Comments on: Share Your Thoughts: CELTA vs. TESOL Programs

By: Cassidy

Cassidy — Mon, 08 Aug 2011 22:25:51 +0000

If you wish to go East, you don’t even need a certification. Korea, Japan and China will take Americans without certification. Europe, however, is very competitive.

2500 isn’t that much, considering how much a college degree in English teaching is.

By: Cassidy

Cassidy — Mon, 08 Aug 2011 22:22:54 +0000

The C in CELTA does stand for certification, but it is a course designed by Cambridge. If you want to go to Europe, that is the certification to pick. It is EXTREMELY intensive, but by the end of it you will feel very confident. Anyone can get the TEFL, but for CELTA you must apply, pass a long grammar/vocab task, pass a 60 minute phone interview, and that just gets you in. To actually get the cert, you must complete 4 papers, teach for 6 hours, and 6 hours of teaching observation. You put all these things into a portfolio, and a Cambridge prof reviews it. That prof has the final say of you passing or failing the course.

I am currently doing the CELTA (Aug 2011) course. I am in week 2 and its tough. Prepare for 8 hours of class, and 4-5 hours of homework every night. But like I said, by the end you will feel very confident.

By: Rachael

Rachael — Wed, 27 Jul 2011 08:22:08 +0000

Hi Aimee,

Please update us on how your program in Chiang Mai is going.

I did some research earlier this year about all the certifications that will enable me to teach English in Asia.

I did find out that SIT TESOL has a lot more hands on training versus just lecture and theoretical explanations of how things should be done.

When do you start??

Take care!!
Rachael

By: Aimee

Aimee — Tue, 22 Mar 2011 06:17:48 +0000

I should follow up on this post:

I decided to pursue the TESOL at the AUA program through SIT in Chiang Mai.

http://www.auathailand.org/sit/Chiangmai.htm

The course was extremely challenging. I am no stranger to academics – and this was one of the most grueling months of my life.

I wouldn’t trade it for anything. The instructors were top notch and I walked away knowing how to approach this work in a confident, creative and intuitive way.

The CELTA program in Chiang Mai was just too far outside the city. And it seemed too cushy – designed for the gap year crowd. I expected to be a little coddled there.

The AUA program demanded independent and adventurous thinking. We were working in the classrooms in the first week.

Hands on training – trial by fire.

Happy with the choice.

By: Si Knight

Si Knight — Sun, 13 Mar 2011 03:28:30 +0000

Trinity cert TESOL and Cambridge CELTA are almost identical in nature. The trinity course is more reflective, in that they are ask you to think more about why you chose to teach certain things and not others. CELTA is more dogmatic and, in my opinion, a little behind in the times in terms of approach and the methods they favour.
SIT tesol is the American cousin and it is even more reflective than Trinity and utilises a variety of different methods especially task based methods.
People say CELTA is better b/c they see adverts asking for CELTA – all three qualify as an initial teaching qualification – but it is really a short form of asking for a known 120-30 hour course with supervised teaching practice.
Believe me, if 3 newbies are being interviewed for a job and they each have one of the 3 qualifications listed above, then the person who impresses the most at the interview will get the
position not the CELTA.
Don’t believe the hype – choose a course that suits YOU!

By: Lisa Stomprud

Lisa Stomprud — Fri, 03 Sep 2010 15:55:18 +0000

Anyone know of any programs that I can get financial aid from U.S. Gov’t for certification?

By: edwin

edwin — Fri, 11 Sep 2009 17:53:46 +0000

Greetings!
TESOL/TEFL/TESL is the generic name and Cambridge CELTA is a particular brand of tesol/tefl/tesl, just like the Trinity Cert TESOL. Another “brand” is the SIT TESOL which claims to be an equivalent of the celta and trinity, although based on my recent research the latter two are more widely recognized.

By: Chris

Chris — Thu, 20 Aug 2009 18:45:19 +0000

The “C” in CELTA stands for Certificate not Cambridge. CELTA means Certificate in English Language Teaching to Adults. It was designed by the University of Cambridge.

IDELT means International Diploma in English Language Teaching.

I’m trying to decide which is better, or if both are equivalent.

By: Kevin

Kevin — Thu, 16 Jul 2009 17:29:32 +0000

On reading that IDELT and CElTA are like programs I would love to hear from Jessica what her research has found. Is IDELT seperate from a TEFL certification. Should I get both certifications TEFL and IDELT? Or does IDELT include TEFL? I am trying to map out what I wish to do. Thank you

By: Aimee

Aimee — Mon, 20 Apr 2009 21:51:29 +0000

Hey – thanks to you both!

Jessica – i think it makes sense to go whole hog when it comes to education. I’m going to find as reputable a program as possible. Online courses on the internet look like a crap shoot…

Does anyone out there have an opinion about courses with SIT?

The CELTA or the SIT…

and particularly – the courses offered in Chiang Mai?

this is my specific and particular dilemma.

I live in the US and will eventually return to the US – does it make sense for me to pursue the CELTA?

Of course – teaching in Europe would be a dream…

Any American ESL experts out there who advise for or against the CELTA for eventually seeking work in the US?

Or are these certificates really interchangeable??

Still wondering ~

Aimée