CELTA FAQs

You can either complete our online application form or contact the St Giles centre at which you would like to take your CELTA course to obtain a paper copy. When we receive your application form we will send you a Pre-course Language Awareness task. All candidates are required to undertake this.

You can take a full-time Cambridge CELTA Course at St Giles Brighton, St Giles London Central, St Giles London Highgate and St Giles New York City. The part-time CELTA course is available at St Giles London Central.

Our full-time CELTA courses run on a regular basis throughout the year. The start-dates are different for each centre location. One part-time course each year is currently run at St Giles London Central. Please see Teacher Training Dates and Fees list for full details.

The CELTA is an initial teacher training qualification so you do not need any previous experience of teaching. However, some people with teaching experience also choose to take the course: for example, those who have started teaching without any formal training or who have not undertaken any training which is specific to teaching English to speakers of other languages. CELTA applicants should have a university degree or a standard of education equivalent to that which is required for entry to university. Candidates must be at least 18 but we have CELTA trainees of all ages. The average age on our courses for the last 20 years has been 33.

You need to demonstrate a good awareness of the English language. Your tutors will be able to assess this through the Language Awareness Task and the interview. However, you don’t need to know the names of all the components of the language (for example, the names of the tenses in English and their specific uses) when you apply to join the course. We are looking for natural language ability and grammar is only one part of language awareness. We will help you to improve your knowledge of English grammar throughout the course as part of equipping you to teach the English language.

We welcome non first language speakers but you will need to demonstrate a high level of language ability through the Language Awareness Task and the interview. Your level should be at least C1 on the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR) and preferably C2.
www.cambridgeenglish.org/exams-and-tests/cefr/
Candidates for whom English is not the first language often have a better knowledge of how English works because they have had to learn it.

Both the full-time and the part-time CELTA course include a minimum of 120 hours of training but you are advised to bear in mind that you will need to spend at least a further 80 hours in the evenings and at weekends on reading, research, written assignments and lesson preparation. However, though it is demanding, the course is also rewarding and enjoyable and your tutors will support you throughout the process.

We recommend that you do some background reading and we will provide you with a booklist once you are accepted on the course. We will also send you a pre-course task. This task is accompanied by an answer key and it does not form part of your CELTA assessment but we highly recommend that you complete it. The task will provide you with a foundation on which to build on your knowledge.


We offer a one-day grammar course at St Giles London Central also for those CELTA trainees who wish to undertake a little further preparation for the language elements of the course.

The average pass rate for CELTA completers during the past 5 years is 99%.

Yes. The skills you will learn on the CELTA course are transferable to teaching children. However, when you have completed your CELTA, you can take additional short courses and/or access resources which focus specifically on teaching children.

The CELTA qualification is recognised by employers, governments and the British Council across the globe so when you finish your course, the world is your oyster!

Yes, this happens on a regular basis. We also have recruitment partnerships with some employers in other countries and we will provide you with information and support with job search during and after your course.

Yes, details of our various accommodation options are available on request.