Studying for a qualification to teach English as a foreign language

Studying for a qualification to teach English as a foreign language was something I had always planned to do and when I was made redundant earlier in
the year I decided it was now or never. It had been a long time since I was in full-time education, and thankfully methods and techniques have changed a
lot, so it was with some trepidation that I signed up for my course.

‘Everything I read and the people I spoke to all suggested that the CELTA course was very “full on” and hard. Having worked in a variety of sales and
marketing roles in IT, and then in fundraising for an international charity, I wondered just how hard could it be?

‘Well, it was like trying to drink from a fire hose, there was so much information to absorb, and you didn’t want to spill a drop. There is a large volume of work to do throughout the four weeks, with the assignments and lesson preparation, and it certainly required some organisational skills that I didn’t know I had. ‘The combination of theory followed each day by teaching practice, with real students, allowed you to immediately try out what you were learning and get feedback.

The feedback from the tutors was invaluable, allowing us to benefit from their vast experience, but the feedback from the students’ faces was immediate
and a good indicator of how the lesson was going. The opportunity to observe experienced teachers also gave a good insight as to how it should be done.
‘There was a real mix of people on the course and you certainly get to know each other very well in a very short space of time! International House
was a great place to do a CELTA course since it has great resources and support. It felt very slick, well organised and efficient.

‘Getting a CELTA qualification feels a bit like passing your driving test, you think you know how to drive, but the real learning comes when you start driving. I am looking forward to teaching and building on this experience.