Teacher Discussion Forums

Hello all! I am planning to take a 4-week CELTA next month, and eventually hope to become an EAP tutor in the UK. A brief background: I have a post-16 PGCE, a degree in French and Italian, and have taught IT and modern languages for many years, and been a training manager in the public sector. I am currently working as a freelance courseware developer in IT.

Almost all the EAP contracts I've seen appear to require DELTA and/or a relevant MA (eg TESOL, Applied Linguistics), and several years EAP experience. My questions are: is CELTA the best starting point for someone wanted to move into EAP? Is it possible to obtain EAP (or related) work just a CELTA plus my experience/quals above? I am not keen on doing summer school tuition, nor does it seem particularly relevant to what I want to do. How does one get that first EAP contract without the DELTA and the MA? If I take a year out to do the MA, then it will be years before I get the required experience!

As you can see I am a newbie in need of advice and would love to hear your thoughts and comments on the above.

Thanks!

Sela

The CELTA qualification is the key to most English Language jobs at the entry level. Given your qualifications you would do very well in other parts of the world, but I think that the jobs you are looking at are above entry level and would require a number of years of English as a foreign language teaching experience. Given that you have a PGCE I would make a decision, do you want to: A. Go abroad or B work in an FE college or school.

James

Many thanks for your thoughts on this. I want to work in the UK, in a university if possible. I know that the CELTA on its own leaves me under-qualified & under-experienced for Uni jobs, so my hope is to obtain initial teaching experience in an FE college or private school. One question in my mind is - would such places take me on with just the CELTA? If so, would their main intake in September/October? I can take the CELTA in either April, June or August with my chosen providers; however I feel there's no point rushing to complete this qualification if there will be little chance of UK work over the summer (and given that I am not attracted to the teenage summer school tuition). I am digressing here onto the question of CELTA timing, but this is an important issue for me for all sorts of reasons.

All comments welcome!

Sela

You've got a PGCE, don't undervalue it. The CELTA is specifically for people teaching English as a foreign language. Together they should certainly be enough to get you into an FE College or school. If they don't take you on then I am afraid you'll need to do the summer school and earn your stripes.

James