Florence, Italy is a historic location, home to Dante Alighieri, Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo, Galileo and it could be home for your CELTA course too!
Florence, capital of the Tuscany region, is a city bursting with art, culture, cuisine, boutique shopping and amazing sights at every turn. The CELTA in Florence allows you to enjoy an array of artistic and architectural masterpieces even during a stroll on your lunchbreak! The city itself is a UNESCO World Heritage site, so you will be always be surrounded by the magnificent Italian Renaissance art and culture.
The Florence CELTA can be taken online as well, with convenient, high-quality CELTA courses from friendly, experienced CELTA tutors. Florence CELTA courses have had a 100% success rate for trainees since the courses began in spring 2021, due to the rigorous application process, excellent tutors and hard-working students. All courses include a free short online CELTA preparation course and, to further assist you with your post-CELTA career, there is a careers workshop too.
But don’t take our word for it, let’s find out more and see what the tutors and trainees say on what it is like to take the Cambridge CELTA via this stunning location…
What is Florence like as a city?
Jean Scibberas, one of the Florence Main Course Tutors for the Face-to-face course is effusive in her praise of the Tuscan location: “I’ve been CELTA training for several years but never in such a beautiful place. Not only is the school itself a piece of history and the staff at the centre super helpful and efficient, but experiencing the beauty, the arts, the squares, the food, the fashion is an unforgettable experience.”
Una Jones, was a Florence CELTA trainee here and was taken aback by the splendour of the city: “Doing the CELTA course in Florence was an incredible experience. The tutors were really interesting and supportive and the admin team was very friendly and efficient. We had a chance to work with some wonderful students, too. I would definitely recommend doing your CELTA in this environment – even the hardest jobs are made easier by all the beauty and wonder of spending entire days in a beautiful palazzo in the centre of Florence.”
For those candidates taking the face-to-face CELTA course, there is also an optional free Florence orientation to help get your bearings in this magnificent city. If you feel stressed by the CELTA you can also take advantage of free optional yoga sessions too!
What are the tutors like?
Louis Grech, along with Jean Scibberas, is one the Main Course Tutors for the face-to-face CELTA course. He describes his experience in the TEFL world: “I have been in English Language Teaching for more than 40 years. I have been an English language teacher and taught hundreds of both young and adult students hailing from various countries and having a wide variety of academic and professional needs.”
Trainee Patrick Widdall took his Florence CELTA course online: “I thought the course leader (Cansu) was excellent and so was Jean, the other trainer I worked with in the second half of the course, they were supportive. Excellent at their jobs!”
Jacqueline Steponaitis, was a Florence CELTA trainee for the face-to-face course: “This course will push you beyond your comfort zone, test your resolve, and make you question your sanity every single day. That being said, the support from the tutors, administrative staff, and students was amazing. If there was a problem, they were addressed within 24 hours. From printing support to teacher feedback, there was never a time I felt unsupported.”
What is the location like for the face-to-face Florence CELTA centre?
The Florence centre is located right in the heart of the city, meaning the city’s best features are just a short stroll away. CELTA tutor Jean Scibberas explains this better: “The school couldn’t be located in a better place. It is only 10 minutes away from the Duomo. I found it amazing to pass from in front of the cathedral every morning and evening on my way to and from school. I always stopped for a few seconds to take in the wonder of the architecture. In the morning, with hardly any people around the Duomo could be enjoyed totally and selfishly.”
The online CELTA
For some trainees, the convenience of the online CELTA course suits their needs much better, fitting in with their work and family commitments, without additional travel and accommodation costs and with no visa worries either. But is the online CELTA different to the face-to-face CELTA course? Here’s Florence online CELTA course Main Course Tutor Cansu Okan: “The standards are kept the same and having done courses in both contexts, I would say that the trainees make progress in just the same way in terms of their teaching and planning skills. Some trainees, quite rightly, believe that fully-online courses help them to be more competitive in the market as they are equipped with the skills to teach both online and face-to-face.”
Preparing for the CELTA course via Florence? Enjoy a free pre-CELTA preparation course!
One of the great additional features of taking the CELTA course via the Florence centre is that all candidates, on both the face-to-face CELTA course and the online CELTA course, get a free pre-CELTA preparation course to help them start the CELTA the best way possible. This pre-CELTA preparation bundle, usually £85, covers a wide range of aspects of the CELTA course and means you are fully primed and ready for the rigours of the CELTA!
CELTA Tutor Jean (who is also jointly leading the online full-time course) gives this extra advice: “I would advise trainees to become familiar with the English grammar, read up the recommended list of books before they start the course. This reduces some of the pressure of the course itself and [if you are doing the face-to-face course] gives them more time to discover this gem of a city.
Click to find out more about preparing for the CELTA
Worried about your English level? And a final word…
Worried about whether your English level will be sufficient for the course? Tutor Louis Grech clarifies this: “Remember, thousands of non-native speaker teachers complete the course successfully every year. You will, however, require a level of proficiency in English equivalent to a CEFR Level C1 (or a good pass at CAE) to be able to participate and benefit fully from the course.”
Click to take a quick test to see if your English Level is sufficient to apply for the CELTA
But we’ll leave the last word to Florence CELTA trainee Anna Karin Giannotta, who had this to say about her CELTA experience: “The teaching methodology you learn throughout the course, the rapport you build with students and your peers as well as the incredible support you receive from your tutors are valuable features that make CELTA the best course to train as a certified English Teacher.”
Read more Florence CELTA reviews from trainees!
Apply to take the CELTA via Florence, Italy today!
If you are looking to embark on an exciting career where you can teach around the world, the CELTA course via Florence, Italy is a great place to start! You can apply for the CELTA through our online form. There are no application fees and the form form usually takes five to 15 minutes to complete. It is not just the face-to-face CELTA that Florence offers, you can also take your CELTA online via the centre!
Do you have any questions about taking the CELTA? Get in touch with a member of our team today!
Check out TEFLwork for opportunities for post-CELTA jobs