Cambridge CELTA course and jobs

Gingko

I'm considering applying for the Cambridge CELTA course in Dublin through the Kaplan International School. I believe that one does not need to hold a degree to undertake this course depending on age and life experience etc. But what about after the course? Is the CELTA on it's own enough? Do prospective employers look for the CELTA as well as a degree? I've got mixed reports on this.

roe_cat

It depends where you want to get a job -unless you have some very relevant employment experience I wouldn't rate your chances of getting into a school in Ireland without a degree (and even then I'm not so sure)- abroad it will really vary from country to country.
I'd say for self-improvement/ improving your teaching skills it's a good course - but hard work and lots of money (you could do a CELT course for around €1000 if you shop around). If it's part of a career plan, though, I'd say you might need to look into it a bit more before handing over your money.

Gingko

roe_cat wrote: »

It depends where you want to get a job -unless you have some very relevant employment experience I wouldn't rate your chances of getting into a school in Ireland without a degree (and even then I'm not so sure)- abroad it will really vary from country to country.
I'd say for self-improvement/ improving your teaching skills it's a good course - but hard work and lots of money (you could do a CELT course for around €1000 if you shop around). If it's part of a career plan, though, I'd say you might need to look into it a bit more before handing over your money.

Looking to use it abroad. Portugal in particular, although I would not rule out South West France / North of Spain. Any knowledge there? Thanks

Gingko

Anyone else out there with any contributions? All feedback welcome

catweasel10

I did the CELTA last year, and when the assessor came to check on the centre, he had a chat with us. He said that Europe was pretty much saturated at the moment, and from looking at various job sites, schools in Europe tend to request a degree and at least 1 year post-CELTA teaching experience. That's not to say that there's no way you could get a job in the regions you mentioned, but it might prove to be more difficult. Your best bet might be a year somewhere in Asia, maybe China, as they usually just require native speakers.

roe_cat

Even though most schools want degree+ CELTA, if you're already on site and they're looking for someone when you come knocking you might well get the job. Would probably be quite difficult to have a job lined up before you go though

Gingko

Yes browsing various sites in Europe and holding a degree does seem to be needed. But I also agree with last post that you may get lucky whilst actually "on site". But it is very expensive luck!

Banjara

Hi Gingko

Having a CELTA without a degree is not a problem in most European countries but is definitely an issue in the following places if you want a 'decent job' in an accredited school:
Japan
S. Korea
Vietnam
Thailand
China
Singapore
Indonesia
Malaysia
all countries in the Middle East; in fact most are looking at MA level qualifications and/or extensive experience
Turkey

In the above countries, the degree stipulation is enforced upon the schools by the authorities in that a degree is needed to have 'official' working papers/permit/teaching licence, so you may hear of some folks that have taught there illegally on tourist visas.

Countries where non-degree holders are ok - most S Am. countries, Sri Lanka, India, Cambodia, European countries. Plenty of folks I know have taught in Portugal and Spain without degrees so you should be ok there.

Just interested as to why you are considering the UK qualification (CELTA) rather than the Irish one (CELT)? Also (hint!!) do shop around if you are in Dublin and check how long certain places have been running courses.

Gingko

Banjara wrote: »

Hi Gingko

Having a CELTA without a degree is not a problem in most European countries but is definitely an issue in the following places if you want a 'decent job' in an accredited school:
Japan
S. Korea
Vietnam
Thailand
China
Singapore
Indonesia
Malaysia
all countries in the Middle East; in fact most are looking at MA level qualifications and/or extensive experience
Turkey

In the above countries, the degree stipulation is enforced upon the schools by the authorities in that a degree is needed to have 'official' working papers/permit/teaching licence, so you may hear of some folks that have taught there illegally on tourist visas.

Countries where non-degree holders are ok - most S Am. countries, Sri Lanka, India, Cambodia, European countries. Plenty of folks I know have taught in Portugal and Spain without degrees so you should be ok there.

Just interested as to why you are considering the UK qualification (CELTA) rather than the Irish one (CELT)? Also (hint!!) do shop around if you are in Dublin and check how long certain places have been running courses.

Thanks for info. Very much appreciated! Good to know re Europe and South America. CELTA was recommended to me by a friend who did a different TEFL course some years ago. I believe it to be the cream of the crop. So as I don't hold a degree I thought the CELTA would greatly help my chances. I was told it looks good on the C.V.

Banjara

Gingko ...... just tried to pm you, but it doesn't seem to be working or else you have received three messages??? Let me know either way.

Gingko

Banjara wrote: »

Gingko ...... just tried to pm you, but it doesn't seem to be working or else you have received three messages??? Let me know either way.

I received three messages! Thanks! Absorbing all the info you are giving me!

Gingko

I'm checking out IH Dublin as you recommended. Looks good. Course every month too.

dapto1

Banjara wrote: »

Just interested as to why you are considering the UK qualification (CELTA) rather than the Irish one (CELT)?

The CELT is a great course, but I wish I had done the CELTA as it is more widely recognised internationally.

population

dapto1 wrote: »

The CELT is a great course, but I wish I had done the CELTA as it is more widely recognised internationally.

Do not do CELT. Just take on the CELTA. Before I came to Italy I asked my potential employer if he would be happy with CELT and he just kept saying, "CELTA". When I checked with other schools just for a comparison they were all of exactly the same opinion. They expect to see CELTA.

Oh and you can work in Italy without a primary degree. My wife does not have a primary degree but she is teaching away with her CELTA here

Gingko

population wrote: »

Do not do CELT. Just take on the CELTA. Before I came to Italy I asked my potential employer if he would be happy with CELT and he just kept saying, "CELTA". When I checked with other schools just for a comparison they were all of exactly the same opinion. They expect to see CELTA.

Oh and you can work in Italy without a primary degree. My wife does not have a primary degree but she is teaching away with her CELTA here

What kind of earnings V cost of living there? Would it cover rent, food, social, transport etc.

thegalavanter

Gingko wrote: »

I'm checking out IH Dublin as you recommended. Looks good. Course every month too.

I did my course there. My sweet fu*k it was hard going. Even though it was only 4 weeks long we had 1 drop out and 1 failed before she even reached week 4. You will have absolutely no life for the 4 weeks. Expect long nights preparing for the next days lesson. If you can hack that then brilliant. I have a degree anyway so I cant remember if you actually need one there. You probably do or maybe they might accept some good life experience. You have to pass an interview as well to get the course. You cant just simply decide you want to do it and do it.

Was it worth doing? Well yes in terms of qualification requirements it is, but I'm still without a job 6 months on. Its not always that easy.

Solair

Gingko wrote: »

Looking to use it abroad. Portugal in particular, although I would not rule out South West France / North of Spain. Any knowledge there? Thanks

Southwest France - I don't mean to be disappointing, but unless you speak fluent French and have a degree (preferably in English) you really would be struggling to get any work at all. France is very qualification-bound.

Northern Spain, slightly more relaxed but not much. There's a massive difference in attitudes between the North and South of Spain. The Basque Country and Navarra take education extremely seriously and are quite highly regulated about who can teach what.

You *might* get something in a private academy on the basis that you're a native speaker, but again that's more likely to be conversation classes.

Bear in mind that the cost of living in Northern Spain is pretty high by Spanish standards and in many respects is comparable to Ireland. It's much more expensive than other areas of Spain. The bigger cities are surprisingly expensive i.e. the likes of Bilbao, Pamplona/Iruña and San Sebastian/Donostia (really off the scale, I'd say it's more expensive than Madrid in my experience).

Some aspects of eating out (i.e. Tapas/pintxos) are a lot cheaper as is going for a drink in a normal bar. But, supermarket shopping in Northern Spain, particularly Pamplona for some reason, is surprisingly expensive. Rent's pricy, as is heat and electricity (and believe me you need it in the North!)

Check www.idealista.com for an idea of the prices of accommodation. It's like www.daft.ie

The problem is that the pay rates can be pretty poor like €15 / hour, and I saw / heard of people who were earning <€10 / hour! You'd be looking at maybe €25-30 tops for private tuition.

If you have CELTA + a degree, preferably a relevant one e.g. if you want to teach Business English, you might actually find you will get a lot of work with CELTA + a B. Comm. and some relevant real-world experience.

In general, most schools will expect a Bachelors level degree and CELTA though.

The other thing to remember is that Spain's economy is actually in worse shape than Ireland in many ways. The unemployment rates are frighteningly bad >20% and a lot of businesses are closing up and the state's slashing spending on programmes that some of the language schools tapped into. A lot of business language teaching was partially state and EU funded and that's all being cut back. So, the end result is that jobs for language teachers are fewer and father between than they were during the boom times.

Parents are also cutting back on what they're prepared to spend on extra classes too.

I don't mean to paint a gloomy picture, but if I were you I'd consider going further afield if you're serious about getting some teaching experience. It's just not a good time to move to Spain.

Also, definitely take the advice above. You can't generalise about Europe either. The demands for qualifications depend on the level of regulation in the country you're going to and the supply of teachers. There are a lot of francophiles out there who want to teach in France in particular. Likewise, Spain's always well supplied, so you're up against people with degrees.

Perhaps your best bet is to look at jobs in places that are a little further flung and have demand for teachers.

Also, if you have completed CELTA and have a few years teaching experience you can do DELTA, a much longer version of it which would give you a decent qualification and career path.

madmoe

population wrote: »

Do not do CELT. Just take on the CELTA. Before I came to Italy I asked my potential employer if he would be happy with CELT and he just kept saying, "CELTA". When I checked with other schools just for a comparison they were all of exactly the same opinion. They expect to see CELTA.

Oh and you can work in Italy without a primary degree. My wife does not have a primary degree but she is teaching away with her CELTA here

Sorry to drag this post back up but I am finding it very difficult to locate a place in Dublin that I can do the CELTA part-time! I am of the opinion if I am gonna spend 1K or more then I may as well get the CELTA and not the CELT. CES are offering the CELT over 6 weeks which is the best I have found so far but that's the CELT and I want to get the CELTA!!

Anyone any suggestions on where to get a CELTA part time?

Cheers,
M

johnmck

The part time CELTA in Dublin was cancelled unfortunately

Is CELTA offered in Galway at all?