CELTA query

Ugo Monye spacecraft experience

Hi,

So I'm thinking of doing the CELTA course and basically wondering is it worth it?

Easy to get jobs etc?

Not really fussy about where I go just wouldn't have any interest in going to the UAE or Dubai

Choccie Lover

Ugo Monye spacecraft experience wrote: »

Hi,

So I'm thinking of doing the CELTA course and basically wondering is it worth it?

Easy to get jobs etc?

Not really fussy about where I go just wouldn't have any interest in going to the UAE or Dubai

I would recommend it.

Firstly, if you want to work in Ireland, the UK or Europe, you need to have it or its equivalent (there may be some exceptions where you could get away without it, but that wouldn't be the norm). For Asia, you don't necessarily need to have it, although there definitely seems to be an increase in places requesting it too.

But the main reason I would advise it is for the practical teaching skills you get from it. I did a Mickey Mouse TEFL course years ago that wasn't particularly useful. I did my CELTA years later and learned so much from it.

Tokyo

CELTA or equivalent is becoming more and more of a requirement in the ESL world, so from the point of view of it opening up a lot more positions to you, it's certainly worth it. It also provides you the opportunity to teach in front of a demonstration class over the course of a month, so that you can experience first hand what it's like to stand in front of a class, you can hone your teaching skills, and you can get feedback from other teachers and instructors as to where you might need to improve. Certainly worth it in my opinion.

jigglypuffstuff

Would a MA in TESOL be held in a similar regard to the CELTA? I was looking at the one in UL as id like the option of a career long term as i dont plan to stay in Ireland.

Choccie Lover

pone2012 wrote: »

Would a MA in TESOL be held in a similar regard to the CELTA? I was looking at the one in UL as id like the option of a career long term as i dont plan to stay in Ireland.

A CELTA is an entry-level course to teach English as a foreign language. It is not in any way comparable to an MA in TESOL.

Teachers who are in ELT teaching for the long haul or who want to go into academic management, teacher training, ELT publishing, etc usually choose to up their qualification by doing either a DELTA or an MA in TESOL/Applied Linguistics or something similar. Some people do both a DELTA and an MA.

A DELTA is a highly practical course that will significantly help with your teaching skills. MAs tend to be more theoretical as far as I know. Having said that, I don't know anything about that course in Limerick that you mention. With MAs, you can specialise in particular areas, so if you have a clear idea about where you are going, it could be very useful to you. DELTAs have improved in this area too. You can do some specialisation in certain areas, be that young learners, exam English, one to one teaching etc.

Another thing to bear in mind is that in some cases a DELTA might be deemed preferable to an MA (unless the MA contains an externally assessed practical element). Institutions like the British Council and IH would often deem a DELTA more worthy of higher pay due to the practical element.

I presume you already have a CELTA then? Where you go from there will depend on your own particular goals etc. I have some reading material on whether it is preferable to go for DELTA or MA. Let me know if you would like me to send it on to you.

jigglypuffstuff

Choccie Lover wrote: »

A CELTA is an entry-level course to teach English as a foreign language. It is not in any way comparable to an MA in TESOL.

Teachers who are in ELT teaching for the long haul or who want to go into academic management, teacher training, ELT publishing, etc usually choose to up their qualification by doing either a DELTA or an MA in TESOL/Applied Linguistics or something similar. Some people do both a DELTA and an MA.

A DELTA is a highly practical course that will significantly help with your teaching skills. MAs tend to be more theoretical as far as I know. Having said that, I don't know anything about that course in Limerick that you mention. With MAs, you can specialise in particular areas, so if you have a clear idea about where you are going, it could be very useful to you. DELTAs have improved in this area too. You can do some specialisation in certain areas, be that young learners, exam English, one to one teaching etc.

Another thing to bear in mind is that in some cases a DELTA might be deemed preferable to an MA (unless the MA contains an externally assessed practical element). Institutions like the British Council and IH would often deem a DELTA more worthy of higher pay due to the practical element.

I presume you already have a CELTA then? Where you go from there will depend on your own particular goals etc. I have some reading material on whether it is preferable to go for DELTA or MA. Let me know if you would like me to send it on to you.

I actually dont have a CELTA to be honest. there is teaching practice in the course though it is compulsary. I considered doing the CELTA first but ive figured if I can go straight to the MA and its considered a superior qualification why not?

Choccie Lover

Just googled your course there and it seems to be one of the few with a strong practical element which sounds excellent. I guess if the CELTA isn't an entry requirement to get onto it, it could be a nice number

Do you have some TEFL experience already? It does seem quite a leap to go straight into an MA in this area if you don't. But sure you know yourself best.

Another option could be to do a CELTA. After an intense month, you will then be qualified to teach and can learn your craft for a while and see how you like it. There are a lot of schools out there, in Europe especially, that are willing to pay for the DELTA (or at least assist with the payment) for good teachers. They are usually willing to do so after you have given them a year of service (But keep in mind that you are usually only accepted onto a DELTA after two years teaching experience). Another advantage is that you can do the DELTA while you are working, too. At that point you could look at climbing up the ladder into academic management/ training if you wish.

If you still wanted to do the MA in the future, I think it would be SO much easier with experience behind you, both theory-wise and practical-wise.

That's my two cents anyway, but if you want to just go for it, I guess why not!