CELTA is the Certificate in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages. The CELTA course provides teachers with a range of teaching techniques that enable them to manage effectively the class dynamic as well as material preparation and delivery. The course was designed to give hands-on teaching experience practice to teachers/tutors interested in developing their teaching skills.
Key information:
Who is it for?
For English teachers without a degree in teaching who want to learn how to teach effectively
Format: online or in the authorized center
Cost: Varies depending on a country
Examination Centre: authorized center on behalf of Cambridge Assessment English.
Advantages:
The practical course focused on teaching English to speakers of other languages
Every part of the course is informative
a no-fluff course
Disadvantages:
it is very intense
you will not be able to focus on anything else during the course (e.g. work)
My Account:
I took the CELTA course at British Council in Cracow, Poland in 2014. I am originally from Warsaw, Poland, and so apart from paying a hefty amount of money for the course itself, my other expenses included renting a studio for a month, paying for food and transportation. All my expenses amounted to around $2,500. The CELTA course might be taken online or in the authorized center on behalf of Cambridge Assessment English. This will greatly impact your overall expenses.
The course is very intense and looking back I can honestly say that it was energetically more draining than my university studies. 120 hours squeezed into one month left me exhilarated but exhausted. The sheer amount of preparation I had to put in to succeed was astonishing. From the first meeting I had with my fellow course participants and our three teachers/mentors/couches I knew it would be tough.
The course is structured in a very simple way. Every participant has to teach 6 classes in a month. These classes are focused on speaking, reading, writing, listening, and grammar. You and your mentor sit together to make a detailed lesson plan. One of the more tiring tasks of the course was filling out a lot of papers. It was very easy to make a mistake by being too vague. Expressing yourself clearly in writing and speaking is a very important skill in the course. I spent hours preparing for my 45-minute classes. I would go to bed after midnight almost every single day. When I was not teaching a class I would observe other course participants teach theirs. Every day we had a feedback session. Other participants would comment on the class I taught and then one of the mentors, who were also present at the class I gave, met with me in the afternoon to give me very detailed feedback and tell me how to improve. It’s very useful and very scary!
The other component of the course is classes on teaching and assessing your students as well as mastering some teaching techniques you might have never used before and might have not known how to use effectively. The classes took place from Monday to Friday. We had written assignments to do. We had to write essays on various topics, 4 altogether in one month. They were up to 1500 words long (if I remember well!). So class prep, essays, and study sessions will take a toll on you. I always felt that I was behind with everything and I was not prepared well enough! A lot of stress!
Is it worth it? Absolutely! I took my teaching skills to a new level and the certificate I was awarded opened doors for me to teach internationally. In other words, I was taken seriously by potential employers. I have to be honest here. I have an M.A, in English Literature, and also I am a holder of a CPE certificate. I think these three elements are the highlights of my CV. The course was a great experience I highly recommend it if you are considering teaching professionally.