Cambridge CELTA

The Cambridge Certificate in English Language Teaching to Adults (CELTA) is the world’s most recognised EFL qualification and your first reliable step to teaching anywhere in the world.

It is an internationally recognised, externally accredited TEFL course (not self-validated like many others). It provides fluent speakers of English with high quality training in teaching English as a foreign language, and it’s taken by over 10,000 candidates each year.

The course is ideal for people with no teaching experience as well as teachers who are already in the profession, but who have no formal or practical teaching qualification.

Who is Cambridge CELTA for?

CELTA is suitable for people who are interested in teaching English abroad or in the UK with little or no teaching experience as well as teachers who are already in the profession but who have no formal or practical teaching qualification.

• New teachers with no experience or starting within their career
• Teachers with some experience who want to develop their skills
• First language English speakers and non-first language speakers
• Teachers who want to travel and teach English

What does Cambridge CELTA cover?

The course includes tutorial support, supervised lesson planning, peer observation, feedback sessions, submission of a portfolio of work and much more. The Cambridge CELTA focuses on developing practical techniques and can be delivered in a variety of formats, from full-time or part-time.

Course structure:

• Provides a minimum of 120 contact hours between tutors and trainees involving input, tutorial support, supervised lesson planning, feedback, and peer observation
• Introduces you to the principles of effective teaching
• Helps you understand more about the English language
• Provides you with a range of practical skills for teaching English to adult learners
• Give you hands-on teaching practice with real students
• Builds your confidence in the classroom

The full syllabus can be found at www.cambridgeesol.org

How am I assessed?

Candidates are assessed continuously throughout the course and there is no final exam. Each course is moderated by an external assessor, who is approved by Cambridge ESOL.

Candidates are assessed on their overall ability over 6 hours of teacher practise, working at two levels of ability (A2 Pre-Intermediate and B2 Upper Intermediate).

There are four written assignments: Language Related Tasks; Skills Related Tasks; Focus on the Learner and Lessons from the Classroom.

The grades for successful candidates are PASS, PASS A or PASS B.

What is a typical CELTA day like?

9:00-12:15 Input: 2 x 90-minute input sessions. We cover all the main areas on the CELTA syllabus to help make you a better teacher. They’re fun, interactive, challenging, and enjoyable.

12:30 Assisted Lesson Preparation (ALP): You will discuss the lessons for the next day with your tutor and colleagues.

13:30-14:30: LUNCH

14:30-16:45 Teaching Practice (TP): The most important part of the day! You will be in a group of 5-6 trainee teachers teaching a class of students learning English.

17:00-18:00 Feedback: You will have the chance to discuss your lesson with fellow trainees and the tutor and some good ideas for moving forward in your teaching. You will also receive written feedback and assessment of each lesson. In addition to feedback, there are one-on-one tutorials to monitor and discuss progress through the course.

What are the entry requirements?

• Applicants must be at least 18 years old by the end of the course
• Applicants must have an awareness of language and a competence in English (equivalent to C1 level / IELTS 7.5), both written and spoken, that enables to undertake the course

Full-time

Study for your Cambridge CELTA certificate in the way that suits you. Our full-time course is a 4-week intensive programme at LILA* College.

Whichever route you wish to take when studying for your Cambridge CELTA certificate, you will experience the same standard of training from CELTA-certified teachers.

At LILA* College we are working to make our courses as accessible to as many candidates as possible.

As part of our relationship with EF English First, LILA* College is pleased to be able to provide teaching opportunities for our eligible teacher training course graduates. EF English First is the world’s largest privately owned education company. Founded in 1965, EF operates in over 50 countries around the world and has 43,500 employees. EF has TEFL job positions across China, Indonesia and Russia in over 350 Kids & Teens’ schools and Adult schools as well as in their online teaching centre in Shanghai. Join a fun and growing company with competitive teaching packages, comprehensive arrival support, outstanding professional development, career progression opportunities and more.

Meet the tutors

Kieran Joyce – CELTA Main Course Tutor / CELTA Co-ordinator

Hi! I’m Kieran and I’m from Newcastle. I’ve been a teacher since 1998 and have worked in South America, Asia, the Middle East / North Africa and Europe. I’ve been tutoring on CELTA courses since 2006, involved in DELTA since 2017 and I’m really happy to be working with the team here at LILA*. I arrived in Liverpool in June 2022 and have already fallen in love with the city. I hope to be able to stay here for a while. In my free time, I enjoy going to the gym, cooking, travelling, and going to the cinema.

Jim Pearson

Hi! I’m Jim, originally from Yorkshire, but I’ve lived in Liverpool for over 20 years now. I taught in South-East Asia as a volunteer until I realised that to do the job properly, I needed a proper teaching qualification. I took my CELTA in 2005 and have never looked back. I got a job at LILA* almost immediately after qualifying, and 18 years later, I’m the Director of Studies. It’s been an incredible journey so far, and I’m looking forward to the next 20 years! In my free time, I love cooking, gardening and building things out of wood.

Andy Lewis

I have been teaching English since 1996 and have been a CELTA trainer since 2006. After many years teaching in the Czech Republic, I moved to LILA* in 2009, where I have been working since.

Life after the course

The course tutor provides a great deal of useful job and career advice both during and after the course. This includes 2 sessions about looking for jobs, CV writing, interview practice and professional development.

To apply for teaching jobs around the world with one of the largest EFL providers following your successful completion of the CELTA course, follow this link for a guaranteed interview – www.englishfirst.com/lila

Course Overview

How to Apply

If you would like to learn more about the Cambridge CELTA course contact celta@lilalovetolearn.com.

Downloads

Essential information for our Cambridge CELTA programme: