Looks like you’ve made the choice to dive in and become an ESL teacher! Now, it’s time to apply for the CELTA course, and start learning how to pass CELTA to earn that teaching certificate.
I have to be real with you. I was thinking about taking CELTA for over a year, always finding excuses and wondering if it’s really as necessary as everyone says. During quarantine, I was just sitting at home telling myself it was “only two more weeks” when I received an email from CLIC Seville, the place I had asked about CELTA a year prior. Since I didn’t have much going on, I decided to just go for it – 100% online CELTA, here I come!
Surviving CELTA: A Wild Five-Week Ride
I took a quick look at my chances of failing the course and figured it was pretty unlikely – I was sure I’d at least pass. A Pass B? Maybe not. Pass A? Not even on my radar. The course startedff and wrapped up so fast. It was honestly one of the craziest five weeks of my life. On the last day, we had an online celebratory drink, and after that, I just shut my laptop and told myself I wouldn’t stress about my grade anymore. It was all done.
I suddenly found myself with a ton of free time, just messing around on my phone when I saw an email from CLIC pop up: “Hope you’re having a good weekend. Attached is your provisional CELTA result.” My heart raced as I opened it and… I saw that I got a PASS A! I kind of had a feeling I was doing well towards the end of the course, but still, only 5% of CELTA candidates get a Pass A (Cambridge English: Grade Statistics, 2019). It felt unreal!
A few months later, I finally got to see it in person, and that’s when it really hit me how important this course was. I would have seriously regretted it if I’d just settled for a Pass. Lots of private schools in Spain want you to have a CELTA certificate, and they usually prefer at least a Pass A or Pass B. Scroll down to check out the 8 ways I managed to get a CELTA Pass A.
1. Devote yourself fully
It was pretty easy for me since I did it during quarantine when I had nothing else going on. If you sign up for an intensive course, get ready to say goodbye to your family and friends for about 4-5 weeks. It’s a super intense experience with barely any free time. My day began at 10 with teaching practice, then moved on to an input session, followed by some time for reflection and constructive feedback, and finished with another input session. By 6, classes were done, but I still had to create lesson plans and assignments. Make sure to take breaks and go for walks to unwind, but overall, just know that you won’t have much downtime.
2. Share your ideas
Before you start your teaching practice, you’ll have some time to plan and meet up with your tutor(s). Your first class should be pretty straightforward to plan since you’ll have a guide that includes lesson objectives and a few task ideas. As you move through the course, the help will start to lessen, and eventually, you’ll need to figure out what you want to teach by yourself. During your meetings with your tutor, share your own ideas and brainstorm some tasks. This will help you become more independent in your teaching, which could lead to a better grade.
3. Research
Before you just go along with your tutor’s ideas, consider throwing in some of your own activities or different ways to start or end the class. Your ideas don’t have to be set in stone, and the internet is packed with cool and engaging lesson plans that could spark your creativity. Just remember, don’t copy-paste anything. Use them as inspiration or for practice.
The same goes for your assignments. If you mess up on one, you can’t get Pass A. So, get inspired and avoid plagiarism! Do some digging online and back up your work with solid ESL teaching books (your tutors should point you in the right direction). If you’re unsure about some English topics, check out YouTube videos to get a better grip on what you’re teaching. For example, you can have a look at my CELTA Assignment 3 to see one way it can be done. It’s all about looking and sounding confident in front of your students!
4. Reflect on your teaching
After each teaching session, you’ll fill out a form to reflect on your class. You’ll also be listening to other candidates and tutors talk about your lesson right in front of you! Don’t stress – the other candidates are really nice and focus on the good stuff. I chose to be completely honest, so if I made a mistake or something didn’t go as planned, I’d just own up to it. This shows you’re aware and can adjust when needed. And don’t hesitate to try new things! You can use ideas you think will work in class, and it’s totally fine if an experiment doesn’t pan out! Your tutors love to see your creativity and originality. If you can back up your experiments, you’ll be just fine.
5. Take criticism
Once you chat with your teammates and tutors, try to take their feedback on board and really think it through. Sometimes you might not agree, but including your tutor’s suggestions in your lesson plans can be super helpful. I did that, and I promise you, it’s totally worth it! If you try something new and it doesn’t go as planned, that’s totally okay! Rome wasn’t built in a day, right? Practice makes perfect, and everyone knows that. Your tutor just wants you to be open to trying fresh ideas and stepping out of your comfort zone.
6. Learn from other teachers
The cool thing about teaching practice is that you’re not the only teacher around! You get to see all these awesome teachers with their own unique styles and approaches. Honestly, it was so refreshing. I’m kinda stuck in my way of doing things, so it was a nice reminder that everyone has their own vibe. One of my teammates showed me how to teach in a chill way and just be myself, another one inspired me to take more risks in the classroom, and someone else taught me how to create fun worksheets and presentations. You should totally check out their ideas and maybe try out the ones that resonate with you!
7. Participate
Staying active during those long input hours is pretty crucial. I found that I’d start my days super energized, but by the time the afternoon hit, my motivation really started to fade. Still, I made it a point to jump in and share my thoughts, even when I felt like I couldn’t stare at my screen anymore. Those input sessions are a fantastic chance to learn from colleagues, too. Honestly, I picked up so much from some of the more experienced people around.
8. Have some prior teaching experience
This might sound a bit unrealistic for some candidates, but there’s a big difference between experienced teachers and those trying it out for the first time. If you’ve got some experience under your belt, you know how to break things down, give clear instructions, understand grammar rules, and you probably have a good sense of the common questions students ask, plus some ideas for fun tasks.
New teachers can feel totally overwhelmed being in the spotlight, having to run the whole class while everyone’s watching and judging them. So, if you’re gunning for that Pass A, make sure to give yourself some time to build your confidence as a speaker first. Just to clarify, I did CELTA with about 1.5 years of teaching experience. Of course, if you’re one of those naturally confident folks who handles new situations well, then go for it!
These are some of my key takeaways that I think helped me get a Pass A. If you’re gearing up for CELTA, good luck! Hope my post was at least a bit helpful.
Have you got any other tips for ESL teachers considering the CELTA?
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