What is CELTA?

CELTA is Cambridge ESOL's Certificate in The English Language Teaching to Adults, one of the world's foremost initial qualifications for people who wish to become professional teachers of English language. It is accepted throughout the world by organisations which employ English language teachers.The CELTA has been accredited by the UK Qualifications and Curriculum Authority QCA at level 4 on the National Qualification Framework. Cambridge ESOL also works with international ELT organisations to ensure the acceptance of CELTA globally. More than 10,000 candidates complete a CELTA course each year.

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Who is CELTA for?

Candidates come from all walks of life. Many are recent university graduates, but others are already qualified as teachers of other subjects or are professionals in other fields looking for a change of career or a career break.

Most candidates see CELTA as the starting point of a long-term career in English language teaching. CELTA is suitable for those who wish to work in the field of ELT either within or outside their own country. Some candidates may have a short-term motive for teaching English and enrol on a CELTA course to gain the confidence and skills to teach English professionally.

CELTA is also suitable for students working on gap year programmes which include teaching English to adults.

We recommend that candidates should have a standard of education equivalent to that required for entry into higher education. It is generally recommended that candidates should be aged 20 or over, but candidates aged between 18 and 20 can be accepted at the centre's discretion. Applicants do not need to have English as their first language, but must have a standard of English which will enable them to teach at a range of levels.

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What do the courses cover?

CELTA courses are designed for people with no previous teaching experience. During the course, candidates develop familiarity with the principles of effective teaching and a range of practical skills for teaching English to adult learners. The course includes teaching practice, observation of experienced teachers in the classroom and completion of a range of practically focussed written assignments.

The course programmes are designed by individual centres, based on specifications produced by the University of Cambridge ESOL Examinations (Cambridge ESOL).

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How are candidates assessed?

Candidates are assessed continuously during the course and there is no final examination. An external assessor, who is appointed by Cambridge, moderates each course.

There are three components of assessment:

Assessment of Teaching Practice
Candidates teach for a total of six hours, working with classes at two levels of ability. The assessment is based on the candidate's overall performance at the end of the six hours.
Written Assignments
There are four written assignments. Two assignments explore aspects of teaching and learning English at adult level, one involves work on the language system of English and one is a reflection on classroom teaching.

The assignments are marked by the centre, and moderated by an external assessor appointed by UCLES.

Professional Development
This is based on a candidate's overall performance on the course.

To be successful, candidates must pass all components. There are three grades - Pass, Pass 'B' and Pass 'A'.
Successful candidates receive a Certificate awarded by the University of Cambridge ESOL. The centre also provides a report on performance and achievement for each candidate.

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What is the relationship between CELTA and the 'RSA' and 'TEFL' certificates?

Cambridge ESOL is a division of The University of Cambridge Local Examinations Syndicate (UCLES). UCLES took over the RSA certificates and diplomas for teachers in 1988. Some people still refer to the 'RSA certificate' but they mean CELTA, which is now one of the Cambridge ESOL Language Awards. (Cambridge ESOL Teaching Awards is the English language teacher-training unit at UCLES). 'TEFL' is a general term which is sometimes used to refer to qualifications for English language teachers; CELTA is by far the best known and most widely taken initial qualification of its kind.

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Quality and fairness

Cambridge ESOL places great importance on the quality of all its examinations and assessment services. To help ensure that all CELTA courses are run to the same standard:

all CELTA centres are approved by Cambridge ESOL
all courses are moderated by an external assessor
Cambridge ESOL holds regular standardisation meetings for centres and assessors

CELTA courses are run in accordance with an equal opportunities policy to ensure that they are accessible to all candidates who meet the entry requirements

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Course Dates for 2009

05 January – 30 February
02 February – 27 February
02 March – 27 March
04 May – 29 May
01 June – 26 June
29 June – 24 July
27 July – 21 August
24 August – 18 September
19 October – 13 November
16 November – 11 December

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Course Dates for 2010

11 January – 05 February
08 February – 05 March
12 April – 07 May
10 May – 04 June
07 June – 02 July
05 July – 30 July
02 August – 27 August
27 September – 22 October
25 October – 19 November
22 November – 17 December

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How to apply and prepare for the course?

[ Download CELTA application form ] Complete the application form by hand and fax or post it to us.
We will evaluate your application and call you in for an interview.

On the day of the interview, you will complete a 45-minute written task after which you will be interviewed to establish your strengths and weaknesses and to determine if the course is appropriate for you.

Once you have been accepted on the course and have paid your deposit, you will be given a pre-course task to complete. In addition to completing the task we suggest you begin reading the prescribed methodology book. Both the pre-course task and the methodology book form part of your preparation for the course.

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