Celta course FAQs

TEFL (Teaching English as a Foreign Language) and ELT (English Language Teaching) both refer to the industry of teaching English as a foreign language. TESOL and CELTA both refer to the qualifications that can be gained if you would like to teach English in the UK or abroad. 

CELTA refers to the Cambridge Certificate in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages and TESOL refers to the Trinity Certificate in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages.

Not really. Both Certificates teach the same basic TEFL/TESOL skills and require the same number of hours of teaching practice and observation, for example. Both lead to the same level of professional qualification, which is Level 5 of the National Qualifications Framework, and both have equal status on the TEFL job market.

Online TEFL courses have do not usually offer teaching practice with real students and detailed feedback. 

Weekend or ‘taster’ courses may giveg you an idea of what to expect when teaching English as a foreign language. However, you will not get the full range of input ‒ training in teaching methodology, language analysis, classroom management, and so on ‒ that you will get on a longer course. 

More importantly, it is not a recognised qualification and no quality school would accept you as a qualified teacher.

No, we don't ask you for money until after you have accepted a place on the course. When you get to the payment page of the application form, it says you do not pay at this stage. 

Please see the application process (above) to get an idea of the timeframe for applications and when payment is required.

No. If you start the course, the fees are due. If you cancel before the course starts, our cancellation terms apply. It is sometimes possible to defer to a later course but this is not automatic.

Don't worry. Many, many participants say this. On the course we'll help you understand how grammar works, what the key terms mean, and how to teach it effectively. There are lots of books to help you, too.

Yes! The students in the classes you will be teaching in your assessed lessons are people living in Bristol, who come from a variety of different countries and genuinely need English. 

You will be at school from around 8.30 to 5pm Monday to Friday. 

In the morning, you do assessed teaching practice, peer observations, group feedback and lesson preparation. In the afternoon, you have input sessions led by one of our tutors.

 You also have work to do in the evenings and at weekends, including lesson planning and completing your written assignments.

You do six hours of assessed teaching practice, which is divided up into 40-minute lessons. Your first TP (teaching practice) is normally on day two of the course for 20 minutes.

Of course. 

We can arrange accommodation with a host in Bristol - you can choose from half-board, self-catering homestays or student residence, and we will try to place you as close to the school as possible. 

Alternatively, for private accommodation, Clifton Short Lets and Your Apartment are popular options for many of our students. See our Accommodation page or contact us for details.

Yes, within reason. If your commute is less than an hour a day each way, it is possible. More than an hour may make the course more difficult for you.

No, it's not a good idea.

You have a lot of reading and preparing to do after classes in the evenings. You'll probably want to organise your notes and catch up on some reading during the weekend, too. You need to be giving 100% to the programme. After all, it's the start of a new career; don't jeopardise it before it's even started.

There is a lot of work for certificate English teachers, one of the easiest ways is to search for an online English teacher job(Opens in a new tab/window) on Jooble or other big international job boards.

IH Bristol does not do online CELTA but we recommend IH Lisbon(Opens in a new tab/window) who run online courses through the year. 

You need to have at least a high C1 level of English.