General Information about CELTA

CELTA (Cambridge Certificate in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages) is an initial qualification for people who want to become teachers of English as a foreign language. The Cambridge CELTA is the best known and most widely taken initial certificate of its kind. You can rely on its quality and recognition because it is awarded by Cambridge Assessment English, part of the University of Cambridge.

Every centre is approved by Cambridge Assessment English and every course is moderated by an external assessor and follows a set syllabus. This means that the Cambridge CELTA is to the same high standard wherever it is taken.

CELTA is the initial international standard for quality teaching, recognised throughout the world by almost all organisations which employ English language teachers.

After my CELTA, I started applying for jobs all around the world, and because of my CELTA, I got accepted into almost all of them. Having a CELTA really does open doors for you! It also made me well prepared and confident enough to go into the classroom and teach. Doing the CELTA is absolutely worth it. Miriam, Egypt/Canada

CELTA is an introductory course aimed at applicants with little or no previous experience of teaching English to speakers of other languages, it is also a professional qualification and an international standard for teaching quality, and is taken by experienced professionals and new teachers alike. It is suitable for:

 • People starting a career in English Language Teaching

You may be looking to begin a long term career in English Language teaching and see CELTA as a springboard into a good teaching post in the country of your choice. You may be a graduate looking for a qualification that gives you a solid grounding in the fundamentals of language teaching practice, together with the confidence in the classroom.

• People looking for a career break or career change
A great part of CELTA candidates are professionals who are either looking for a career change or simply want a short break in their existing career. Perhaps you want to live and work abroad? Whether you wish to teach English for the short or long term, CELTA gives you the training you need to help you adapt to a dynamic and challenging new profession.

• People already teaching English but with no formal qualifications
You may be a practicing English Language teacher but with no formal qualifications. CELTA will help strengthen your teaching practice, improve your skills, and may even lead to internal promotion or a better teaching job.

In all, over 10 000 people worldwide successfully complete a CELTA course each year.

CELTA trainees at AVO Language & Examination Centre vary widely in education, experience and age. Most of them have a university degree or another higher qualification in addition to a fluent standard of English which enables them to cope with the demanding nature of the course.
 

According to the Cambridge Assessment English regulations, you can apply for a CELTA course if you:

• are at least 20 years of age
• have a standard of education equivalent to that required for entry into higher education
• have an awareness of language and a competence in both written and spoken English which will enable you to teach at a range of levels (from Beginner / A1 to Proficient / C2) on the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages.
 

You are assessed continuously during the course and there is no final examination. The assessment is based on your overall performance and commitment during the course. An external assessor, who is appointed by Cambridge Assessment English moderates each course.