The CELTA info pack

THE CELTA INFORMATION PACK

The CELTA information pack will give you information about the CELTA and help you decide if this course is suitable for you.

CELTA trainees at ELH.

ELH CELTA TRAINEES HAVE ACHIEVED 100% PASS RATE OVER THE LAST 20 YEARS

ABOUT THE CELTA COURSE

WHAT IS CELTA

CELTA is an internationally recognised initial qualification for people with little or no previous teaching experience who wish to teach English to foreign students. It opens up a whole world of exciting teaching opportunities and because it is awarded by Cambridge Assessment English, (part of the world-famous University of Cambridge) you can rely on its quality and standing within the EFL (English as a Foreign Language) industry.

THE CELTA COURSE IN DETAIL:
CELTA courses are delivered by authorised centres on behalf of Cambridge Assessment English. All CELTA courses include at least 120 hours of contact between candidates and course tutors, and include:

tutorial support and consultation
supervised lesson planning
6 hours’ assessed teaching practice per candidate supervised by a course tutor
feedback on teaching practice
peer observation of teaching practice (i.e. watching the other candidates’ lessons)
6 hours’ directed observation of lessons taught by experienced ELT professionals, up to 3 hours of which may be of filmed lessons

You should also allow for 80 additional learning hours for pre-course preparation, reading, research, assignment writing, lesson preparation and record keeping.
The maximum ratio of candidates to tutors is one tutor for every six candidates, and there are at least two tutors on each course.

COURSE FORMAT SUMMARY:
Course length 120 hours
Format
Choose from:

full time or part time
face-to-face, online, or a mix of face-to-face and online

All options give you teaching practice in English language classes.
Assessment

written assignments
assessed teaching practice

Minimum entry requirements

proficient English language user (CEFR level high C1 or above)
educated to the standard required for entry into higher education
age 18+

Framework stages
Foundation to Developing

WHO AWARDS THE CELTA QUALIFICATION

The qualification is administered by Cambridge Assessment English, part of the University of Cambridge.

WHAT IS TEFL OR TESOL

'TEFL' stands for Teaching English as a Foreign Language and 'TESOL' stands for Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages. They are terms used to describe the industry you will be entering when you successfully complete your CELTA course and start working as a Teacher of English as a Foreign Language.

WHO RECOGNIZES THE CELTA QUALIFICATIONS

CELTA is accepted throughout the world by organisations which employ English Language teachers. The Cambridge CELTA has been accredited by Ofqual (the Office of the Qualifications and Examinations Regulation) at Level 5 on the National Qualifications Framework for England. Cambridge Assessment English also works with international ELT organisations to ensure the acceptance of CELTA globally.

WHY APPLY TO DO THE COURSE WITH ENGLISH LANGUAGE HOUSE

We have had 100% pass rate in our CELTA courses to date. We have excellent trainers and you know you will be in good hands. We always give candidates an honest opinion of their ability to complete the course successfully even if this means that we risk disappointing certain candidates and run courses with fewer numbers. We care about the standard of our Teacher Training courses and, as a CELTA and Delta training centre, we strive to ensure our trainees enjoy their course and become the best in their field. Many alumni have been very successful in their EFL careers. Here are a few of them: Chris (CELTA 2001) became DOS and Head of EFL in a private school in UK, Matt (CELTA 2003) worked for International House in Spain, Andy (CELTA 2004) taught in Poland, returned to join ELH as an EFL teacher and Clare (CELTA 2012) joined ELH as a teacher, completed her Delta in 2016 and is currently a senior teacher and Director of Studies at English Language House.

CRITERIA FOR ENTRY TO THE CELTA COURSES AT ENGLISH LANGUAGE HOUSE

Ideally candidates should:

have a standard of education equivalent to that required for entry into higher education (ie 2 or more A’levels in eg English Language, a foreign language etc)
be aged 20 or over
have a good standard of English which will enable you to teach at a range of levels (ie have accurate native speaker or, if foreign national, CPE grade A or equivalent)

ELH may still accept candidates who do not have formal qualifications at this level and may, at their discretion, accept candidates aged under 20. These candidates will need to demonstrate that they would be able to complete the course successfully.

CELTA OPEN DAY

ELH offer a CELTA Open day every 3 to 4 months to everyone interested in the course. Open Days give candidates the opportunity to look around English Language House, meet the staff and CELTA trainers and also speak to past CELTA trainees about the course we run. Candidates can ask the tutors questions about the course, decide if the CELTA is right for them and make a choice about which course would be most suitable ie part time, full time or online. The Open day is completely free of charge but ELH request that candidates email us no less than 14 days prior to the date they wish to attend to book your place. Candidates can select from the list below. Open days will run providing there is sufficient interest.

You can book to attend a CELTA Open Day here.

COURSE DATES

You can see our CELTA Course Dates here.

ELH reserves the right to change the days and/or times if required. This will usually occur in order to fulfil the course requirements, accommodate tutor availability and/or candidate preferences. Candidates will be informed of these changes if they occur.

DAYS ELH IS CLOSED

You can see the dates ELH is closed here.

CLOSING DATE FOR APPLICATIONS

Closing date for candidate applications and pre course preparation:
Candidates should ensure their application arrives 10 weeks or more in advance of the start date they have selected. This will allow sufficient time for ELH to process their application, call them to interview, conduct their interview, forward all the necessary documents they will need in preparation for the course and allow sufficient time for candidates to complete the tasks set in their pre course CELTA tasks.

LATE ENTRIES

Late entry candidates are candidates who apply less than 10 weeks prior to the start date they have selected.

These candidates will only be offered an interview if they pay the application fee and full fees when they apply.
They must take up the place offered to them after interview
They cannot change their course start date.

WHAT IS COVERED DURING THE COURSES

Each CELTA course will:

teach you the principles of effective teaching
provide a range of practical skills for teaching English to adult learners
give you hands-on teaching practice.

There are five main 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.

You will be assessed throughout the course. There is no final examination. An external assessor, appointed by Cambridge Assessment English moderates each course.

There are two components of assessment:

Teaching practice - You 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 - You 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.

To be awarded the CELTA certificate you must pass both components. There are three grades — Pass, Pass 'B' and Pass 'A'.

HOW MUCH WORK DO TRAINEES NEED TO DO

Each CELTA course will have a minimum of 120 hours which will include:

Input
Supervised lesson planning
Teaching practice (six assessed hours)
Feedback on teaching
Peer observation
Observation of experienced teachers (minimum six hours)
Consultation time

Candidates will need to dedicate a minimum of 80 hours for the required reading, research, pre- and post-session tasks, assignments and lesson preparation.

NB It is very useful if you can have access to e-mail and the internet for all courses and essential for the CELTA course online.

HOW YOU WILL BE ASSESSED:

You will be assessed throughout the course and there is no final examination. The two types of assessment are:
Teaching practice:
You will teach for a total of 6 hours, working with adult classes at a minimum of two levels of ability. Assessment is based on your overall performance.
Written assignments:
You will complete four written assignments (each 750–1,000 words). These focus on:

analysing and responding to adult learner needs
analysing language for teaching purposes
teaching language skills
reflecting on classroom teaching

Your teaching practice and written assignments are assessed by your trainers during the course. Your trainers will discuss your progress with you, including in at least two one-to-one tutorials, so you should have a good idea of your strengths and areas to focus on.
Results
There are four possible grades for CELTA:

pass A
pass B
pass
fail

At the end of your course you will be given a candidate report form, which will give your provisional grade. This will also say whether you took the course face-to-face, online or as a mix of face-to-face and online.
Cambridge English will issue your certificate when grades have been confirmed. Certificates are usually despatched up to eight weeks after the completion of the course. The certificate will state your name, grade, the centre number where you took the course and the date of the award.

HOW TO APPLY FOR THE COURSE

To apply for the CELTA course please follow these 8 easy steps:

Candidates read the “CELTA terms and conditions” and sign to show they agree to abide by these.
Candidates select their possible start date and submit their application forms. (i)Candidates who select 3 or more start dates should submit their application form and application fee and will be given first choice of interview dates. (ii)Candidates who select 2 start dates should submit submit their application form and application fee and will be given second choice of interview dates. (iii)Candidates who select only 1 start date should submit their application form but not pay the application fee until they are called to interview; they may be interviewed and allocated places on the course two weeks before the start date.
Candidates should submit their full CELTA application form including a signed copy of the “CELTA terms and Conditions”, the completed “Pre interview task”, and, if selecting 2 or 3 start dates, payment of the application fee).
Written applications are assessed and successful candidates are called to interview. Unsuccessful candidates are not called to interview and are refunded their application fee.
Candidates are interviewed at ELH
Successful candidates are sent an ELH email "Offer" stating that they have been accepted on to the course and an invoice for the full fees.
Candidates pay the fees to confirm their place on the course.
Candidates start their CELTA course on their chosen start date.

We suggest that all applicants ensure that the course start dates they have selected are an accurate indication of the dates they can attend the CELTA at ELH. Should this change they need to inform ELH in writing as soon as possible.

COURSE FEE

You can see the CELTA Course Fees here.

WHAT TO PAY AND WHEN

To apply you:

Pay an application fee of £100 withing 3 days of submitting your application form or withing 24 hours of being sent an email offer of an interview.

To book your place on the course:

Pay the course full course fee by the due date.

The full course fee is reduced by £100 if candidates make full payment within 14 days of receipt of an email "Offer of a place on the CELTA course" or if they make full payment in advance of their interview.

ADDITIONAL EXPENSES

A £20 refundable book deposit to join the CELTA library entitles trainees to borrow books and resources from our well-stocked ELT library during the course.

It is also a good idea to buy some books for reference if you wish. See the recommended book list for details.

WHO IS CALLED TO INTERVIEW

Successful candidates are offered an interview after they have sent:

their completed application form and
the pre interview task and returning these to ELH with
a signed copy of the CELTA Terms and Conditions.

The interview will only be conducted if a candidate has paid the £100 application fee prior to the interview date.
Interviews will be held virtually via Zoom or, if Covid permits, they may be conducted face2face at ELH in Milton Keynes.

WHO IS NOT OFFERED AN INTERVIEW

If your application is unsuccessful you will not be called to interview and, if you have already made payment of the application fee, this will be refunded.

WHAT HAPPENS AFTER THE INTERVIEW

After your interview you will receive either a conditional or an unconditional offer of a place on a CELTA course at ELH.

An unconditional offer is made to candidates who at interview are considered to be strong enough to attend the course of their choice on the start date/s they have selected.
A conditional offer is usually made to candidates who are required to fulfil certain conditions prior to entry on the course. A conditional offer may sometimes require candidates to re-evaluate their chosen start date/s in order that they have sufficient time to fulfil all the conditions of their offer. Conditional offers ensure that all candidates are given the best opportunity to achieve their best possible results on completing the course.

Following your interview you will need to pay the full fees to confirm your place on the course and receive the CELTA preparation pack so you can start to prepare for the course.

REFUNDS, CHANGES AND WITHDRAWALS

Please see our CELTA Terms and Conditions regarding refunds, changes and withdrawals. If you
have any queries regarding these please let us know before you submit your application.

WHAT TO DO NEXT

You can:

Contact us to request information about the CELTA. We will then email you with the information you will need in order to apply to join the course. We can also arrange to speak to you if you prefer and invite you to join one of our open days.
To apply you will need to follow the guidelines in How to apply for the CELTA