What is a CELTA?
Everything you need to know
What does CELTA mean?
The CELTA, or Certificate of English Language Teaching to Adults, is a well respected English Language teaching qualification certified by Cambridge English Assessment.
The CELTA is an incredibly popular qualification and is highly sought after by employers.
Is CELTA a kind of TEFL course?
A 'TEFL' course simply refers to any kind of course in which you learn to teach English as a foreign language. So, with that definition in mind, the CELTA is a kind of TEFL course.
However, it's important to understand that TEFL is not a recognised accreditation in the same way that CELTA is recognised by Cambridge Assessment. Please visit our blog for more information on the difference between the CELTA and a TEFL.
What do you learn on a CELTA Course?
Throughout your teaching course, you'll become familiar with:
- The grammar and structure of the English language
- Online teaching platforms
- Teaching styles and strategies for language learning
- Classroom management techniques
- Language analysis
- Using different resources and materials to make your classes more interesting
Our online courses are also adapted to give you experience teaching English online. Find out more about the online CELTA.
What can you do with a CELTA?
An English teaching qualification opens up a number of opportunities both in education and in other industries. After qualifying, many people choose to:
- Teach English as a foreign language (either in your home country or overseas)
- Teach English online
- Work as a private tutor
- Work as a language teaching assistant
- Apply for a PGCE, DELTA or further teaching qualification
- Work as an in-house English language teacher in a corporate setting
- Teach English as part of a humanitarian or non-profit organisation
How is the course assessed?
There is no exam on a CELTA course, it is continuously assessed according to your teaching practice and written work. Other factors that your tutors will take into consideration include your planning and lesson structure, your punctuation and language accuracy and your response to feedback.
The grading structure for the course is as follows:
- Pass A
- Pass B
- Pass
- Fail
Can non-native speakers do the CELTA course?
They certainly can! Anyone with the equivalent to C1 level English can join the programme. In order to check your ability to communicate efficiently in English, all non-native speakers will have their English assessed at the interview stage.
If you would like to take a CELTA course but are worried about your level English, you might want to consider taking an Online General English course before you apply.
Is it worth it?
Although CELTA courses are more expensive than other English teaching courses you might find online, the training you receive will be of an extremely high standard. This is due to the fact that all institutions offering the course will have to adhere to the regulations set out by Cambridge Assessment.
It's also worth noting that on this Cambridge accredited course you will be given the opportunity to practise teaching with real-life language learners- something which is not often offered on other teaching courses. Both of these factors make it an exceedingly valuable qualification for those wishing to teach English as a foreign language.