Job Discussion Forums

[vastedda]

I am considering taking a Cambridge CELTA course in Central/South America.Does anyone have some info on this subject,those who run the schools excluded? Thank you.

[naturegirl321]

CELTA is run by Camrbidge, so in theory, they should all have the same requirements.

[Justin Trullinger]

You'll probably want to do an internet search- not too hard; CELTA courses are sort of visible, by nature. This link may help you find one where you're looking. http://cambridgeesol-centres.org/centres/teaching/index.do

In theory, as Naturegirl says, the course should be similar (and the qualification is the same) wherever you do a CELTA (brand name, after all.) I've always thought it depends a bit on the trainers you get, so if you see a center that seems attractive, I'd post some details here and see if anybody has any experiences with it.

(Being honest, I don't currently run a teacher training center, but did so, in Ecuador, for most of the last seven years. SIT TESOL.)

Best,
Justin

[vastedda]

Thanks for the input, Nature Girl and Justin. I checked that link. Money and logistics are part of the equation. Here in Italy,CELTA courses cost about 2500USD,same as NYC. That's without accomodations,and try finding a decent and economical furnished apartment in Roma or NYC! I found two CELTA schools that seem decent and inexpensive. One is in Bogota, Colombia and gets $1500 for the CELTA sans lodgings. The other is in Guayaquil, Ecuador, and is asking $2000- lodgings included. The name of the school is "Southern Cross." Justin,since you worked at a TEFL school in Ecuador, may I presume that you know of these folks and can tell me a thing or two about them? Thanks.

[HLJHLJ]

I'm going to Southern Cross this summer. Obviously I can't vouch for the course yet, but so far I've been very impressed with the organisation of it. The staff are very helpful, and are always quick to answer my (very many!) questions.

Having already been through the selection procedure and gained a CELTA place in the UK, I can say that that aspect is very similar. If anything the initial task is perhaps longer and somewhat more challenging than the one I did in the UK, but not massively so. I decided to go with Southern Cross instead because it will work out a lot cheaper, and they also have an active placement team to help you find work afterwards.

I also liked the fact that the SC course is over 5 weeks, rather than the traditional 4, so hopefully it won't be quite as intense and stressful as the ones in the UK.

The centre at Guayguil is very new, or at least new to SC, and they have had some teething problems with technical stuff (wi-fi etc), but they have been quite upfront about it all, and have workarounds in place, and hope to have it all sorted out soon.

[jdealla]

I just finished my CELTA with IH in Bogot�. I had a great experience. If anyone has any questions just PM me. I'll be happy to share.