Teaching English as a Foreign Language - TEFL courses are meant for teachers teaching English to students who are not native English speakers. The Cambridge CELTA is the leading course among the TEFL courses, giving individuals, teachers or non-teachers, the qualification and skills needed for the job.
What are the opinions of those who took it?
“Although very intense, the CELTA course has to be where I have learned the most about teaching. I like how the course is mostly practical and you continuously receive and give feedback about lessons. I’m definitely prepared to work as an English teacher! The personal attention you receive is excellent! Nevertheless, the course requires a lot of time, dedication and hard work so trainees must be prepared. There is a reason why the course is called intense.”
Diana Graur, Romania
“People asked me why I was doing this course if I have been a teacher for so many years and, sometimes, when I had to do assignments and TPs at the same time and I thought I couldn’t cope, I also wondered why myself. But I have learned a lot; this course will be really useful when I go back to school and I hope my students will benefit from all I have learned. I’ll definitively do things in a different way from now on. I’m tired but so glad I have done it.”
Marta J., Spain
“This course will prepare you to teach in the real world. The course is tough; there’s a lot of work. The learning curve is steep if you put in the effort and you’ll be rewarded for it if you do. The feedback you receive from the tutors is specific and can be very useful. You get loads of opportunity to put what you learn into practice. I would recommend this course to anyone planning to become an ESL teacher. You will have to work hard, put in loads of time outside of class hours, reflect on your strengths and weaknesses and quickly put into practice the vast amount of knowledge your receive in the input sessions. Before the course I had no idea about teaching or what an ESL classroom was like. After 4 weeks and a lot of hard work I now feel ready and excited to start teaching in the real world.”
Nicholas S., England
“I honestly can't imagine teaching without the knowledge I've gained through the CELTA training. The trainers were so accessible and patient. You'll have your work cut out for you, but the course might just be the most rewarding weeks of your life! You'll learn practical, hands-on strategies for teaching that you'll be able to implement immediately. There are a lot of TEFL courses on the market, but the CELTA training is the gold standard!”
Ramona Ivan, Romania
“With the CELTA training, not only did I learn the teaching techniques necessary to be a competent teacher, but in addition it also changed my attitude towards teaching and learning. Before doing the CELTA, I didn't like receiving criticism from others, but now I understand that this is part of becoming a great teacher. I would definitely recommend this programme to others, but with the understanding that it is very intensive and rigorous (i.e. when they say that the course will require evening and weekend studying and preparation, they are not exaggerating!)”
David L., Wales
“The CELTA was a very intense learning experience with a lot of hard work but we always had the support of our teachers and my peers on the course (we all became friends very quickly because we were spending so much time together). It was intense at times but ultimately really rewarding and I probably learnt more in my month of CELTA than I did in my whole first year of university. One of the great things about CELTA is that it's not age restrictive - although I did mine at 20, my dad is now considering doing one at 60! All you need is to be focused and committed because it's hard work, but I would definitely say it's well worth the effort!”
Alexandra H., USA
Do you want to know more on TEFL courses? Learn more about the CELTA, the "gold standard" of TEFL courses!