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CELTA Course Non-Native Speaker Experience

Can I take the CELTA course as a non-native speaker? Cactus Office Manager Claudia Ohde tells us why doing the CELTA course as a non-native speaker is not just ok – it’s an advantage!

Here at Cactus I have always been surrounded by many qualified English teachers who had lived in many different places teaching English before they joined Cactus. As a keen language learner and traveller myself, I had always envied them for the freedom to live and work abroad. However, I didn’t consider doing a Celta course myself since I didn’t feel confident enough about my level of English. So I decided to take the Celta equivalent course for teaching German as a foreign language instead. Unfortunately this course was no longer offered in the UK due to insufficient demand.

Our Academic Director encouraged me to jump in at the deep end and do a Celta course instead. So I downloaded the application form for the Celta course and signed myself up for the Cactus English Language Awareness Course to brush up my grammar knowledge and prepare myself for the Celta course.

To my big surprise I passed the application process and was offered a place on the Celta course.

CELTA course non-native speaker experience

We were a group of 18 students on the course, of which 4 of us were non-native speakers. When we were allocated to our teaching practice groups I felt a great relief that I was starting with the elementary level and not with the upper-intermediates. Right from the start it became clear that one of the most difficult tasks was to grade your language according to the level of the students – one of the tasks non-native speakers seemed to manage much more easily than the native speakers.

Some of the requirements such as reducing the teacher talking time to a bare minimum were as unexpected and difficult for non-native and native speakers alike. However, when it came to teaching grammar the non-native speakers had a definite advantage again – having learnt the language ourselves not only gave us a better foundation of grammar knowledge, but also enabled us to empathise with the learner and to understand their difficulties with certain aspects of the grammar (for example the present perfect tense!).

Midway through the course we swapped teaching practice groups and I was now confronted with a broad range of upper-intermediate students (some of whom were rather advanced) and my nerves started playing up much more before the teaching practice sessions. Error correction on the spot and having to explain the meaning of words spontaneously presented quite a challenge at times. However, in retrospect now that I’m teaching German as a foreign language I can say that this isn’t so much easier in my native language! I’m probably just more confident in admitting when I don’t know the answer to a question straightaway.

CELTA course non-native speaker conclusion

Looking back, the Celta course has been the best course I have ever taken, one of my biggest challenges and achievements. Passing the course with a Pass B showed me that it isn’t all about having perfect English. I’m now in the position to compare teaching English with teaching my mother tongue and I’ve realised that the advantage of knowing what your students are going through is a major advantage in connecting with them.

Whether you are a non-native or native speaker I can highly recommend taking a CELTA course or Trinity CertTESOL course. It was a very steep learning curve but it was a very rewarding experience. I wouldn’t want to miss the invaluable feedback during teaching practice which greatly boasted my confidence in the classroom!

Cactus TEFL is an admissions and advice service for quality teacher training courses worldwide. Cactus works with well-known course providers to offer CELTA, TESOL, equivalent and online courses in over 90 locations across 36 countries. Cactus TEFL also offers free post-course careers advice and support, as well as access to our very own TEFL jobs board and job alerts.

TEFL Course Offers

Qualify for less! The best TEFL course offers worldwide.

At Cactus we regularly receive TEFL course offers from our partner schools across the world. Check below for our latest TEFL course offers and discounts to become a qualified English teacher.

Location Course on offer Offer details Price Validity
Galapagos Islands, Ecuador  Celta plus volunteering (8 weeks)bigstock-Sea-Lion-small 4 week Celta course plus 4 weeks volunteering, accommodation included! Only 1,980 USD! Throughout 2015
Brittany, France 5-week Celta Students in the garden at CIEL Early bird discount – pay by end of June and get 10% off! Only 1,530 EUR! Course starting end of August 2015
Rome, Italy 4-week Trinity CertTESOL New lower course price, save EUR 200! Only 1,599 EUR!
Courses in 2015
Valencia, Spain 4-week Celta New lower course price! Only 1450 EUR! Throughout 2015
Prague, Czech Republic 4-week Trinity CertTESOL Early bird discount, save 100 EUR if you pay in full 2 months in advance! Only 1300 EUR! Throughout 2015
Barcelona, Spain 4-week Trinity CertTESOL Early bird discount, save 100 EUR if you pay in full 2 months in advance! Only 1400 EUR! Throughout 2015
Budapest, Hungary 4-week Celta £100 off any future course in 2015, when you pay in full at least 5 weeks in advance of the start date! From £899 Throughout 2015

 

CELTA and Trinity: Which TEFL course is for you?

What is the difference between the Cambridge CELTA and Trinity TESOL?

Both the Cambridge CELTA and Trinity TESOL are English language teaching certificates that are accredited and recognised all over the world. As a result there are actually more similarities between the two courses than differences, but we shall look at the finer details of both.

Similarities

–          Both are accredited by highly respected institutions: TESOL by Trinity College London and CELTA by University of Cambridge English Language Assessment (formerly University of Cambridge ESOL)

–          Entry criteria for both includes: being over 18 years of age; having a standard of education equivalent to that required for higher education; a good level of spoken and written English; a good level of language awareness

–          Both include 6 hours of teaching practice with real English language students

–          Both courses comprise 5 units of learning

–          Non-native English language speakers with CAE PASS or IELTS 7.0 can apply to both

–          There is no final exam for either and assessment is continuous throughout the course

–          Both courses have a duration of a minimum 4 weeks

Differences

–          The CELTA must last for a minimum of 120 hours, the TESOL for 130 hours

–          The 5 units of learning for Trinity are:

  1. Teaching skills
  2. Language Awareness
  3. The Learner Profile
  4. Materials Assignment
  5. Unknown Language

–          The 5 units of learning of CELTA are:

  1. Learners and Teachers/Teaching and Learning
  2. Language Analysis and Awareness
  3. Language Skills
  4. Planning and Resources for Different Contexts
  5. Developing Teaching Skills and Professionalism

–         An external moderator will mark unit 4 for the TESOL and the whole course will be moderated by an external assessor for the CELTA.

–          For TESOL the final grades are either pass or fail. For CELTA the final grades are Pass A, Pass B, Pass or Fail.

Which one should I take?

Given the similarities between the two courses and that they carry the same weight in terms of international recognition, the main three deciding factors when choosing between the CELTA and TESOL are:

1. Price

The TESOL generally tends to be a little cheaper than the CELTA, although this is not always the case.

2. Location

When it comes to location, large cities will have centres that offer both the TESOL and the CELTA, but smaller cities may only offer one of the courses. If location is a key factor then this may limit your choice or options.

3. Facilities and reputation of the centre

All TESOL and CELTA centres are externally moderated and inspected, and must adhere to the standards and criteria set out by Trinity and Cambridge. However, not all centres are exactly the same in terms of facilities and reputation, and this is often reflected in the price. If you are looking for specific facilities such as air conditioning throughout, a good on-site café or a maximum group size of 12, then you need to look in detail at the specifics of what each centre offers and this may determine which course you choose to go for.

student and teacher looking smiling at the libraryCactus TEFL is an admissions and advice service for quality teacher training courses worldwide. Cactus works with well-known course providers to offer CELTA, TESOL, equivalent and online courses in over 90 locations across 36 countries. Cactus TEFL also offers free post-course careers advice and support, as well as access to our very own TEFL jobs board and job alerts.

 

CELTA Galapagos: Qualify to teach English and volunteer

Would you like to qualify to be a teacher and make a difference to a precious community?

If you want to do something different, memorable and truly rewarding, Cactus has two new programmes in the UNESCO World Heritage Site of the Galapagos Islands that will change both your life and that of the locals.

Located off the coast of Ecuador, the Galapagos Islands form a biological marine reserve that is known the world over for its unique flora and fauna – famous examples being the giant tortoise, the marine iguana and the blue-footed booby.

People have visited the Galapagos for many years to enjoy its stunning and remote natural environment. Few, however, have the opportunity to give something back to this protected archipelago of volcanic islands – the so-called ‘land of craters’ as it was described by the naturalist Charles Darwin. This is where our two fabulous courses on Isla Santa Cruz change things.

Course Options:

1. 4-week CELTA course

For the first time in the Galapagos, teacher trainees can gain their prestigious CELTA (Certificate of English Language Teaching to Adults) certificate and, if they wish, go on to participate in important sustainable development and environmental protection projects.

Cost = USD $1,700 (currently £1,133)

2. 4-week CELTA course + 4 weeks volunteering

A set programme combining the 4-week CELTA course and a 4-week volunteer project. This is a fantastic opportunity to gain first-hand teaching experience directly after completing your course. The price includes the 4-week CELTA course, a 4-week volunteering programme and acccommodation for the whole duration.

Cost = USD $1,980 (currently £1,320)

How can you help?

Helping to educate the local population is an integral part of the CELTA course, and our new CELTA & Volunteering programme is a unique opportunity to volunteer on the islands once your course is complete. Much of the population of the Galapagos is Spanish speaking, so recently-qualified teachers can offer valuable assistance in teaching English to the locals. At present there are about 25 teachers, only one of whom meets the required level of English to do the CELTA. They really need qualified volunteers to stay on after the course and help educate the local community, whose main source of income is the tourism industry.

The municipal authorities in the Galapagos are particularly keen to help with this project as they see it as a win-win situation for both the volunteer teachers and the native population. It is a chance to spend time in this precious environment as much more than a tourist and do something truly rewarding and memorable.

galapagos

The CELTA course

The Cambridge CELTA, along with the Trinity CertTESOL, is the most respected English language teaching qualification worldwide. CELTA Galapagos is a specific project under the broader training structure. As a Cambridge English Language Authorised Centre, it is their mission to provide you, the students, with the highest quality teacher training that will give you the experience and confidence you need to teach English anywhere in the world to non-native speakers.

The CELTA Galapagos staff are passionate professionals from the UK, Ecuador, Australia and Canada, who have come together to design this CELTA course to address the specific needs of their candidates in one of the most exotic locations on Earth.

Apply to CELTA Galapagos now or contact Cactus TEFL at info@cactustefl.com / 0845 130 4775 for more information. Good luck, and enjoy!

What is doing a TESOL/CELTA course really like? An Insider’s Perspective

Cactus Managing Director Fay Drewry gives us a first-hand account of life as a TEFL trainee in Barcelona

Having decided I wanted to do my TEFL course in Barcelona and try living and working there for a year – hopefully to improve my Spanish – I set about trying to work out which course I should do and at which school. I had never been to Barcelona but I knew instinctively that it would be a city I would love…a city with a beach, and sun, and Gaudi, and chicos guapos…what more could I want?  I spent quite a bit of time trawling through various websites trying to compare TEFL courses and locations and prices, until I came across CactusTEFL.com. Finally a website that explained everything I needed to know, allowed me to compare courses and start dates, plus they were on the end of the phone to help me with my application – great! So I applied, did the pre-interview task, had a Skype interview with the school, and before I knew it I was accepted onto the course. So far so good, and I even managed to book myself onto a part-time Spanish language course, just to make sure I wasn’t just speaking English all the time!

My course expectations

Having always been fairly academic (good A level results, good degree) I didn’t think that doing a 4 week teaching course to become an English language teacher would cause me too many problems. This was not entirely the case. Initially I questioned if I really needed to spend a significant amount of money on learning how to teach a language I already spoke fluently. How hard could it be? A lot harder than I thought, as it turned out.

So I arrived in Barcelona courtesy of Easyjet, and for the duration of the 4 week course I stayed with a family in a nice part of the city. They were lovely. Unfortunately I didn’t get a chance to spend much time with them. Mainly because I spent the majority of my ‘free’ time holed up in my room frantically trying to work out the stages of lesson planning, creating materials with no idea of whether they would actually work in class, and writing assignments that at 4am in the morning didn’t make a lot of sense to me either.  This was essentially, the beginning, middle and end of the course. A learning curve like no other I had ever experienced. It wasn’t that the information was complicated or intellectualised – most of it, in fact, was common sense. There was just A LOT of it.

In at the deep end – the course in detail

There were 18 people on my course, but there were 2 courses running simultaneously, so there were about 35 of us all together. English, Scottish, American, Irish, Canadian, and Dutch. A great mix of people from 18 to 55, with a range of motivations, backgrounds and reasons for doing the course.  Teaching in front of my other 17 classmates started on the second day of the course. Not embarrassing at all.  We had to teach our fellow trainees for 5 minutes about something we knew or were good at – having just left PwC as a trainee accountant (the most boring year of my life) I decided to teach everyone how to complete a balance sheet. Not that this had a lot to do with teaching English but it did get us up, writing on the board, in front of a group of people.  From there on in the rest of the course flew by – everyday filled with so much information to take on board, so many different things to think about, so much to understand. Classroom management, lesson planning, setting of lesson aims, achieving lesson aims, checking meaning of target language, ensuring free practice of target language, error correction, varying interaction patterns, catering for different learner styles – not to mention making the materials for all the activities from scratch. It was a surprise that all 35 of us made it through to the end of the course without having a nervous breakdown (only joking – ish).

Throughout the course everyone teaches for a total of 6 hours. Each time was a pretty nerve racking experience – but with each teaching practice the feedback from the tutor helped me to identify which areas I was getting right and which points I needed to work on. This made me feel like I was actually progressing and improving, and allowed me to focus on just a couple of things at a time – rather than trying to get everything right, which was basically impossible. We all had mid-course and end of course tutorials with our tutors, which made us aware of exactly how we were getting on and if we were on track to pass the course. This was an extremely positive aspect of the course – as there were no nasty surprises at the end with someone thinking they were doing great when actually they were going to fail.

So, I got to the end of the course in one piece and passed! What a relief. The lessons learnt were invaluable and there is no way, after having done the TESOL, that I would ever want to stand in front of anyone and try and teach them English without having done the course.

14 years after doing my Trinity TESOL I’m now the Managing Director of CactusTEFL…but that’s another story…

Cactus TEFL is an admissions and advice service for quality teacher training courses worldwide. Cactus works with the majority of well-known course providers to offer CELTA, Trinity CertTESOL, equivalent and online courses in over 90 locations across 36 countries. Cactus TEFL also offers free post-course careers advice and support, as well as access to our very own TEFL jobs board and job alerts.

Cactus Language is a leading provider of language courses in over 120 locations abroad.

CELTA course in Philadelphia: 2013 scholarship winner’s blog

Rumina Iftikhar won our Suzanne Furstner Scholarship in 2013, and this summer she took her prize of a 4-week CELTA course in Philadelphia. Here is Rumina’s blog article telling us about her experience. Congratulations Rumina – we’re delighted you gained so much from it!

The Cambridge CELTA certification! It had been my dream for the longest time. This year that dream came true and I got the opportunity to go to the US to do my CELTA. Back home now, I often think about those four weeks that I spent in Philadelphia. It was a memorable time and has left me with many fond memories. At the time, of course, there was no opportunity to think of anything beyond the CELTA. Would I pass? Would I make it through the next teaching practice? What if nobody liked me? It was a new place I was going to and I didn’t know much about their ways and customs.

I soon realized that the CELTA is a lot more than a course that just teaches you ESL techniques. It forces you to challenge yourself, to improve, to grow, to be more, more professional, more determined. It teaches you about life. You are thrown together with complete strangers and these strangers become your family for the next four weeks. You grow to love them, to rely on them for comfort, support and encouragement. For me, it was not easy leaving my family and going off to a country half way across the globe from mine. On the first day I was sure I would fall flat on my face walking in through the door, or say something incredibly stupid and become the butt of all jokes. Instead I found a group of people who, though as uncertain and unsure of what to expect as I was, were incredibly warm and open. For the next four weeks, though I missed my family, I never felt alone. For one, you don’t have much time to feel or think about anything else and secondly, should you stumble or make a mistake, your colleagues are there for you. Always!

During the CELTA, we were thrown into the deep end of the pool almost immediately! Now I didn’t know much about the course so it came as a shock when I was told, on the first day, that I would be the one to teach the first class. Of course, the trainers helped. Their advice and help was invaluable. But the thought of teaching a class while being assessed not only by my trainer, but also by my group members, was daunting! However, if you prepare well beforehand things never go as badly as you fear. I did a lot of things I shouldn’t have done and it was not a perfect class, but the students seemed to enjoy it and that gave me the courage to keep going.   During the feedback session, I was gratified by the encouraging and supportive words of my peers and trainer. Of course that doesn’t mean it’s all praise and nothing else. If you do the CELTA, please leave your ego at the door. Because the feedback is meant to point out not just what you did well, but also what you didn’t do and should have done! So, though couched in the nicest possible way, it is brutally honest. It has to be! You need to learn and quickly. The course simply isn’t long enough to give you time to nurse your ego or learn at your own pace!

The input sessions in the morning were a lot of fun. We got to learn by being the students, by first-hand experience. There was a lot of laughter and a lot of bonding. Then lunch break and the teaching practice. Did we go out for nice, leisurely lunches? No! We ate on our feet and then got down to preparing for the teaching practice. The ‘lunch break’ saw me running between printer and photocopier nonstop. And I had to be quick because everyone else needed the printer too. Actually, I think I had lunch a grand total of ONCE during the course!

The best part of my day was the long walk home. In the morning I would just take the bus, to ensure I wasn’t late. But in the evening, I’d walk back. I still get nostalgic when I think about those walks. It was the only time of the day when I’d put all thoughts of studying out of my mind and the lovely sunshine, the beautiful Philadelphia skyline and the smiling people helped me unwind and prepare for the long homework sessions. For once at home you DO need to put in a few hours to prepare for your next teaching practice. And you should. You don’t want to enter a class unprepared and not ready to deal with questions the students may have. That can be embarrassing and, of course, will affect your grade.

But when it was done, I was almost overwhelmed by the sense of achievement that washed over me. It was over. I’d done it! What did I take away from the course? The knowledge that if I can survive this then I must be made of tougher stuff than I thought, a head teeming with new ideas and creative teaching methodologies and friends who’d warmed my heart. People I didn’t know even existed a month ago, and yet they’d seen me at my worst, at my best, seen me stumble, picked me up and encouraged me when I didn’t think I was doing anything right.

Since I’ve been back a lot of people have asked me if the course was as grueling as people say it is. My answer is, yes! It’s not a course for the fainthearted or for those who think that they will sail by with a modicum of effort. It takes everything out of you and you do NOT have a moment to relax! But is it worth it? I’d answer (again) with a resounding YES!   These four weeks have taught me more about myself than I could have ever imagined. Most importantly, I learned that teaching can be fun! My pet peeve against teaching had always been that I felt that conventional teaching techniques never left much room for the students to enjoy learning. But after the CELTA I have learnt to incorporate fun in my lesson plans. I can’t wait to use all I’ve learnt on my students, to watch as they take charge of their own learning and see how interactive and lively the classroom can be! To watch as attitudes change from resigned boredom to active interest and they grow to love the language as I do. The CELTA has opened my mind! Not only has it given me oodles of confidence, it has also left me thirsting to learn even more and keep growing and improving as an ESL teacher!

Rumina won a CELTA course through the Suzanne Furstner Scholarship, which gives away a prestigious CELTA or Trinity CertTESOL course each year.

Can I teach English without a CELTA?

If you want to teach English, it pays to arm yourself with the best qualification you can get

You can teach English without a CELTA (or equivalent) but it is advisable to obtain some kind of English teaching qualification if you are intending to earn a proper living as a teacher for a decent amount of time.

The Cambridge CELTA (Certificate of English Language Teaching to Adults) is one of the two most prestigious and internationally recognised teaching qualifications – the other being the Trinity CertTESOL – and it is these two certificates that will open the door to the most competitive teaching jobs the world over. Read more information on the CELTA and CertTESOL here.

After these two certificates you have equivalent and online ELT (English Language Teaching) courses. Equivalent courses include certificates such as the TESOL, the SIT TESOL and the TEFL certificate and they cover teaching skills, language awareness and teaching practice much like the CELTA and CertTESOL. They are generally cheaper and are sufficient for teaching jobs in parts of the world where there is less competition or if you intend to teach on a voluntary, informal or temporary basis.

Online courses are a flexible and convenient way to learn about English Language Teaching (ELT), but as they do not provide teaching practice they are more appropriate if you already have teaching experience.

In summary, you don’t necessarily need a CELTA to teach English: a CELTA (or CertTESOL) will give the best chance of finding work upon completion of your course, but other qualifications and factors such as teaching experience and previous education (see Do I need a degree to do an ELT course?) will also affect your job prospects.

Visit Cactus TEFL or call 0845 130 4775 for advice about any aspect of ELT courses or jobs.

Cactus TEFL is an admissions and advice service for quality teacher training courses worldwide. We work with the majority of well-known course providers to offer CELTA, Trinity CertTESOL, equivalent and online courses in over 90 locations across 36 countries. Cactus TEFL also offers free post-course careers advice and support, as well as access to our very own TEFL jobs board and job alerts.

 

Do I need a degree to do an English Language Teaching course?

ELT Course Requirements

Although the Cambridge CELTA and Trinity CertTESOL are classified as Level 5 qualifications within the national framework (university level), you do not need a degree to apply.

Applicants are usually university graduates or have attained a standard of education that would allow entry to higher education in their country. That said, each applicant is judged on his or her individual merits. Factors taken into consideration with every application include motivation, language awareness and previous work or teaching experience.

ELT Job Requirements

A degree is not essential to obtain work teaching English upon completion of your course. It may, however, help – for example in locations where competition for jobs is high, or in obtaining a work permit.

If you don’t have a degree, you have better chances of finding work in locations where there is less competition and at a time when teachers are needed. Equally, if you don’t have a degree but have some teaching experience on your CV, your job prospects will improve dramatically.

For further advice and support on ELT courses and jobs, visit Cactus TEFL or call 0845 130 4775.

Cactus TEFL is an admissions and advice service for quality teacher training courses worldwide. We work with the majority of well-known course providers to offer CELTA, Trinity CertTESOL, equivalent and online courses in over 90 locations across 36 countries. You will receive free, impartial advice every step of the way, and you can trust us to help you choose the right English language teaching course for you.

 

Is the CELTA or TESOL difficult?

Challenging, yes, but very rewarding

To complete the Cambridge CELTA or Trinity CertTESOL successfully, you need to be committed and devote your full attention to the course. The 4-week full-time course is intense and demanding, with lessons and teaching practice during the day and several hours’ homework on the evenings and weekends. You are unlikely to have much free time or be able to think of much else apart from English language teaching!

You will feel challenged, tested and also immensely rewarded. You will see the hard work pay off and you will thrive on the support and friendship of your fellow students, who are likely to become and remain good friends. The sense of achievement you feel at the end, combined with the ability to find decent, paid work in far-flung corners of the globe, will far outweigh any late nights studying or initial trepidation at standing up in front of your peers to deliver your first lesson.

It is a difficult course, but many people pass each month and it is certainly within the reach of the majority of people who have an interest in people and language.

Good luck, and for further advice and support visit Cactus TEFL or call 0845 130 4775.

Cactus TEFL is an admissions and advice service for quality teacher training courses worldwide. We work with the majority of well-known course providers to offer CELTA, Trinity CertTESOL, equivalent and online courses in over 90 locations across 36 countries. You will receive free, impartial advice every step of the way, and you can trust us to help you choose the right English language teaching course for you.

Where is the best place to take TEFL?

The world is your oyster when it comes to training and teaching English, but where is the best place to take TEFL?

With ELT (English Language Teaching) or TEFL (Teaching English as a Foreign Language) courses available in locations ranging from London and New York to Buenos Aires and Shanghai, your teaching qualification really is your passport to a new life elsewhere, if that’s what you wish. The question is, where?

If you don’t already have a strong preference for a particular country, location or course, a good starting point is to think about where you eventually intend to teach. There are various advantages to taking your ELT course in the same place you hope to teach, as follows:

  • You will be perfectly placed to start looking for a job before you have finished your course, with good access to local job vacancies
  • Schools prefer to see teachers face-to-face, so you will be able to visit and attend interviews in person
  • Some training centres guarantee you a job if you pass your ELT course with them
  • It makes sense logistically and financially
  • You will meet people on your course who also planning on staying in the city/area, meaning that you have a ready-made network of people; this is particularly helpful if you are venturing on your own

If you speak a foreign language, you might naturally gravitate towards a location where that language is spoken; this will enable you to keep up the language and it will prove incredibly useful when it comes to settling in to a new place.

Whatever stage you’re at, visit Cactus TEFL or call 0845 130 4775 for advice about any aspect of ELT courses or jobs.

Cactus TEFL is an admissions and advice service for quality teacher training courses worldwide. We work with the majority of well-known course providers to offer CELTA, Trinity CertTESOL, equivalent and online courses in over 90 locations across 36 countries. Cactus TEFL also offers free post-course careers advice and support, as well as access to our very own TEFL jobs board and job alerts.