How Difficult is CELTA?

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How Difficult is the CELTA?

The Certificate t English Language Teaching to Adults, otherwise abbreviated to the acronym CELTA is definitely a challenging course. As an experienced teacher I thought I already knew everything about the teaching of English but to my surprise, I was shocked as to how much I didn’t know!

CELTA teaches you how to teach to ensure learners learn what they’re supposed to learn, i.e. the English Language. It also allows you to appreciate the learner as a unique being, to understand their background, culture, their personal circumstances and their motivations to learn English, which are all important factors to consider when teaching.

In a nutshell, I would say the CELTA course is not difficult if you’re prepared to put in the hard work. You will need to be self-critical and improve on your weaknesses and believe me, these will be identified by your tutor.

A word of advice: When you are carrying out your teaching practice (TP), don’t take offence of any negative feedback and comments by your peers. In fact, if you note these points down and use them as action points for your next lesson you’re sure to do well.

CELTA programmes are designed by individual centres using the syllabus and course aims provided by Cambridge English Language Assessment

The syllabus consists of five topic areas:

* Topic 1 – Learners and teachers, and the teaching and learning context
* Topic 2 – Language analysis and awareness
* Topic 3 – Language skills: reading, listening, speaking and writing
* Topic 4 – Planning and resources for different teaching contexts
* Topic 5 – Developing teaching skills and professionalism.

The exact details of the programme will vary depending on the centre. Programmes may change annually to reflect changes in technology and teacher training methodology. All courses also have a minimum of 120 contact hours and will include the following components:

* Input
* Supervised lesson planning
* Teaching practice (six assessed hours)
* Feedback on teaching
* Peer observation
* Observation of experienced teachers (minimum six hours)
* Consultation time.

In addition to this candidates are required to dedicate an additional 80 hours for required reading, research, pre- and post-session tasks, assignments and lesson preparation.

Make sure you choose the course length that suits you. There are various options depending on the centre. There is a 6 months course (one day a week) and there are full-time courses available at various centres around the UK for individuals with more time on their hands - that’s usually a five day week course over 4 weeks, but I have heard that is very demanding.

By the way, I completed the CELTA course over the duration of 6 months and received an A pass.

Why do the CELTA?

The CELTA is a teaching course by Cambridge University which opens the doors to many opportunities and demonstrates to prospective employers that successful candidates have the skills set to succeed in the classroom. Candidates who successfully comlplete the course are immediately able to apply for English language teaching roles across the globe, with some countries offering lucrative salaries and perks, such as China, Saudi Arabia and UAE.

Best of luck and if anyone wants any further specific advice feel free to message me :) 

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