Job Discussion Forums

Eager2teach · Posted: Thu Jan 05, 2006 12:55 am Post subject: International House - Portland

Hi,

A few months ago I passed the CELTA. Since then I've been "all over the map" trying to figure out my next step.

My latest idea is to go to Portland and get a little experience teaching at International House.

Has or is anyone teaching there? Could you please reply.

Thanks,
John

Noelle · Joined: 26 Mar 2005 Posts: 361 Location: USA

there is an IH school in California as well... if not more than one.

They are supposed to be good. Have you actually been in contact with them in OR?

blueboy · Joined: 02 Jul 2004 Posts: 27 Location: Seattle, Wa

I've been thinking about getting a CELTA, and the IH in Portland is one of the only places that I've seen it offered in the states. If anyone else got their CELTA in the US, where did you go? Is the CELTA regulation tight enough that I can rest easy getting one from any school, or does the quality of programs vary?

Agent007 · Joined: 27 May 2006 Posts: 17

I'm in the process of arranging for a CELTA myself, and can tell you that, in the States, there is an International House in San Diego and in Los Angeles, both of which offer the CELTA, although not very many times per year. St. Giles in San Francisco regularly offers the CELTA. The CELTA is also offered at a place in New York, whose name now escapes me, but if you type the the Key Words "CELTA" and "New York" into Yahoo's search engine, I believe the location will appear.

I don't know whether the quality of the CELTA program varies from school to school, but do know that each is required to pass an objective standard set by the CELTA originators in England. Hope this helps.

yavannah · Joined: 21 Aug 2006 Posts: 26 Location: OH, USA

I completed my CELTA at IH Portland. I have mixed feelings about the school. Facilities were pretty cramped. Teachers didn't have their own offices. Our CELTA tutors had to share an office and sometimes they had to give it up for teachers giving one-on-one lessons. Computer access was pretty limited. There was only one computer students could use and the connection was poor. Hopefully the teachers had access to something better. We also had some temperature issues. The room where we did most of our CELTA was freezing for the first half of the day. But the room where we did half of our teaching practice was so hot I was literally close to passing out some afternoons.

I was happy with our CELTA tutors, but they aren't employeeds of IH, and I was under the impression that IH doesn't always use the same ones. The teachers who worked at the school were all really terrifice people, though. I felt observing them was really helpful. The students attending the school were all really great too.

Lake Oswego is a bit dull, but you can get a bus to downtown Portland without much trouble. I really did like Portland quite a bit.