The CELTA course is 200 hours. This consists of 120 contact hours with course tutors and 80 additional learning hours for pre-course preparation, reading, research, assignment writing, lesson preparation and record keeping. On the course you will:
Attend and take part in input seminars, which on a normal CELTA day last for three hours and are held in the morning. The topics covered by these input seminars:
- Topic 1 – Learners and teachers, and the teaching and learning context
- Topic 2 – Language analysis and awareness
- Topic 3 – Language skills: reading, listening, speaking and writing
- Topic 4 – Planning and resources for different teaching contexts
- Topic 5 – Developing teaching skills and professionalism.
Prepare for teaching practice in guided lesson-planning sessions with your tutors and peers.
Be entitled to a free membership at the British Council library.
Complete six hours of assessed teaching practice. Teaching practice is usually done in groups of 4-6 trainees and held in the afternoon. It involves teaching two classes of volunteer students, usually one at Elementary level and the other at Intermediate level. All CELTA trainees must teach students for six hours during the course, under the observation of their tutors. These six hours are divided up into eight or nine teaching practices, each lasting 20, 40 or 60 minutes, with each trainee usually teaching every second afternoon.
Receive constructive feedback from your tutor and peers after your teaching practice. Self-reflection and self-evaluation are very important for teachers and each day you will be expected to take part in feedback about your teaching and about that of your peers.
Complete four writing assignments of 750-1000 words each. The assignments will be on the topics of: focus on the learner; a language-related task; a skills-related task; and lessons from the classroom.
Complete six hours of observations of experienced, professional English language teachers.
Maintain a personal portfolio containing records and examples of your work from the course, including all your teaching practice materials and completed assignments.
Receive progress reports and tutorials from your tutors, to keep you informed of your progress and give you support where necessary.
Thus, a typical CELTA day will look something like this:
08.00-09.15 Input One
09.15-09.30 break
09.30-10.45 input two
11.00-11.45 assisted lesson planning
11.45-12.45 lunch
13.00-15.00 teaching practice
15.15-16.00 teaching practice feedback
