What is the CELTA?
The Certificate in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (CELTA) is an introductory course for people who aim to become English Language Teachers. The CELTA is primarily pursued by candidates with little or no teaching experience, or by teachers with some experience but no formal teaching qualification. The course introduces candidates to the basics of lesson planning and successful classroom management and equips candidates with the practical skills they need to successfully teach in a variety of English Language Teaching contexts around the world.
Why should I get a CELTA?
The CELTA is a highly respected qualification from Cambridge English, part of the University of Cambridge. It is an internationally recognised and sought-after certificate. Most reputable language schools in Vienna require a CELTA and even people with teaching experience find it very difficult to teach at a language school in Vienna without a CELTA.
Many people who decide to get a CELTA do so when they are looking for a change in their careers. They have backgrounds in other fields, but are interested in branching out or simply challenging themselves. The CELTA gives them the confidence to try out something new in a field which is highly regarded. Many of our trainees in Vienna have discovered that teaching is their passion while taking the CELTA course.
9 out of 10 employers in the UK and 7 out of 10 worldwide (including the UK) ask for CELTA. Source: 500 English language teaching job adverts posted across 23 international industry employment websites during April 2015.
What are my career opportunities after earning a CELTA?
With a CELTA, you are qualified to teach at language schools in Vienna. The market in Vienna is mostly tailored towards Business English and many of the language schools will send you to a company to give in-house classes there. There are also opportunities to teach General English at language schools or adult education centres. The CELTA in Vienna gives you teaching practice in Business English as well as General English.
Having a CELTA also means that you can travel the world and work as an English Language Teacher. Language schools all over the world look for CELTA-trained teachers. The CELTA is a 120-hour course and is at level 5 on the Qualifications and Credit Framework. There are many online TESOL courses but these aren’t accredited or internationally recognized like the CELTA is.
What will I learn on the CELTA?
There are two main components to the CELTA course: input and teaching practice. During the hands-on input sessions, you’ll learn about teaching methodology and brush up on your language awareness, among other things. Teaching practice gives you a chance to create lesson plans and try out teaching approaches with real students. You’ll get a significant amount of support from your tutors who are here to help you on your path to becoming a certified English Language Teacher.
The CELTA is assessed on a continual basis throughout the course; there is no final exam.
Is the course hard?
Well, yes! The CELTA is a challenging and intensive course and you can expect to be quite busy for the duration of the course. However, our trainees regularly tell us how fulfilling and rewarding they found the course. Your tutors on the course support you throughout.
Who will my classmates be?
Candidates in Vienna come from a variety of backgrounds. We have candidates from all over the world, some based in Vienna and some who come to Austria just to attend the CELTA. Some of our candidates are experienced teachers but most have little or no formal teaching experience. We have a mix of native and non-native speakers and there are 12 trainees on each course.
Who will my tutors be?
Our CELTA tutors are extremely experienced in the field of English Language Teaching. Each tutor started out his/her teaching career with a CELTA and additionally has a DELTA or other diploma in English Language Teaching. You will have two to three different tutors and each adds something unique to the instruction and feedback.