Surviving CELTA - Cambridge Certificate of Teaching English

Updated: 08/02/2023

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Training for English language teachers
3 Tips to get through 4 incredibly challenging weeks 

I know what you’re thinking  “c’mon it’s just a course, how hard can it be? ” 
This is exactly what I thought before I started one of the most intense and stimulating experience of my life, 
believing I would have floated gracefully through lessons, feedback and essays, thinking I would have had time to plan what to eat and even what to wear   …well… I was wrong! 
Time was my biggest enemy  , I found myself struggling with lessons plans till 2 a.m. and waking up at 5.30 in order to review one last time my power point presentation and run to the course venue to print all the materials, just to find that.. surprise!: there’s no paper! ( or no ink in the toner..trust me, both things happened more than once!) 
Time for anything not Celta related was in general a big issue, I still remember how prophetic my tutor sounded when during the interview he told me :- “ in the next 4 weeks you belong to us”..I should have taken his words more seriously, because I actually didn’t have time for anything else, not even during weekends ( I once had an ice cream on a Friday afternoon and I still feel guilty about it!) 
Anyways if you’re reading this it means you’re willing to join a Celta course  so here are 3 important tips. 
 
 
1 Be organized 
 I know it sounds obvious but  you will be submerged by hundreds of photocopies and notes since day 1 so 
keeping everything in the right place and having a tidy desk will prevent you to go nuts and look like a 
“crazy scientist”! ( this is how my partner used to call me during the Celta!) 

2 Take one step at a time 
The Celta course will come in a logical order to help you to progress as a teacher from start to finish so 
don’t worry about the next week or the last assignment , just focus on the present and try to go through 
your daily tasks in the best possible way 

3 Learn from your mistakes. 
There are going to be times when your performance won’t meet your expectations, and  your tutors and 
course mates will make you notice EVERY SINGLE MISTAKE ( some of their feedback  will be 2 paper long!) 
but  this is what celta is about : listening to your tutors an your colleagues advice to improve day by day and  
by the end of the course you’ll realize those 4 weeks were exhausting but at the same time really fulfilling 
and your classmates will probably become precious friends.    


Written by Joy

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