Teaching English as a foreign language, or TEFL, is a popular choice among graduates who want to go travelling or people wishing to change career. "The most recognised TEFL qualification in the world is the University of Cambridge CELTA," says IH Galway director Mary Grennan. "The CELTA was the first ever TEFL course. It’s been in existence since 1962 when it was designed by the founder of International House, John Haycraft, so there’s a lot of history and intellectual knowledge there. Unlike other TEFL courses, CELTA tutors are highly qualified teacher trainers and each course is externally assessed by a nominated Cambridge assessor, who comes to the centre to assess each course we run. This makes the CELTA a highly reliable qualification that schools and universities worldwide can trust. For this reason, 87 per cent of the English language teaching positions advertised around the world request the CELTA qualification – and no other one."
CELTA courses are run at universities and colleges worldwide and it is offered by prestigious universities such as King’s College London as part of its master’s degree in English language teaching.
"With the CELTA, I not only discovered that I was able to teach, but also that I really enjoyed it," said Mai Solabarrieta, a recent graduate of IH Galway. "The energy of standing in front of a group of people willing to learn and to be able to teach them something is something that I never thought could give me such a feeling of fulfillment."
Mai Solabarrieta recently completed a CELTA course at IH Galway and is now teaching in Spain.
With the CELTA course, the world is your oyster – the only decision you have to make is where you want to go.
The next IH Galway CELTA course runs from November 1 to November 25. For more details, contact IH Galway at [email protected] or 091 381110.
