Cambridge University Certificate in English Language Teaching (CELTA) (Part-time) for Adults

This programme is for people who would like to teach English to adults in the UK and abroad. It is suitable for those with no previous experience of teaching at all, or those who have some teaching experience, but not in EFL or ESOL.

This is a part-time evening course. It includes input sessions on language and teaching methodology, covering both the theory behind teaching and practical ideas to use in the classroom. There are also teaching sessions where you will teach volunteer ESOL students and put into practice what you have learnt.

There are five units of learning:

• learners and teachers, and the teaching and learning context

• language analysis and awareness

• language skills: reading, listening, speaking and writing

• planning and resources for different contexts

• developing teaching skills and professionalism.

The evening part-time time programme at Arundel Campus lasts 20 weeks. The maximum size of each class is 12.

Please note, you may be eligible for an Advanced Learner Loan to help toward the cost of this course. Advanced Learner Loans are similar to Higher Education loans and you are only required to repay the loan (plus interest) once you are earning more than the threshold amount for your repayment plan.

Entry requirements

The recommended minimum age of entry on the CELTA is 20, and you should be a graduate (although younger applicants may be considered if you have university entrance qualifications).

Non-native speakers need a command of English that will stand up to the pressures of the programme: we suggest Cambridge Proficiency Level or IELTS 7 because this is an academic and challenging course.
You do not need to have any previous teaching experience or be able to speak another language, although either of these would be useful.

We will give you an interview - in person or on Skype - and you’ll need to complete a pre-programme assignment to assess your knowledge of language before being admitted to the programme.

You should have an awareness of language and a level of English, both written and spoken, that enables you to follow the programme – this is necessary whether your first language is English or not. This means we expect you to be able to write coherently, with a good standard of punctuation, spelling and grammar.

You’ll also need to be very organised with good time management skills to cope with the course. It is a full time commitment, and you’ll need to dedicate your evenings and weekends to assignments and lesson planning. You’ll find it’s worth it – it’s a challenging course, but worthwhile and enjoyable.

How is the course assessed?

A variety of teaching approaches is used: lectures, seminars, workshops, discussion, pair/group work, video and computer sessions. Also included on the programme are six hours of classroom observation of experienced teachers.

There is continuous assessment on your six hours of teaching, your lesson plans and four written assignments (there is no final exam). In addition to the time at College, at least 50 hours of self-study is expected for reading, assignments and lesson planning.