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daveeslcafe888
Joined: 09 Apr 2011
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 Posted: Thu Nov 17, 2011 12:42 am Post subject: Best Teaching Certificate? (CELTA?) |
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Hi Everyone,
I'm trying to find out the best curriculum to teach English from scratch. I'd prefer to find one that is based on real research. (I might be helping with an online project to teach English to foreigners).
Do you think CELTA would be the best one?
Thanks |
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ttompatz
Joined: 05 Sep 2005
Location: Kwangju, South Korea
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| Posted: Thu Nov 17, 2011 12:54 am Post subject: Re: Best Teaching Certificate? (CELTA?) |
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| daveeslcafe888 wrote: |
Hi Everyone,
I'm trying to find out the best curriculum to teach English from scratch. I'd prefer to find one that is based on real research. (I might be helping with an online project to teach English to foreigners).
Do you think CELTA would be the best one?
Thanks |
You want a teacher training course? Then the CELTA (Certificate in English Language Teaching to Adults) is one of the better known and reputable courses (amongst several to choose from). They also have the add-on for young learners (CELTA-YL).
If you are looking for a curriculum for teaching English then it would depend on who, what levels, what ages and what instruction times (3 hours per week or 3 hours per day) you are talking about.
If you want stuff for primary level learners with a certificate for proficiency then perhaps you were thinking of the Cambridge YLE courses/tests (starters, movers and flyers and moving into the KET/PET/FCE certificates).
If you were looking for ESL then Oxford University Press (again, one of many decent publishers) has a number of decent series books to choose from.
If you are talking about a full curriculum in English then this is not the place to be looking (the MOE has one that you have to meet and describes what you are expected (minimums) to achieve in each academic year).
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ThingsComeAround
Joined: 07 Nov 2008
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| Posted: Thu Nov 17, 2011 9:42 pm Post subject: |
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would a CELTA be okay for teaching mid/high schoolers?
Also, does having one with a non-English related MA increase chances for landing a uni position? |
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semphoon
Joined: 18 Nov 2005
Location: Where Nowon is
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| Posted: Thu Nov 17, 2011 10:21 pm Post subject: |
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I completed the CELTA last summer (B pass  ) and highly recommend it. From my experience learning Korean (from a students point of view), I can see that the techniques taught in the CELTA would lead to a more productive experience for students. Since I completed it, my job satisfaction has increased, my confidence in my teaching ability has increased, my students enjoy and learn more in my classes, my classes are easier to teach and involve me actually doing less during class time while students work more. Awesome. |
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daveeslcafe888
Joined: 09 Apr 2011
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| Posted: Fri Nov 18, 2011 12:57 am Post subject: |
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Hi Guys,
Thanks for the replies:
1. Does CELTA make you a better teacher, whether training people with no English level proficiency or adults who are practically fluent?
2. Is CELTA the most widely accepted throughout the world?
3. Is any CELTA program just as good as another? (i.e. will the CELTA degree I get in Korea be the same as Thailand, USA, England, etc.)?
Thanks |
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Julius
Joined: 27 Jul 2006
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| Posted: Fri Nov 18, 2011 4:59 am Post subject: |
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CELTA is an excellent course but
a) hagwons don't care for qualifications.
b) public schools won't hire you cos they're worried they'll have to pay you more |
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deizio
Joined: 15 Jun 2007
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| Posted: Fri Nov 18, 2011 6:23 am Post subject: |
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| daveeslcafe888 wrote: |
Hi Guys,
Thanks for the replies:
1. Does CELTA make you a better teacher, whether training people with no English level proficiency or adults who are practically fluent?
2. Is CELTA the most widely accepted throughout the world?
3. Is any CELTA program just as good as another? (i.e. will the CELTA degree I get in Korea be the same as Thailand, USA, England, etc.)?
Thanks |
1. Yes
2. Yes and no.. Definitely in Europe, highly regarded in Middle East. It's not as widely known in Asia, but those who understand what it is will take it seriously. Hagwons won't really care, and some places at the more showy end of the spectrum will still take a 23 year old Ivy Leaguer with no teaching skills over a someone with a good degree, CELTA and 5 years teaching, but these are the kind of places you want to avoid anyway.
3. Pretty much. The course is moderated by Cambridge hence they constantly evaluate and vouch for the quality of each accredited provider. There might be some cachet / name value attached to doing it at a well known institution, but one is technically as good as another. There is some variation in prices, but this tends to be more a function of local demand and salaries than major differences in quality.
Note - Compare CELTA with TEFL, which is a very loose term. Some 120 hour TEFLs with proper oversight are fine, but it can be hard to tell which is which. TEFL includes everything down to very basic / online programs that really do nothing for you. Other established 120 hour "name" certificates (e.g. Trinity) are losing market share and therefore recognition, but still give you all the tools a CELTA does.
There was a pretty dismissive attitude towards CELTA from some posters on this board (mainly North Americans) a few years ago, which I'd say was equally from a lack of familiarity with the cert and its perceived lack of standing in Asia / Korea. Attitudes are definitely softening these days as it becomes more widely known, although imo its still not as recognized as it should be in these parts. |
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ttompatz
Joined: 05 Sep 2005
Location: Kwangju, South Korea
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| Posted: Fri Nov 18, 2011 2:59 pm Post subject: |
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| daveeslcafe888 wrote: |
Hi Guys,
Thanks for the replies:
1. Does CELTA make you a better teacher, whether training people with no English level proficiency or adults who are practically fluent?
2. Is CELTA the most widely accepted throughout the world?
3. Is any CELTA program just as good as another? (i.e. will the CELTA degree I get in Korea be the same as Thailand, USA, England, etc.)?
Thanks |
1) for adults = YES. For kids = NO. It is about teaching methods - how to teach, not what to teach.
2) It is probably among the top 3 brands (along with the Trinity cert TESOL and SIT TESOL cert.). It is however not really different than any other reputable TESOL course of 120 hours duration and observed practicum with real students.
3) It is NOT a degree. It is a 30 day certificate. It is administered by Cambridge ESOL and is pretty much the same the world over (the CELTA you get in the UK will be the same as the one you get in Korea or Thailand)
4) If your only goal is to teach in Korea then save your money. It won't make any difference if you get a $2000 CELTA or a $160 on-line TEFL/TESOL/TESL cert in terms of being more accepted and giving you a leg up in the application process.
If your goal is to teach (adults) elsewhere as well as in Korea (other than Korea) or your goal is real professional development then the CELTA IS worth the money.
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rickshaw79
Joined: 27 Mar 2006
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| Posted: Fri Nov 18, 2011 8:03 pm Post subject: |
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| Doing the part time CELTA course over at IGSE Olympic Park at the minute (Mon, Tues, Weds mornings for three months) and have found it to be a really valuable experience - professionally run by very knowledgeable and supportive tutors. |
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daveeslcafe888
Joined: 09 Apr 2011
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| Posted: Fri Nov 18, 2011 8:09 pm Post subject: |
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Hi Guys,
Do these notions sound correct?
1. It sounds like any CELTA certification is just as good as another? (I.e. if I apply for a job in Europe, the CELTA qualification I get in Korea, Thailand, etc. will be just as good as in the USA).
2. Getting a certification in CELTA will only help me. (Save for the few public schools that will look for cheap teachers, rather than good teachers).
Do these sound correct?
(As background, I have been teaching adults in Korea for about the past six months. I love my job. But, even though I have an Ivy League degree and some theoretical education research experience, I still have trouble with basic teaching/presentation/social skills (i.e. talking too fast, knowing all my students' names, structuring the class, catering my teaching to the audience's individual skill level, etc.).
I think CELTA might be an excellent way to pave more job options to teach around the world (i.e. not only Korea but also Qatar, Saudi, Europe, etc.). I hope it will give me the edge I need. |
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deizio
Joined: 15 Jun 2007
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| Posted: Sat Nov 19, 2011 9:42 am Post subject: |
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| If you're looking for a combination of valuable skills and employability, and aren't in the market for a masters, do a CELTA. There isn't a $300 magic bullet you haven't yet heard of. |
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english puppet
Joined: 04 Nov 2011
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| Posted: Sat Nov 19, 2011 4:07 pm Post subject: Delta |
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Slightly off topic but not by much -
It sounds like you've got a shot at jobs w/ a Celta then I'm assuming you have a shot at jobs in the ME w/ a Delta right?
What ME countries are possible to work in with a Delta if anyone knows?
I have a SIT TESOL cert by the way. |
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