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Paul in Saudi · Joined: 03 Mar 2003 Posts: 404 Location: Doha, Qatar

That was ... unsettling.

I just got off the phone with a CELTA center to arrange taking a certificate course. The young lady at the other end of the phone repeatedly asked me about my age. I am almost fifty and so older than all or most of the center's staff.

Are they allowed to refuse me because of my age?

willraber · Joined: 31 Mar 2008 Posts: 25 Location: USA

There's not supposed to be an age cutoff for CELTA. I've read in a couple of places that there is a tendency for older trainees to have a greater challenge adapting to the style of teaching advocated by the Cambridge CELTA. OK, I'm turning 52 in just a little while. I also intend to take the CELTA course as soon as I can untie myself from my present situation. There are others here at Dave's Cafe admitting to being even older than us. For us, my only concern is for us to be as flexible as necessary in order to pass the course.

Assuming that you weren't talking to someone in Asia (they get age picky), I can only guess that the person at the other end of your telephone was some ignorant, barely potty-trained child who couldn't get her head around the fact that folks like us, who are old enough to be her parents (and then some), actually like to learn. Tell me, could you hear the sound of gum being chewed while you were talking? Mooooooo! Rolling Eyes

KCA420 · Joined: 08 Apr 2004 Posts: 54

sweeney66 · Joined: 26 Mar 2008 Posts: 147 Location: "home"

Well, I was over 40 when I took the CELTA and had more than one classmate over 55...It is is a hell of a lot of work, we older ones struggled a bit more and didn't get the "A"'s. Still I can't figure any reason for an age limit. I actually look at my age as an advantage in teaching. I reckon I'm more patient and tolerant than when I was, say, in my 20's.

SueH · Joined: 01 Feb 2003 Posts: 1022 Location: Northern Italy

I did my course - part-time I must admit - at 48 and wasn't the oldest by any means. I agree with sweeney on the patience aspect. There were only about three 'youngsters' Smile

and they did get some of the better marks.

Paul in Saudi · Joined: 03 Mar 2003 Posts: 404 Location: Doha, Qatar

This phone interview really upset me. Further, I posted while angry and that is rarely a good thing to do. I am still angry, but have calmed down a bit

Maybe I just came on too strong on the interview. (I'm an English teacher, you expect me NOT to tell you hi-jack does not require a freakin' hyphen? Would you ding me for it if I did not correct your worksheet?)

But even if I came across as a blowhard a-hole, telling me I was perhaps too old to take correction from the staff is rude as heck. Infuriating in fact.

Even if I screwed up on the interview, she was darned rude to say what she did.

hexadec · Joined: 31 May 2008 Posts: 10 Location: D�sseldorf

MO39 · Posted: Sat Jun 21, 2008 6:30 pm Post subject:

Recent studies have shown that while younger students (let's say those in their teens and twenties) may learn more quickly than older learners, once the material has been processed, it is retained at the same rate by all learners, regardless of their age. Given the intense, concentrated nature of the CELTA course, this could explain why younger participants may get higher grades than more mature ones. Also, older CELTA participants, especially those with some teaching experience under their belts, may question the methodology being presented by the trainers more than "young sprouts" with absolutely no teaching experience.

Just some comments from a 62-year-old teacher who's never taken the CELTA...

spiral78 · Joined: 05 Apr 2004 Posts: 11534 Location: On a Short Leash

MO's right. The key to passing a CELTA (relatively) easily is to play the game the way trainers want you to play.

I, too, have seen older candidates in other teacher training courses who felt deeply (and often not without justification) that they knew as much or more than the trainers and really wanted to contribute to the course...not going entirely with the methodology presented.

For what my opinion's worth - on a training course, it's best to establish a good working relationship with your trainers, and do your best to conform to what they would like for you to do, always remembering that it's just for a month Smile

MO39 · Posted: Sat Jun 21, 2008 7:18 pm Post subject:

spiral78 · Joined: 05 Apr 2004 Posts: 11534 Location: On a Short Leash

Yes. An introductory course is designed to 'train' new teachers to have a few clues about where to start. I think it's a useful beginning, and that a good training course can give newbies a toolkit they can use to get started.

Later on, those of us who decide to make a career out of teaching need 'education' as you describe it - my MA, for example, was a great example of education as versus training.

When you're on a 'training' course, you've really got to play the game at hand to succeed. It is indeed a different animal to education!

Paul in Saudi · Joined: 03 Mar 2003 Posts: 404 Location: Doha, Qatar

Honestly, I am still so upset I question if I want anything to do with this child's school at all. I will talk to them on Monday. Perhaps I ought to swallow my pride.

Further given the young lady's limited command of the language, perhaps she did not realize she was giving offense. Still .....

MO39 · Posted: Sun Jun 22, 2008 3:33 pm Post subject:

Hey, Paul in Saudi, why don't you ask to speak to someone else at the school, maybe one of the trainers or administrators? I understand about getting upset and feeling insulted and wanting to chuck the whole idea, but maybe that's not the best way to deal with the situation...

Chris Westergaard · Joined: 14 Mar 2006 Posts: 215 Location: Prague

Hi there.

I became a director of a school and head teacher trainer when I was only 25 years old. All of the staff that worked for me and most of the students on the TEFL course were all older than me. Even now, most still are.

I would say that 15 percent of the trainees are your age. Age shouldn't be a problem at all. The only thing that might be a hinder is the work load and long hours. However, I feel that the older students take the course with a greater maturity level and their overall professional level is far greater than the younger, fresh out of college trainees.

You shouldn't have a problem getting on the course, and if they are making a problem for you, take another CELTA course in a different area. As long as you are willing to work with your other trainees and not hold their youth against them, you'll do fine both on the course and socially.

As far as your trainers go, they probably all know what they are teaching, so the best advice is to just learn from them.

You should never be questioned at all about your age. The oldest student that I've ever had was a man in a his early seventies. The course was stressful for him, but he did great. I had a wonderful time training someone who was nearly 50 years older than me. I know both learned a lot that course.

Either way, give them another shot and see what happens. If you still feel they are being rude, go with another provider.

Writer · Joined: 31 Mar 2008 Posts: 31

I took the CELTA course at St. Giles in San Francisco, CA in 2004 (I was in my late 40s at the time). No questions about my age. The teachers were marvelous - yes, they taught the methodology, but they also spoke of their personal experiences (and all had taught overseas for a number of years in various countries).

I'm sorry you had a bad experience at that one location. I agree with the other posters; I hope you look for another location if you don't want to go to that school. The information was valuable. The instructors had no problems with me asking questions about the methodology, but as for practicing in the classroom, I made sure I did it the way they wanted.

It's difficult to get an "A" for the CELTA course; no one on my course did. No school has questioned my "PASS" grade for the course.