CELTA Certificate in English Language Teaching to Adults (CELTA)

Overview

English teachers are in demand across the world. This qualification will give you the confidence and teaching techniques you need to start your cultural and linguistic adventures. 

Our 12-week part-time and 4-week full-time CELTA courses provide you with a practical, work-related qualification which is a first step in learning to teach English as a foreign language to adults. 

Why Celta?

Cambridge CELTA (Certificate in English Language Teaching to Adults) is an internationally recognised teaching certificate. There are CELTA centres world-wide, all running a similar programme and all moderated by Cambridge English Language Assessment, which is part of The University of Cambridge.

Entry requirements

Candidates should normally have, as a minimum entry requirement, a standard of education equivalent to that required for entry into higher education. For non-native speakers of English, applicants should demonstrate a high level of both written and spoken English such as an IELTS score of 6.5 or level C2 on the CEFR.

Many candidates who come on courses have experience of teaching or training in other or related fields and some have a little, usually informal, experience of teaching foreign students. The certificate should enable you to find employment in private language schools and some state institutions either in the UK or overseas.

If English is not your first language you require an IELTS overall score of 6.5 with no element below 6.0.

Please note that all applicants will be interviewed as part of the selection process.

6.5

IELTS or C2 on the CEFR

How you’ll learn

Who is the course for?

The course is aimed at anyone with the above requirements who has an interest in language and communication and would like a career in teaching English language to speakers of other languages.

Many of our trainees immediately start their teaching careers either at language schools in the UK or at schools/institutions around the world. After having gained some classroom experience, some of our trainees have returned to Christ Church to study for the Diploma/MA in TESOL.

What will I study?

The CELTA course offers practical seminars which teach you "how to teach", for example, how to teach and practise grammar and vocabulary or how to teach the skill of listening.

The students also have opportunities to practise and reflect on what they learn:

• Teaching Practice. You need to teach foreign students at two different levels of English language proficiency over the course. Your teaching is assessed by a tutor and is the most important assessed element of the course.

• Observations of practising teachers and video observations of teachers and classes.

• Written Assignments which are practical and very much based on the observation, teaching and learning you do on the course.

• Tutorials in which your strengths and areas for development are discussed. You will be given clear guidelines for improving your performance.

• Keeping a Portfolio of your work over the course.

Teaching

For the part-time course, you will attend seminars and workshops for up to two mornings per week and also one afternoon for teaching practice.

For the full-time four-week course, you will attend seminars and workshops for the whole day.

According to Cambridge guidelines, there are 120 contact hours, which are for the following:

• Input seminars/workshops

• Supervised lesson planning

• Tutorial support and consultation

• Six hours’ assessed teaching practice

• Feedback on teaching practice

• Peer observation of teaching practice

• Six hours’ directed observation of lessons taught by experience English language teaching professionals