Certificate in English Language Teaching to Adults (CELTA ), 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. “There are many courses and it’s all a bit bewildering,” said Mary Grennan, director of International House Galway. “You need a course which is accepted by quality schools, such as the CELTA — it’s the most recognised ELT qualification in the world.”
Why is the CELTA so famous? “It’s been in existence since 1962, when it was written by the founder of IH, John Haycraft, and it’s now administered by the University of Cambridge,” Ms Grennan explained. The CELTA is accepted at the best language schools worldwide. “It’s amazing, there can’t be many courses where someone finishes up on a Friday and finds themselves teaching in Barcelona the following Monday, as happened recently to a CELTA trainee - and without a word of Spanish.”
Roisin Kirwan is the academic director at Atlantic College in Galway. She initially completed a CELTA at IH Belfast. This led to a position at IH Dublin and then to the director position. “The CELTA really helped me teach English with confidence and the work is lots of fun,” Ms Kirwan said.
Another CELTA holder, Sara Fawsitt, taught at IH London, where the original CELTA course was written. “It's a great course,” she said. “It's so highly regarded in the English teaching world that you feel confident when applying for jobs.”
The CELTA Course will run from January 19 to February 13 Apply to [email protected] or log on to ihgalway.ie
