About CELTA
The four-week Cambridge CELTA course is very intensive and requires a full-time commitment.
In addition to the 9:00 to 5:00 workdays at English Canada (EC), you will need most evenings and at least one day on weekends working independently on lesson planning and course assignments. The course is demanding and challenging and employment during the course and long commutes are strongly discouraged. 100% attendance is required and a clear schedule for the month is recommended. Despite the intensive nature and commitment required, most trainees enjoy and thrive on the work!
The half-time course is equal in nature to the full-time option, but is spread out over a longer period of time. It is designed for people who have other commitments such as work, study, or family. Candidates still need to commit to attending the course for the complete period and doing course work when they are not studying on the course.
As a CELTA trainee, you will be working in large, modern classrooms, and you will have access to a quiet workspace for lesson preparation and self-study. EC has materials for your exclusive use as a CELTA trainee, including a variety of up-to-date books on methodology, grammar, and activity books for use in the classroom. Additionally, you will have access to other areas open to students at ILI such as kitchens and the computer room.
Course Design
The CELTA course involves attendance of at least 120 contact hours between candidates and the course tutors. This includes:
- Input
- Tutorial support and consultation
- Supervised lesson planning
- Six hours’ assessed teaching practice per candidate supervised by a course tutor
- Feedback on teaching practice
- Peer observation of teaching practice
- Six hours’ directed observation of live lessons taught by experienced ELT professionals or four hours’ observation of live lessons plus two hours’ observation of lessons on video
An additional 120 learning hours for reading, research, assignment writing, lesson preparation and record keeping are also required.
Course Schedule
- Our full time intensive courses run Monday through Friday from 9:00 am to 5:00 pm for four weeks.
- A typical day consists of:
- 9:00 am - 1:00 pm Supervised teaching practice (TP), feedback and assisted lesson planning.
- 2:00 pm – 5:00 pm Input: Methodology sessions
- On the first day the course, you will observe the tutors teach and your teaching practice starts on Day two. As CELTA training is based on experiential learning, or "learning by doing", teaching practice (TP) is at the heart of the course. In your TP sessions, you will be asked to put into practice the ideas and concepts you learn during the input and feedback sessions.
- There is also a half time option over eight weeks.
Dates and Fees:
CELTA Tutors
Cambridge ESOL follows strict standards for approving CELTA trainers. All CELTA course tutors (teacher trainers) have the Cambridge Diploma in English Language Teaching to Adults (DELTA, previously the RSA DTEFLA), a sound background of theoretical knowledge, and many years of practical classroom experience with monolingual and multilingual groups at all levels and in a wide range of teaching contexts.
EC's team of highly qualified, experienced and dedicated CELTA tutors combines practical teaching experience and educational management in most regions of the world. Their qualifications ensure that EC CELTA courses incorporate a wide range of teaching principles and practical classroom techniques.
Practice Students
You will be teaching adult volunteer students from the local ESL community who represent a wide variety of language and cultural backgrounds. You will teach at two distinct levels. On the first day of the course, the tutors will give you time to meet and get to know your students before they begin to assess your practice teaching. Typically, a TP class will have from five to fifteen students and may contain students from Asia, South America, the Middle East, Quebec, and Europe.
Assessment
Candidates will be assessed throughout the course, with no final examination. An external assessor, appointed by Cambridge ESOL, moderates each course. There are two components of assessment:
Teaching practice
Candidates will teach for a total of 6 hours, working with classes at two levels of ability. Assessment is based on your overall performance at the end of the 6 hours.
Written assignments
Candidates will complete four written assignments: one focusing on adult learning; one on the language system of English; one on language skills; and one on classroom teaching.
Grading System
The certificate is awarded to candidates who meet the course requirements and whose performance meets, or exceeds, the criteria in both assessment components: teaching practice and written assignments. The pass grades A, B, and Pass are awarded as a result of continuous assessment by our tutors and participants are always kept informed of their progress during the course.
Professional Designation
Upon successful completion of the course, you will receive a certificate from Cambridge ESOL that will give you the potential to teach English in locations around the world. CELTA will provide you with a professional designation that is recognized internationally, and is especially valuable for individuals who plan to teach English in Canada and abroad.