St Giles International

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CELTA Courses

What is CELTA?

The Cambridge certificate in English Language Teaching to Adults (CELTA) is an internationally recognised initial qualification for English language teaching. Candidates who complete the course successfully can begin working in a variety of ESOL (English to Speakers of Other Languages) teaching contexts around the world. The courses are intensive and very practical in nature.

This course is primarily for native English speakers. Non-native speakers must have a very advanced level of English to be offered a place on this course.

What does CELTA involve?

St Giles International offer the full-time CELTA course. The full-time CELTA course lasts four weeks. It is very intensive with a minimum of 120 hours of training. All applicants need to bear in mind that in addition to the course hours, a further minimum of 80 hours is needed in the evenings and at weekends for the required reading, research, written assignments and lesson preparation.

Candidates are required to attend all input sessions, teach classes of the relevant age group and size for a total of 6 hours, observe experienced teachers for a total of 6 hours, and maintain and submit a portfolio of all assessed written work and materials related to teaching practice.

Who is CELTA for?

The Cambridge CELTA course is open to applications from mainly native speakers of English. Non-native speakers must have a very advanced level of English to be offered a place on this course.

  • Applicants must be at least 18 years old. It is generally recommended that candidates should be aged 20 or over, but candidates aged between 18 and 20 can be accepted at the centre's discretion. The average age of applicants at this centre is 30.
  • Applicants, whether native or non-native speakers of English, must have an awareness of language and a competence in English, both written and spoken, which enables them to undertake the course and prepare for teaching a range of levels.
  • Applicants must have the potential to develop the necessary skills to become effective teachers and to successfully complete the written assignments and the assessment of teaching practice.
  • Candidates should normally have, as a minimum entry requirement, a standard of education equivalent to that required for entry into higher education. Centres may, at their discretion, accept applicants who do not have formal qualifications at this level if screening indicates that they would be likely to complete the course successfully.

All applicants selected for interview will be interviewed by one of the teacher trainers. The aim of the interview is to inform applicants about the course at St Giles, and to assess both the suitability of applicants for the course, and the suitability of the course for applicants in terms of their experience, background and career plans. This assessment will be through the completion and subsequent discussion of pre-interview and at-interview tasks. Assessment criteria reflect the demands of the CELTA course and of teaching English to adults in a language school. Successful applicants will demonstrate at interview and in pre-interview tasks:

  • An appropriate awareness of the English language as it is used and its difficulties for learners.
  • An ability to analyse language for teaching purposes and to express ideas clearly.
  • A willingness to engage in discussion of teaching and learning approaches.
  • An ability to take pressure and maintain positive rapport.
  • A competence in written and spoken English that will enable them to undertake the course and prepare for teaching a range of levels.
  • The potential to develop the necessary skills to become effective teachers and to successfully complete the written assignments and the assessment of teaching practice.

How will I be assessed?

There is no final examination. Candidates are graded and assessed by the trainers on a continuous basis in two areas:

Component 1: Planning and Teaching and
Component 2: Classroom-related written assignments (of which there are four in total).

An external assessor, appointed by Cambridge ESOL to moderate the course and the assessment of the candidates, visits all courses. The certificate is awarded to candidates who meet the course requirements and whose performance meets, or exceeds, the criteria in both assessed components. Provisional Recommended Grades are issued shortly after the end of the course. These results need to be confirmed by the assessor and by Cambridge ESOL and then certificates and reports are posted on to candidates between four and six weeks after the course.

Where can I study CELTA with St Giles?

St Giles offers full time (4 week) courses in the following locations. Please click on the location names to find out more about our centres there.

What next?

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