Teaching English as a foreign language, or TEFL, is a popular choice among people who want to go travelling or pursue a new career. But which course should you take?
The University of Cambridge CELTA TEFL course is the most secure option as it is the most recognized TEFL qualification in the world – and the oldest.
“The CELTA has been in existence since 1962 when it was designed by John Haycraft, the founder of International House World Organisation, a worldwide association of language schools and teacher training centres, so there’s a lot of history and intellectual knowledge there,” says Mary Grennan, director of International House Galway, the only authorised CELTA centre in Galway. “Unlike other TEFL courses out there, CELTA tutors are highly qualified teacher trainers who have undergone rigorous training. Each CELTA course is externally assessed by a University of Cambridge assessor. 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 are offered by prestigious universities such as King’s College London as part of its master’s degree in English language teaching. CELTA centres in Ireland include IH Galway, which is based at GMIT, IH Dublin, IH Belfast, and UCC.
Former IH Galway CELTA candidate, Mai Solabarrieta, said: “With the CELTA, I not only discovered that I was able to teach, but also that I really enjoyed it. 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. I’m in touch with my classmates from the CELTA who are literally all over the world.”
Ms Solabarrieta completed a CELTA course at IH Galway last summer and is now teaching in San Sebastian, Spain. With the CELTA course, the world is your oyster – the only decision you have to make is where in the world you want to go.
The next full-time four-week CELTA course begins on July 31. For more details contact IH Galway at [email protected], phone 091 381110.
