TEACHER TRAINING

CELTA

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The Cambridge Certificate of English Language Teaching to Adults (CELTA) is probably the most widely recognised international qualification in the field of English language teaching or TESOL (Teaching English as a Second or Other Language). CELTA is currently offered at the Hobart campus.

The 120-hour course provides a very practical pre-service qualification for English language teachers. With careful guidance from their trainers, participants are planning and delivering English lessons to groups of students from the beginning of the course. Throughout the course, participants also observe lessons given by experienced teachers, and develop skills in language analysis and teaching methodology.

A typical CELTA candidate is someone who is going to live overseas and wants to teach English as a job while exploring other countries and cultures. They may or may not already be a trained teacher (the course caters for people who have no teaching experience). Other candidates have often been teaching overseas already, without any qualifications, and want to gain a formal qualification to enhance their career opportunities. Alternatively, participants may already be experienced teachers in another field and want to develop skills in the TESOL area.

The CELTA is a pre-requisite for teaching in many English language centres here in Australia, and it is also held in high regard by employers overseas where there is a great demand for English language teachers.

For many teachers, the CELTA is the start of their career. After doing a CELTA course and gaining some teaching experience, they decide to do further study in Education or TESOL at University; and several Australian Universities give some recognition for CELTA within their TESOL courses.

Currently, the CELTA course is conducted at over 200 centres in about 50 different countries, but its syllabus and delivery are very carefully moderated by the controlling body, Cambridge ESOL (a division of Cambridge University), in the UK.

If you would like to contact a CELTA course tutor at the ELC, phone the English Language Centre on 03 6226 2534 or e-mail English.Language@utas.edu.au.