Job Discussion Forums

[Michael1710]

Hello Everyone,

Where can I find a list of CELTA schools in Mexico? I checked the Cambridge website. The two listed were Universidad IberoAmericana in Puebla and International House in Playa del Carmen. I tried emailing UIA and the email was returned.

Is International House in Playa del Carmen the only CELTA school in Mexico? There is a lot of TEFL-TESOL schools and information, but not much on CELTA in Mexico.

Any information is greatly appreciated.

Cheers,

Michael

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[Guy Courchesne]

[lozwich]

Not sure about this, but also try the British Council in Mexico City.

[miss_betty]

Hi
I ran into the same thing as you last year when I was trying to find a CELTA school. Yes, those are the only schools in Mexico.

I ended up staying in the states completing my CELTA..... for me, the availability dates were more important than the location. However, you definately have an advantage to do the celta in the city you want to stay in.more contact etc.....especially if you get a pass b or pass a, places will snap you up right away!

good luck to you

[New Haven]

I just finished CELTA in Playa del Carmen. Great program, but still recovering from the intensity. Of 12 accepted, 1 didn�t make it and one opted out. If you have a lap top bring it; the place is under-resourced.

Sharon

[Fatcat]

"1 didn�t make it and one opted out"

Do you know why the one person didn't make it? I'm going to be taking the course in May (it keeps getting pushed back) so if you want to expand on your experiences, feel free! please! I've heard others talk about the intensity and the teaching style there being hard to adjust to. What did you think about these things??

[Michael1710]

New Haven,

Thanks for the info. Like FatCat, please expand on your experience for us. I plan to enroll in the May class as well and would like to know what to expect.

Can you answer some questions:

1. Describe "Intensity"?
2. Did you practice teach with genuine EFL students or with classmates?
3. What about job placement?
4. How was the interview? Any tips?

I was actually working on the essay portion of the Pre-Interview task when I decided to take a break and check out this forum. Glad I did.

Great post!

Michael

[snorklequeen]

yes, New Haven, details please! inquiring minds want to know

why didn't the one person make it?

i'm 59 and that is the training program i'm planning to take; however, if i can't cut it, i'd like to know that up front before i spend the $$$

maybe i need to "train" for it, like for a sporting event?



thanks,

Queenie

[miss_betty]

i thought i would jump in here too.

I just finished Celta in June.... I am a type A personality.
I am definately an acheiver and did not find this overly stressful but I did keep busy....

Can you answer some questions:

1. Describe "Intensity"?
It is super intense ( if you are a person who enjoys a challenge, then this is the right program) Expect to go to class for 8 hours a day and spend another 4 hours each night or more on the weekends working on the assignments they give you. ALso, you are in a room with your other class mates .... so there can be a personality dynamic that may add to the intensity of the class. We had six people. We all got along for the most part. There was one man who was a wee bit older ( 55+) and a wee bit on the unique side....so he was a handful at times...but as in real life.... you do your best to accept others.

2. Did you practice teach with genuine EFL students or with classmates?

You will start student teaching your first week with real students. They offer free classes in the afternoon...so it does not matter if you give a terrible lesson, becuase no one has paid for it. Our student classes ranged from 3 to 16 people. There was also no way of knowing how many students were coming...so you always had to plan for the maximum and adjust accordingly. In the first week, you are expected to make lesson plans. Also, YOU need to fully understand the material to be able to teach it...that can add a few more hours to your evening so you know you are totally prepared.
You will start with a 15 minute class the first weekand end up with a 60 minute class the last week. You have a lot of guidance along the way from the CELTA tutors...but you have to be willing and motivated to do the work.


3.What about job placement?
there really is no formal job placement. I was looking for a school that offered this.but really no one does. I completed by CELTA at International House..they have a website of job postings........your best bet is to serch the web. If you do end up getting a Pass A or Pass B.....you will have an extra bonus of being in the top 15% of students..good for marketing yourself.

also, if you take CELTA in the city you want to work....companies may be coming to that facility looking for teachers. That was my biggest regret.i did mine in the states and not where I wanted to live.

4. How was the interview? Any tips?
Well, be prepared.....know your tenses...present perfect, present continuous etc. I interviewed over the phone so I had my cheat notes in from of me. They will go through some of the grammar you did for the preliminary interview...know why you answered the question the way you did.
Ask what the average class size is ( for people getting the CELTA) and how many students on average come for english lessons ( your potential students)
Know why you want to do this....what is your motivation and your goals.


Best of wishes to all of you.............I am really happy I completed the CELTA. I would do the exactly same thing if I ahd to do it again.!!!!!

Saludos!

[miss_betty]

okay...about drop outs...

out of six.we had one person drop out.
He had the following going against him
1. was sent to CELTA by employer because his teaching skills were below what they wanted
2. he was unwilling to adopt the way of CELTA......yes.....they have a methodology......yes.you will be graded according to their methodology. ...do what you need to to get through the class......take what works for you from CELTA and you can integrate your own personal style into it AFTER you finish the program. I learned soooooo much from CELTA and have probably adopted 80% of what they taught me into my daily lesson plans.
3. he really did want to put any effort in outside of class

Having said that, he failed. It was painful at times to watch his lessons, but I think his attitude is what really failed him.

CELTA wants you to pass.... they will help you if you WANT the help


okay.....that's it for my spiel......

[New Haven]

I agree with most of what miss betty has to say. I had one extremely stressful three day period in the second week...had 3 practice lessons to do plus a 750 word essay in which I had to reflect on my practice teaching so far...ha I thought. Who has time to reflect, let alone absorb the material? But once I passed that hump it was OK. Be prepared to work hard and have little time for fun. At least that was my experience. As a middle-aged person, I realized I just don�t absorb and integrate as quickly as I once did. Also, I found that once I mastered one key bit of information, 10 more came down the pike. Be prepared to continually be challenged -- they raise their expectations for your performance by the day, which they have to do to cram everything in during the month you are there. Having said that, I am really glad I did the course. Now I just need to find work. Anyone know of jobs in Merida, MX?

[aisha]

I don't know of any jobs in Merida, but I wish you good luck New Haven. It's a great city. You'll have a good time there, (hopefully)

[Cdaniels]

Oh dear! I "opted out" from Playa. One other classmate opted out at the very beginning, but continued to audit the classes. Maybe I qualify as "didn't make it?" Its true my organizational skills are awful, and I only got through college because I could write a decent paper at the very last minute. miss_betty, I don't know why you feel the need to defend CELTA. I know I did feel hostility from the students who went on to get a certificate. Do drop-outs threaten the bonding experience? Maybe its only my winning personality. Frankly I think someone can learn to be a better teacher through other methods than CELTA. snorklequeen, one thing I'd advise is to go very early and adjust to local life. Maybe take the two week Spanish class first, (Its very easy,) and it will give you an idea about how the immersive program works.

[snorklequeen]

Many thanks to Miss Betty, New Haven, and Cdaniels for the tips, suggestions and info'!

i used to be a Type A but . . . i'm half Type B now; that bit really helps, too

were there a lot of group projects during the day and the evening, or is it more individual projects?

does the group bonding go on in class, or during meals together, or . . .? did the students in your group(s) tend to all stay at the same or nearby residences?

does everyone tend to do everything together, or are you on your own part of the time? or does it vary from group to group? as far as you can tell

thanks so much!

Queenie

it would be fun to spend a week or two studying Spanish and checking out the beach and snorkeling, before "diving" into the intensive 4 week CELTA

[stu123]

Hi,

I did the CELTA at IH Riviera Maya this time last year from Jan to feb. It was a reasonably busy few weeks, but nowhere near as busy as teaching a full schedule at a High School!!

As previous posters have mentioned, the group dynamic affects the experience greatly. We were lucky that we all got on well, ages 21-56, from all walks of life. Only one guy dropped out of the 12 and that was due to a personal confrontation with one of the instructors. The resources are pretty limitted but you have excellent access to the instructors who are always on hand to help out.

The accomodations provided by the school are very over priced, so it would pay to arrive early and look for your own.

Stress was minimal. We used to do theory in the mornings and early afternoon, then have a long break to prepare for the classes in the evenings from 7-9pm. The ss dont pay, and they come from all over the world. They are really motivated to improve their English because it opens more job opportunites to them. We all, well most of us, used to wind down with some well earned beers after the classes and laugh about what had happened during the day!!

In terms of the CELTA method, well it has its place...I agree with previous posters, if you have taught before, try to be open to their style otherwise you won't enjoy the experience!!

Good luck!!