How+to+prepare+for+your+course

Once you have registered with an Authorised Teaching Awards Centre, you will be asked to undertake some preparation.

Your centre will send you a pack of materials which includes a little bit of reading and some questions for reflection.

Self Study Pack
It is a Cambridge regulation that you should complete all the tasks in this material in writing and take it to your chosen centre on the first day of your course. Your tutor only needs to check that you have done it and will give you an Answer Key to check whether your responses were acceptable.

You will not be graded for your answers but the preparation will help you a lot during your course, especially if you are following an intensive one with little time for extensive reading.

Books
Free reading online Books you can buy
 * Success on your Certificate Course in English Language Teaching This a book which you view almost in its entirety on Google Books and covers a lot of areas, not just the course. Worth a read.
 * Grammar for Teachers You can read this book freely on Google books. This is not a grammar for learners but it is addressed to people who are teaching or will be teaching the English Language.
 * Learning Teaching by Jim Scrivener - all you need to know about teaching during your CELTA and excellent pre-course reading
 * Jeremy Harmer's The Practice of English Language Teaching or How to Teach English Either book as an alternative to the one above
 * Teaching Tenses by Rosemary Aitken - great for lesson preparation


 * Is a CELTA course as intensive as people say?**

It can be, especially if you are following a full-time course. Be prepared to dedicate yourself fully to your course if it's an intensive one.

Do not do the course if you have big commitments - family, spouse, partner, parent or other. Do not do it if you are personally going through a difficult time personally/emotionally. Fatigue and pressure and can fray nerves. Do the course at a later time

The CELTA is both a journey and a destination!
  Giulia Forsythe via Compfight More than 10,000 candidates follow CELTA courses successfully every year. The CELTA is not the end of the road, of course; it's the beginning of a great journey with the goal of becoming a great ELT teacher!

Who can do it
Anyone with a good knowledge of the English language, at C1 or preferably C2 level, be they a practising language teacher or an aspiring one can apply for the CELTA. Ideally, a candidate should be over 20 years of age. Anyone with those pre-requisites can, potentially, be accepted on a course. But do remember: Do bear in mind that teaching is a demanding but rewarding profession. If you are prepared to work hard, be a lifelong learner and commit to the idea that it takes time to become a great teacher, then the CELTA is a perfect choice for you. With this qualification, you will have many more opportunities for career development than with other, non-recognised, qualifications. Once you are accepted, there is more work to do! To find our how you can face some of the demands of the course, we have prepared some tips listed below, based on our experiences of having worked with numerous CELTA trainees since 2006.
 * You also need to do well on the language assessment set to you by the course provider
 * Your spoken English must be at a level appropriate to teaching a variety of levels
 * Your knowledge of grammar and ability to explain language should be at a good level
 * You must be healthy and of sound mind!
 * You must prove to your interviewer that you are ready to commit to the demands of the course
 * You must provide evidence that you are potentially a successful CELTA candidate

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What does a timetable of work look like?
Four week courses can be very intensive. Click on [|this link] to view a sample course timetable which will give you an idea of the range of topics and amount of work involved. Each candidate must be observed teaching for a total of six hours, distributed over 8 or 9 lessons beginning with shorter lessons and ending in a 60 minute lesson for each level.

Related Articles

 * Preparing for the CELTA - 15 Practical Suggestions **, by Alex Case of TEFL.net