiences that come with being a CELTA qualified English language teacher.

No. It is recommended that you have educational qualifications that would allow entry to Higher Education, but your previous work experience will also be taken into consideration. However, if you are planning to teach abroad, please be aware that in some countries a degree is required in order to secure a work permit (e.g. Japan).

Most definitely yes! The CELTA course is designed in such a way that if you miss a day, you will miss important information and methodology to help with your teaching / lesson planning. There is very little available time to make-up for lost hours.

Assessment on the course is continuous and integrated, taking into account teaching skills, written assignments and professionalism, with each assessed component contributing to the overall grade. You will be given feedback by the tutors on your teaching and have tutorials during the course, at which you will discuss your progress.

Yes. Many experienced teachers study CELTA courses. If you have a CELTA qualification, you can work in accredited language schools across the world.

A large part of the course requires learning from each other’s experience and techniques, so you may find your experience is useful to others on the course. You will certainly add new techniques to your repertoire and build on your existing skills.