CELTA online opens the door to a new future

In a bid to change his career and pursue a dream of teaching, Hugh Kelly signed up to the CELTA online course with Cambridge Regional College.

In his early career, Hugh enjoyed a varied work-life in horticulture and the brewery trade before taking time out to travel across Romania, Moldova, Ukraine, Belarus and Georgia. During his travels, Hugh developed a fascination for the people and different cultures, and while the global pandemic cut short his travels, the experience made him determined to retrain and qualify in teaching to fulfil his dream of returning to work with the people he had met on his travels.

With a passion for teaching English to speakers of other languages, Hugh researched the market for the most appropriate study programme in the industry. The timetable and format of the online delivery at Cambridge Regional College appealed to Hugh because of the extended and thorough induction period, something that he believed would be beneficial with the pressures of an online learning environment.

During the course, Hugh found that the demands of the study programme and the expectations of the tutors were high, but this was balanced with flexibility, understanding and a genuine desire to ensure that learners reached the required standard of teaching. Hugh said, “CELTA online is incredibly demanding and is a real test of your academic and mental stamina. The CELTA Tutors at CRC expect a lot from you, but the support they show is second to none.”

Now that Hugh has completed his CELTA qualification, he is looking for an entry level teaching post, delivering learning online, however his long-term goal is to relocate to Eastern Europe to teach English in a classroom setting.

Hugh added, “The CELTA certificate is the absolute gold standard of TEFL qualifications and is looked upon with great respect in industry, I have no doubt it will open the door to a huge range of opportunities.”

When we asked Hugh what advice he would give to anyone considering CELTA online as a study option, he commented, “Don’t underestimate the amount of work that’s involved in the CELTA course, it really does take over your life, but the qualification is more than worth it. Don’t be afraid to ask for support or to ask lots of questions.”

The Certificate in English Language Teaching to Adults (CELTA) is an initial training course in English Language teaching. Find out more about studying CELTA with CRC.