‘What should I do to prepare for the course?’ It is the one question I’m asked the most when interviewing candidates who are about to embark on the Cambridge CELTA. Here are some ideas to help make your CELTA experience more rewarding and less stressful.
Do our Preparation Course which involves some background reading of teaching English as a foreign language. At International House Madrid we provide a free 15-hour online course. It is not evaluated but it will introduce you to the world of TEFL and all its jargon. The course gently introduces you to the main grammar and language skills terms that you’ll use when planning your lessons. There is also a section on the learner, which considers what motivates students to learn a second language.
It’s a good idea to think about how you will organise your notes and training materials. Being able to refer back to your session handouts will make planning lessons and writing assignments much easier. The IH Madrid CELTA centre is completely digitalised. Everything is on Google Drive so you can work from home – or anywhere you have access to the internet. And don’t worry about the technology; we’ll help you get up to speed with that if you need to.
You need to be realistic about the time you will spend outside the course. Too little, and you are likely to feel unprepared. Too much can lead to burnout. So take your tutor’s advice on how much time you spend on the homework tasks and ask for extra support at any time if you get a bit lost.
Doing CELTA is hard work but the knowledge that you will gain will prepare you well for your first teaching job and the certificate will open many doors.
In our next blog, we’ll look at different aspects of teaching and learning English to prepare you better for your CELTA journey. Watch this space!
