Cambridge CELTA Certificate Course: London, UK

Teacher Training in London, England

CELTA Course Introduction

CELTA is the Cambridge Certificate in English Language Teaching to Adults. CELTA is an initial qualification in teaching English as a foreign language. It is the best known and most widely taken initial English Language Teaching (ELT) qualification of its kind in the world, taken by over 10,000 people each year.

With the CELTA qualification, a wide range of exciting ELT career options will open up for you, not least the prospect of working in your favourite locations around the world.

CELTA is accepted throughout the world by organisations which employ English language teachers. It is also recognised by the British Council and the British Institute of English Language Teaching.

Who is the CELTA course for?

CELTA is suitable for those with little or no teaching experience. It is suitable for anyone who wishes to teach English as a foreign language to adults or work in ELT within the UK or overseas.

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 looking for a change of career or rewarding career break.

Most candidates see CELTA as the starting point of a long-term career in English language teaching. For students working on their gap year, CELTA is a passport to teaching overseas and an ideal way to travel the world whilst developing new skills.

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CELTA Course Entry Criteria

All applicants for the CELTA course in London must have:

• The recommended minimum age is 20, although if you are between the ages of 18 and 20 we can accept you if we feel you will benefit from the course.
• There is no maximum age, mature candidates are more than welcome
• A good standard of education (at least equivalent to that required for higher education)
• A formal qualification at National Qualifications Framework Level 3 (for example A-levels, High School Certificate, BTEC National Diploma) or equivalent.
• Native or Non-native speakers with a good understanding of English that will enable a range of levels to be taught.
• When non native, level of English equivalent to C1 or C2 on the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR).
• No previous teaching experience required

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CELTA Course Structure & Content - London

Structure:

The CELTA course in London is offered as:

• Full-time course (4 weeks)
  • Monday - Friday 10:15am - 18:30pm; during Jun-Sept, full-time courses are 12:30pm - 20:30pm
• Part-time course (13 weeks)
  • Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays 18:30pm - 21:30pm and on six alternate Saturdays 10:30am - 16:00pm.

Note: Course content and assessments are identical for either option.

Content:

The London CELTA course is designed for people with little or no previous teaching experience.

During the course, you will 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 with real foreign students, observation of experienced teachers in the classroom and completion of a range of practically focused written assignments.

The course comprises the following areas:

• Teaching practice (TP)
  • Teaching practice (TP) and feedback with peers and a tutor. Through the lessons that you prepare and deliver, you will discover the principles of effective teaching.
• Sessions
  • Input sessions with our team of teacher trainers. You will explore the most up-to-date trends in ELT and discover how these can be applied to your classroom teaching.
• Observation of classes
  • Observation of classes given by experienced teachers. These will enable you to see some of the ideas you are encountering put into practice and expose you to other classroom techniques you might find useful.
• Practically focused assignments
  • Four practically focussed assignments which encourage you to analyse teaching techniques, language areas, educational materials and learning styles.

Course Requirements

• Full attendance on the CELTA course*
• 6 hours of supervised and assessed teaching practice at 3 different levels
• 6 hours of classroom observation of experienced teachers, 2 of which may be on video

On-going maintenance of a portfolio to be submitted to the external Assessor for moderation during the course and to course tutors at the end of the course for final assessment purposes

*Full attendance and punctuality are very important. If you will be unavoidably absent or late at any time, please inform your Academic Administrator in advance. However, under no circumstances can a candidate missing any of the six hours of assessed teaching practice or with incomplete written assignments pass the course.

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CELTA Course Assessment - London

You are assessed continuously during the CELTA course and there is no final examination. An external assessor, who is appointed by University of Cambridge Local Examinations Syndicate (UCLES) moderates each course.

We will help you prepare thoroughly for each assessment.

It should be noted that the assessment will not be based on your performance on any one occasion, but will be related to your development on the CELTA course and will include consideration of your ability to respond to feedback and identify appropriate goals to make your teaching more effective.

The external Assessor will come to the college for one or two days during your course. The assessor may observe input sessions, read samples of written work and observe sample TP and feedback sessions in order to standardise grading and ensure fairness.

Assessment Components of the CELTA course

You will be assessed in two areas:

1. Teaching Practice
2. Written Assignments

Assessment of Teaching Practice

Teaching practice is graded by continuous assessment but this does not mean you’ll be expected to deliver perfect lessons each time. At the beginning of the course you will be assessed against criteria relevant to what can be expected at that stage of your development. Later, your teaching practice tutor will be focusing on the following main areas:

• Your development over the course
• The consistency of your achievement in relation to all the assessment criteria
• Your ability to manage the whole learning process
• The range of lesson types in which you have demonstrated competence
• Your ability to cope with learners at different levels
• The amount of support given by the trainer

All lessons will be assessed as either satisfactory or unsatisfactory for that stage of the course. Please bear in mind that many trainees receive an unsatisfactory lesson occasionally.

If there is any possibility you may not pass the course, you will be made aware of this by the Academic Administrator, so unless this has been the case an unsatisfactory lesson should be seen as something to learn from, but not a major cause for concern.

Teaching Materials for the CELTA teaching practice

Your teaching practice group of five or six trainees will be given a copy of the course book that the class is using, as well as the accompanying teacher’s book and course cassette. Each day’s teaching point will normally be based on the course book.

An important part of your teaching practice is assessing the material in the course book and deciding when and how to adapt/replace it. As a result of this you will be encouraged to find other teaching material and to create your own original activities.

In the earlier teaching practice sessions your teaching practice tutor will give you plenty of guidance about what materials to use and how to exploit them in class. However, when you go on to teach your final lessons, you will be expected to have developed sufficient expertise to be able to decide what to teach yourself. Overall, you will be expected to teach a wide variety of different types of lessons during your teaching practice.

Assessment of Written Assignments

This component consists of three written assignments.

Deadlines for these assignments can be found in your timetable. Any assignment which is not handed in on time may not be marked. If you are having difficulty with an assignment or need to discuss an extension, see the Academic Administrator as soon as possible.

Assignments are internally assessed by a minimum of two tutors on the criteria above, and externally moderated by the Assessor. Assignments which do not reach the required standard may be re-submitted once only.

You are required to confirm in writing that all the assignments are your own work – this does not mean that you cannot discuss assignments or help each other prepare, but any collaboration which results in the submission of substantially similar assignments is not acceptable. Cambridge ESOL takes plagiarism very seriously and if this is suspected, may withhold the CELTA certificate.

Professional Development

This is based on your overall performance and commitment during the course. We will provide you with regular feedback on your development throughout your training.

To be successful, you 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 Local Examinations Syndicate.

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CELTA Course Dates & Course Fees - London

Full-time Courses

Monday - Friday 10:15am - 18:30pm; during Jun-Sept, full-time courses are 12:30pm - 20:30pm.

Apply now!

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Part-time Courses

Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays 18:30pm - 21:30pm and on six alternate Saturdays 10:30am - 16:00pm.

Apply now!

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How to apply – CELTA London

• If you believe you cover the minimum requirements to be considered as a candidate for any of the courses mentioned above, ask for the application package of the course that interests you.
• Note: The demand for vacancies on these courses is very high. Applicants are advised to apply well in advance before the start of a course, although, occasionally, there could be places available due to last-minute cancellations.
• Prospective trainees must complete the pre-Interview task and return this document to the Programmes Coordinator including an updated copy of their CV long time in advance prior the course starting date. These documents can be emailed as attachments to the Coordinator.
• Applicants who have satisfactorily completed the pre-interview task will be invited to attend an interview shortly after this date at the School or on the telephone if the candidate is not based within the London region.
• Successful applicants will receive an offer of a place on the CELTA course of their choice immediately, if there is a place available.
• After receiving a payment request from the School, the deposit must be paid within 7 days of the place being offered in order to secure your place. On receipt of your deposit the CELTA tutors will send you documents to prepare you further.
• The balance is normally due 4 weeks, at the latest, before the course starts.
• Note: There is room sometimes for last minute applications due to cancellations and therefore, room for the possibility of receiving late payments, but always, before starting date.

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How to Pay

Payments (deposit & balance) can be made directly to the School via Bank Transfer (add £15 for bank charges) or debit / credit card (there is a 3% surcharge for credit cards) – all major cards accepted, except Diner’s Club and American Express.

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Conditions of Enrolment

Please note that enrolment on our courses is subject to the following:

1. Deposits are non-refundable.
2. You must pay the balance of your course fees no later than 4 weeks before your course begins. Otherwise, you may be placed on a reserve list and risk losing your place. We will make other arrangements for you if yours is a late booking or your interview date is within 3 weeks of the start of your course.
3. Course cancellation fees: If you cancel your course more than 4 weeks before the course starts – full refund of course fees less cancellation fee £100 in addition to deposit £100; if you cancel your course less than 4 weeks before the course starts – no refund of course fees. You also lose the Accommodation Finding Fee and Homestay deposit (if applicable) if you book accommodation in London and give less than 7 day’s notice of cancellation.
4. Please note that there are no refunds if you leave the course once it has started. However, in the case of extreme or unavoidable circumstances such as serious illness, we may allow you to join a later course upon payment of a second course deposit (£100). It will be at the Teacher Training Centre’s absolute discretion to deem whether or not the circumstances were extreme or unavoidable. The date for joining a later course would be mutually agreed between you and the Training Centre London. Courses may only be deferred once.
5. The Training Centre cannot be held liable for any losses to trainees other than those covered by its public liability insurance for its London once. Trainees taking courses outside their home country are strongly advised to take medical / personal effects /cancellation, etc. insurance to cover themselves. Trainees should not purchase their flight tickets (if applicable) for courses more than three weeks in advance of the course starting date.
6. Please note that in arranging accommodation, the Training Centre London is acting as the supplier’s agent.
7. The College cannot be held responsible for the loss or theft of personal belongings.
8. On part-time courses, some Mondays may be replaced by Wednesdays if there are any Bank
9. Holiday Mondays within the course dates.
10. Your course fees cover the following: use of the Training Centre’s Library & study materials; Internet access.
11. You will be required to pay for any damage to photocopiers and/or printers caused by negligent use. This includes, but is not restricted to, the use of incorrect acetates.

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