CELTA

The Certificate in English Language Teaching to Adults (CELTA) is an initial training course in English Language teaching. It is one of the range of Cambridge English certificates and diplomas provided for teachers and is placed at Level 5 of the UK government’s Qualification and Credit Framework (QCF). CELTA is very widely recognised around the world and requested as a minimum qualification by most language teaching organisations.

The course is suitable for people with little or no teaching experience though would also benefit more experienced teachers needing a practical formal qualification in teaching.

Each year we welcome candidates from all over the world. Applicants have ranged in age from 20 to 70 and come from a variety of backgrounds including recent graduates and people looking for a career change.

Trainees who successfully complete the course would be able to seek posts teaching English to non-native speakers within the UK and abroad.

Ideally applicants should be aged 20+ though we may take suitable applicants aged between 19 and 20. Previous teaching experience is not required but may be helpful.

Trainees must have a standard of education equivalent to that required for entry into higher education. Competence in both spoken and written English and good language awareness and for non-native speakers a high level of fluency and accuracy is essential.

At Cambridge Regional College we offer a choice of full-time and part-time.

The full-time course is a highly intensive, face-to-face, 4-week course: Mon – Fri; 09:00 – 17:15. We also offer an intensive 5-week course which includes a mix of face to face and online teaching or a 6-week fully online course with a break from teaching on Wednesdays.

The part-time courses offer more breathing space with a choice of an 8-week face-to-face/online (mixed mode) course across three days a week (Mon, Wed & Fri; 09:00 – 17:15) or a 15-week fully online course. For more information about the fully online and the mixed mode (50% face to face 50% online) courses, please refer to the FAQs below:

CELTA Online 15 weeks FAQs

CELTA Mixed mode 5 weeks FAQs

CELTA Mixed mode 8 weeks FAQs

CELTA Online 6 weeks FAQs

At interview you can discuss which course would be more suited to your needs.

Yes!

Trainees will need to spend further time in the evenings and at weekends on pre-session tasks, lesson preparation, completion of assignments as well as background reading and research. The four-week course is very intensive while the part-time course is less so.

The course involves a minimum of 120 contact hours which includes input of teaching methodology, language awareness, 6 assessed hours of teaching practice and feedback, tutorial time, supervised lessons planning, 6 hours of classroom observation of experienced teachers, and four written assignments.

There are five 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 teaching contexts
• Developing teaching skills and professionalism

Yes, click on the links below for the sample timetable of the delivery mode that you are interested in:

Full time face to face – 4 weeks

Intensive 50% face to face, 50% online – 5 week

Part time 100% online – 15 week

Semi-intensive 50% face to face, 50% online – 8 week

Full time 100% online – 6 week

Assessment takes place throughout the course and considers the trainee’s overall performance.

There are two assessed components: being able to demonstrate successful planning and teaching and completion of four classroom-related written assignments.

All results are approved by Cambridge Assessment with standards monitored by an external assessor. Full attendance on the course is required.

You are required to practice teach at two levels for a total 6 hours. The students attending these classes are volunteer adult, multilingual learners of English. Trainees are divided into two teaching practice groups and will follow a teaching rota. Fellow trainees observe and contribute to the feedback given at the end of the day’s teaching. Each TP session is observed by your CELTA tutor who gives written and verbal feedback to the trainees. You are given guidance about what to teach and there is tutor support while you plan and prepare your lessons. Greater independence is encouraged as the course progresses. A lesson plan must be provided for each session and the trainee provides the tutor with written comments once the lesson is finished. In addition to the lesson taught, the plan and the trainee’s own feedback are taken into consideration when the tutor assesses the lesson.

There are four classroom-related written assignments; task one focuses on the learner, task two is a language related task, task three concentrates on language skills, and the fourth is a reflective task to identify your strengths and weaknesses, to show what has been learnt from your own teaching and from the observation of others.

Trainees are expected to use written language that is clear, accurate and appropriate to the task.

Your tutors will give you clear guidance about how to present the tasks and what needs to be included to pass. You may be asked to resubmit your work if it is not up to standard or does not cover all the necessary points. You are given deadlines to meet for completion and resubmission.

Guidance is given for teaching practice and there are individual tutorials to discuss your progress and to offer help where necessary.

You will be given ideas regarding preparation at your interview and when you accept your place. It is important that you spend time to complete the pre-course task and consult books on the CELTA reading list. For applicants who have more time, we highly recommend signing up to a free online course run by Cambridge Assessment as part of their pre-course preparation – Exploring the World of English Language Teaching

The course takes place at Cambridge Regional College, Kings Hedges Road, Cambridge, CB4 2QT.

Please see the college website for maps and information about our facilities.

The maximum class size is 12.

We will give you a book list recommending core reading and suggesting other titles you will find useful. You will have access to our CELTA library and other material in our Learning Resource Centre.

During the course, we offer advice on finding teaching jobs and possibilities for trainees post CELTA. We also regularly send our CELTA graduates information about job posts that come up.

All trainees are invited to our Facebook alumni page where they can network with other CELTA graduates working around the world and hear about job posts.

Facebook Page: ‘Cambridge Regional College CELTA Graduates‘

Read about where some of our CELTA graduates have found teaching posts on our Life after CELTA.

The tuition fee for 2022/2023 for both the face to face and mixed mode course is £1520 and £1,600 for the fully online course which includes Cambridge English registration fees and materials.  We also offer the Advanced Learner Loan to help with the cost.  An initial non-refundable deposit of £350 is required upon booking.

This year, we are also able to offer partially and fully funded places provided the relevant eligibility criteria are met.  You must have lived in the UK for the past 3 years to qualify and be living within the local area.

Information regarding how and when to pay your deposit/balance of fees will be given following a successful interview.

CELTA qualifies for partially and fully funded places providing you meet the relevant criteria, live in the local area and have been in the UK for the last 3 years.  We also offer Advanced Learner Loans. The maximum loan is £811 and most UK nationals and residents aged 19+ should qualify. Eligibility doesn’t depend on income and there are no credit checks – loans have to be repaid when the individual has both completed the course and is earning a specified amount (currently £21,000 p.a.).

Here is a list of eligibility criteria along with information on the loan application process.

Follow this link for further information.

We can help to arrange accommodation in a homestay, halls of residence or shared house. Please follow this link for more information: Accommodation

Over the past 9 years, we have trained over 500 candidates, with a pass rate of 99%. We are currently the only centre in Cambridge that offers the choice of full-time courses, part-time courses and online courses. We also offer a competitive price for taking the CELTA in Cambridge. Our CELTA course is one day longer than most courses, allowing trainees a little more time to assimilate the information given on the first day; trainees will also meet and get to know their students in unassessed teaching practice before their first assessed lesson.

We are one of the few centres in the region which offer partially funded and fully funded places.  We are also able to accept the Advanced Learner Loans.  Please see ‘Financial Support’ above for more information.

As a student of the college, all CELTA trainees are entitled to free download of Office 365 and heavily discounted use of the gym at the sports centre. All trainees are also issued with a student card, which may entitle students to discounts in shops, cinemas and restaurants.

To hear what our CELTA graduates have to say about the course, please see our testimonials below and independent reviews on celtadelta.com

To read about a recent CELTA graduate’s experience on the course, please click here.

Interested in this course? Contact the CELTA Team by email:

Find out more about the CELTA application process – CLICK HERE