Do I need to have a university degree in order to enter the CELTA program? |
No, although we recommend that candidates have a standard of education equivalent to that required for entry into higher education.
Please note that although it is not necessary for applicants to possess a Bachelor's degree to enter the CELTA program, many foreign countries and Canadian associations (such as TESL Canada) require university degrees from their ESL teachers. |
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How does the CELTA compare with other TEFL/TESL programs? |
| CELTA is one of the world's foremost initial qualifications
for people who wish to become professional teachers of the
English language. The CELTA program is
the introductory certification that is the most honoured entry-level credential in the
world for teaching English as a second or foreign language and it is the qualification
that many language school employers ask for by name. Cambridge ESOL (English for Speakers
of Other Languages) approves all centres, courses, and tutors. More than 10,000 candidates
complete a CELTA course every year.
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Is it necessary for candidates to be native speakers of English in order to take CELTA? |
| Applicants do not need to have English as their first language,
but must have a standard of English which will enable them to teach at a range of levels.
During the assessment interview, the CELTA tutors will evaluate the quality of your English. |
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How are candidates assessed? |
Candidates are assessed continuously during the course and
there is no final examination. An external assessor, who is appointed by UCLES (University of Cambridge Local Examinations Syndicate),
moderates each course.
There are three components of assessment:
Assessment of Teaching Practice
Candidates teach for a total of six hours, working with classes at two levels of ability. The assessment is based
on the candidate's overall performance at the end of the six hours.
Written Assignments
There are four written assignments. Two assignments explore aspects of teaching and learning English at
adult levels, one involves work on the language system of English and one is a reflection on classroom teaching.
The assignments are marked by the centre, and moderated by an external assessor appointed by UCLES.
Professional Development
This is based on a candidate's overall performance on the course.
To be successful, candidates must pass all components. There are three grades - Pass, Pass 'B' and Pass 'A'.
Successful candidates receive a Certificate awarded by the University of Cambridge Local Examinations Syndicate. The centre
also provides a report on performance and achievement for each candidate.
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How much time will I need to devote to the course each day? |
| The CELTA course at ILSC is very intensive. The course takes
place 5 days/week for 4 weeks from 8:30 AM - 6:00 PM. You will also need to devote many evenings and weekends
to completing written assignments, homework, lesson planning and materials preparation tasks. |
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How do I apply? |
You must pay the application fee of $100 CAD at this time.* One of the course tutors will make a preliminary assessment of your suitability for the CELTA course based on your pre-interview assignment. If your assignment is of a suitable standard, we will contact you to arrange an interview. The interview may be in person or by telephone depending on where you are located. The interview will be conducted by one of the tutors and is designed to give them an idea as to how you will do on the course. We only accept candidates who have a fair chance of passing the course and receiving the certificate. You will be told shortly after the interview whether or not we shall offer you a place on the course, and you will also have an opportunity to ask any questions you may have.
*Payment is accepted by:
- Bank draft
- Money order
- Bank certified cheque
- Major credit card
- Interac
- Cash
Payments must be made out to ILSC (Montreal) Inc. Please note that personal cheques will not be accepted. |
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Do you provide accommodation? |
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Once you are accepted into the CELTA program, ILSC can help you find accommodation with one of our homestay families.
These families are located within a 40 minute radius of the school by public transportation. You will be provided with a
clean, comfortable, private room. The room will be equipped with a desk, bed, dresser, closet and good lighting. In addition to having your
own bedroom, the familly will provide you with 3 meals per day. For
specific rates, you may consult ILSC's homestay page.
Alternative accommodation is also a possibility.
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| Aside from the the 4 week course, from 9 am to 6 pm, are there additional time commitments to complete the course? |
| Before the course even begins, there is a "pre-course" task, which takes an average of a weekend to complete. The class is incredibly intensive! During the 4-week course, there are 4 assignments that take approx. 10 hours each to prepare. Those can be done on weekends. Also, on weekday evenings, after the course, most of your time will be spent planning lessons for your teaching the next day. |
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| Are there specific placements provided for practical teaching assignments? |
| Yes, all the practice teaching happens here, on site. We advertise "Free-English" courses in the local paper and gather multi-cultural groups of ESL students that are divided up into 2 levels. These two groups are composed of 10-12 adults. You will have an opportunity to teach both groups: 2 weeks with the beginners and 2 weeks with the intermediates. |
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| Do many graduates of the program stay in Montreal to work? What type of jobs do they get? |
Some trainees from Montreal stay in the city to teach in private language schools such as ILSC while others take off to travel the planet! We also have many out-of-towners who come to Montreal, do the CELTA and return to Ottawa, Kingston, Burlington, etc. and teach there in private language schools.
In Canada the CELTA program is a highly respected and recognized qualification that employers certainly won't ignore! It is an attestation to the teacher’s high quality and serious commitment to TESL. In other regions of the world, especially in the Middle-East and Europe, the CELTA is often the only recognized Teacher Training Certificate for TESL.
Learn more about ESL job opportunities for our CELTA graduates. |
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| Can applications be submitted via email? |
| You may submit the application documents via e-mail, but the “personal statement” should be scanned, faxed or mailed by post, because it should be handwritten. Our fax number is (514) 876-4053. Please fax documents to the attention of Christopher Cooke. |
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| How do interviews work as I'm currently out of town? |
| After ILSC receives the application form, the pre-interview task and the $100 application fee, we can schedule a telephone interview. This is a fairly common thing that we do. The telephone interview lasts approx. 1 hour. The school will cover the costs.
Of course, an "in person" interview gives you a better chance to introduce yourself and might make you more comfortable, so if you ARE able to visit Montreal, that would make for the most ideal interview!
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| What is the difference between the TESOL and the CELTA? |
| The CELTA is a type of TESOL. In fact, the acronym "TESOL" (teaching English to speakers of other languages) is just a generic name pointing to any and all certificates focused on teaching ESL. Some schools just use the generic "TESOL" name while other schools create their own name for their TESOL certificates. This is what Cambridge University has done with CELTA. |
ILSC CELTA Home Page
