The CELTA Blog

Welcome to CELTA, my friend! It's nice to have you here, HEHE…

You know what? The course fee is settled, there’s no refund. Here comes at least one reason that you should make it till the end. Read on to see what to expect!

Positive Points:

This is a fruitful journey which will sail your way in teaching and there is a lot of support from the tutors, anything that you might not understand they are always ready to help you.

The course is rewarding and enriching because you will get a brand-new perspective on English language. The course is quite inclusive in terms of lesson aims, students' age groups and levels. You will learn a lot,  A LOT,

PS English is not as simple as you think :) Function!!!!

Challenges:

The course can be very stressful and intense mostly because of our busy schedules, working a full time job and also studying. We are never fully aware of how intense it is until you're like four or five weeks in. You might get overwhelmed to a point that you will question what are you going to do, why are you here and,  But hey you've already gone so far, so keep going. 

1. Miscommunication with tutors regarding requirements for teaching practice and assignments

2. With little English learning background, extra time is needed to study and be familiar with the terminology

3. You will need to do quite a lot of background reading (research) especially for your assignments and it can be stressful when you dont know which resource to you 

Also, YOU WILL FALL ILL AND YOU WILL CRY, probably toward the end of the course, but you'll survive.

Advice:

Preparation for teaching practice often ranges from one to three hours. Reading for each assignment will take half a day or a day. Don't just refer to the timetable in the course folder because there is a lot of hidden work that's not written there. Keep a separate calendar of your own that include the time you need for TP preparation, reading for assignment, and composing assignment along with your normal chores. 

• Do not be intimidated by the ‘resubmission’ message, it doesn’t mean a ‘fail’.

• don't hestitate to consult your tutor if you got anything 

• manage your time wisely and get works done on time 

• Course tutors are supportive and responsive. Don’t be afraid of asking questions. When in doubt, work it out with the nicest tutors.

While things can be overwhelming at times, let me share a little secret with you – within that intensity lies a wealth of learning opportunities. So, take a deep breath, calm those initial nerves, and repeat after me: "I can make it." Trust me, you've got this. In moments of doubt (maybe from TP5), remind yourself of the incredible journey you've chosen to undertake. The road may be tough, but the destination is worth every effort. You are not alone in this; your fellow candidates, tutors, and a wealth of resources are there in the Library to support you.

Never give up, hang in there!!  If you ever feel like giving up, remember that you paid $$$.

Wishing you a fruitful and successful journey. Good luck (and don't die)!

Best, 

Audrey, Hazel, Yan & Venise

Dear future candidate,

If you’re here, you’ve probably made many big decisions in your life, and you’re standing at the door of the CELTA qualification. Make no mistake, the learning curve is steep and time is extremely short. You will struggle, you will cry and you will spend nights questioning your life decisions. However, should you make it past this course, the catharsis that you will experience is truly, truly satisfying, and the certificate that you obtain from it is worth multiple times its weight in gold. I myself experienced multiple ups and downs during this course, as I’m sure you will too. The highs were extremely euphoric, and the lows brought me to tears. I’ve made friends, seen people come and go, and found amazing mentors in the process.

So, how do you make it out of this trial by fire in one piece? The first thing I would advise you to do is take your ego, and cast it as faaaaar away from you as possible. It’s absolutely worthless here and will only impede your progress. Your tutors will be your greatest critics and they are adept at pointing out both your strengths and weaknesses. Everything that they say is constructive, even if you might not like to hear it at first. So, if you’re a person who cannot take being bruised, turn away now and don’t waste anyone’s time.

The bulk of your time during the course will be spent mulling over your TPs and assignments, and this will be the source of all the ‘wonderful’ sleepless nights that you’re going to have. But fret not, you’re surrounded by so much support in the form of extensive resources, dedicated tutors and (hopefully) cooperative coursemates. Take full advantage of them and work together towards everyone clearing the course! CELTA isn’t a place where you want to stand alone at the peak, but rather one where you all hold hands and walk through the door together.

Temper your expectations of yourself, and don’t be too let down if they aren’t met; it’s an avenue for progress and things to look forward to in the learning journey. You might fail your TPs and assignments, but use those failures as nutrients for your continued growth. Every single mistake you make is a step forward (provided you’re willing to swallow the bitter pill and learn from them), so find the courage within you to experiment as much as possible within the confines of your lesson plans. The TPs are your playground and the students that you’re going to teach make the best playmates. Fall, scrape your knees and get back up again, and don’t forget to have fun in the process!

I’ll close this letter with a short poem:

The road before you is paved with fears,

A steep and winding one that threatens tears,

It’s a long way off from success’ peak,

And from the base things may look bleak.

But harden your gut and brave the storm,

You’ve got so many comrades to keep you warm,

So many tools and a trusty map,

Keep walking forward step by step.

All your time to this you’ll funnel,

But you’ll find the light at the end of the tunnel,

For this period you’ll have almost no rest,

But I’m sure you come out on top; all the best!

Adrian

Class of 2023

What general advice would you give to someone starting this course?

Wondering whether to take the CELTA course? Unsure of how to prepare yourself before the course starts? Here are some practical suggestions from our April 2023 graduates – 3 of them were awarded a Pass B!

Trainee A:

I would really recommend this course to my friends who want to join. I will advise them to go through all the handouts the tutors give you and follow the tutors’ feedback in order to achieve success. I will also advise them to practice teaching online beforehand to handle zoom technology smoothly during the course, which is an important factor to run a lesson smoothly. Also take notes for each observation whether it is filmed, taught by the tutors or your colleagues’ lesson observations so that you can learn some new teaching techniques to include in your lessons.

Trainee B:

Definitely, if you work 8-10 hours like myself, demand a (temporary) part-time position for the length of the course, or change employer or, if you can afford it, stay off work for the CELTA period. It is demanding regarding time and both physical and mental efforts. I spent many nights sleepless, having to go to work the day after and suffering from accumulated sleep deprivation and the side effects of high consumption of caffeine and energy drinks. It would have been totally different if I weren’t working full-time, as my colleagues, although finding it challenging too, definitely had an easier way through the end, as coming out from our friendly discussions. Also, supervisors are very available for clarification. Do ask if you have to, especially regarding the written assignments. I don’t know to what extent this may affect your grade, but it’d definitely make your CELTA learning easier, especially if you are tight on time as I was. At least if tutors are like mine, which I take the chance to thank: Rob, Ophel and Thomas. Thanks again.

Trainee C:

1. Be mentally prepared. This course will definitely drain most of your energy, even if you do it part-time.

2. Brush up on your grammar knowledge if you have only a little or none of it. 

3. Listen to your tutor’s comments on your TPs and assignments if you want to pass the course. They’re not looking for perfection but progress!

4. Liaise with your course mates as they will help you pass the course. 

Trainee D:

Think twice regarding the workload and prepare to learn a lot about delivery teaching, planning, teaching theory as well as lingusitic knowledge of the English language. Therefore, it is very intense. Maybe ask about the class size too! I think about 6 is a good size.

Trainee E:

This course is very intense so you need to be mentally and physically prepared. But what you take from it is a confidence boost in your teaching and your understanding of learners’ needs. This course has definitely opened my eyes and am sure will open many doors for me. At first, you may struggle but your fellow coursemates and tutors are very supportive and would give you the appropriate guidance and feedback.

Trainee F:

Being organised is crucial for this course.  It is extremely helpful to have all the coursework deadlines written down in order to avoid missing any important deadlines.  In addition, it is essential to strike a balance between managing study time, completing assignments, and planning for TPs while juggling other commitments such as work and family.  If you encounter any difficulties, don’t hesitate to ask for assistance from the course tutors, who are always willing to help.  Remember, with the right attitude and approach, you can overcome any challenges and succeed in this course.

To conclude:

1. It is intense even if you are on a part-time course. Discuss with your employers if you will be working full-time during the course and see if they can adjust anything.

2. Be ready to learn, receive feedback from your tutors and colleagues, and most importantly, apply what you have learnt in your teaching.

3. Read books or websites about English grammar, vocabulary, pronunciation or other relevant books so that you will be able to understand things more easily.

4. Your tutors and peers are always there to help and support you during the course.

Having grown up in an exam-oriented learning environment, there was a time when I was one of those students who defined “perfection” with what is written on the model answer , not allowing myself any time or space to think, and always expecting teachers to tell us the “correct” way of doing things. Honestly, wouldn’t you feel great when someone delivered the golden ticket to passing your exams to you on a silver platter, without you having to make an effort in getting what you want?

Only when I started to reflect on my beliefs in education did I became aware of the importance of “thinking critically”. However, I always thought that giving students the complete freedom of the classroom was easier than preparing a lengthy set of notes for them to recite. When I did my CELTA course, I was still pretty confident that it was an easy job to get students to talk with one another and discuss topics that will get them to think independently…

…but there was only dead silence in the discussion room. (A teacher’s worst nightmare.)

I was dumbfounded. I thought asking open-ended questions was sufficient enough to stimulate learner engagement, but my instructor helped me realized that I needed to give students more support and guidance before letting them engage in freer practice of the target language.

It was easier said than done. Throughout the whole course I spent hours designing and applying concept-checking questions that would help students understand the language better. My tutors told me how I kept talking when I felt nervous and this heavily impeded students from having the space and time to think about the language, especially when I kept giving them the answer when there was silence. I ended up sticking a huge post-it note on my computer to remind myself that I have to stop echoing students’ answers!

As the course comes to an end, I’ve definitely became a lot more aware of my shortcomings as a teacher. It’s easy to just talk about theory-practice integration, but it’s not an easy breeze applying theories into practice in a real-time classroom. It’s always a dichotomy between “spoon-feeding” and “independent learning”, but at least I think I’ve now gotten a hang of the balance between the two, I hope!

After you’ve started your CELTA course, be ready to accept the fact that there really isn’t a definition of a “perfect” teacher. There’s no need to strive for perfection, but be ready to pour your heart and soul in your planning, so that you can become a better teacher after each lesson!