Most of
the questions below refer to CELTA, which is our most popular
course. If you have questions relating to other teacher
training courses, please do
contact us - we will be happy to
help.
What is the difference between CELTA and TESOL?
CELTA = Certificate in English Language Teaching to Adults
TESOL = Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages
CELTA and Trinity Cert TESOL certificates carry the same weight in
the job market. They are both internationally recognised
qualifications and are a prerequisite for working in a British
Council accredited school in the UK. The Cambridge CELTA qualification is
the most widely accepted initial teaching qualification.
Which qualifications do I need
to take the CELTA course?
The entry requirements are as
follows:
* University
degree or qualification permitting entry into Higher Education
(e.g. A Levels, International Baccalauret)
* A good standard of written and spoken English (CPE or IELTS 7.0 or
equivalent for
non-native speakers)
Is there a minimum or
maximum age?
We accept students from aged 18+
Do I need to have any teaching experience?
No. The CELTA Course assumes no previous teaching
experience.
What kind of people do your CELTA
courses?
Our courses attract people from a wide variety of
backgrounds and life situations; recent graduates, professionals
seeking a career change, gap year students, through to early retirees looking for a
new challenge. You are likely to meet trainees from the
UK, North America and Australasia, along with non-native English
speakers.
What is the pass rate?
Language Link is proud to achieve a 99% pass rate on our CELTA
courses. We train approximately 250 new teachers every year.
When do the courses start and
when is the best time to enrol?
We run CELTA courses every month so there is plenty of choice. Courses in the summer months
are always popular and we cannot predict how fast the courses will
fill up. Most courses in 2006 were full. The sooner you apply the
better chance you will have of getting a place on the course you
want.
Can
I get help with funding?
Language Link is registered with the
Learning & Skills Council which offers career development loans.
EU teachers wishing to follow a Language Link Booster or TKT course may be eligible for funding under the
the
EU Socrates-Comenius programme.
How easy is it to get a job
in English Language Teaching?
It depends where you want to
work. In some countries (e.g. in Eastern Europe and some countries
in South America) there is a huge demand for teachers whilst in
others (most notably in Western Europe) jobs for inexperienced
teachers are often fairly limited. Full-time work in the UK is very
limited outside summer months. Between June and September, however,
there is great demand for teachers to teach on summer courses. Many
teachers work abroad during the academic year and return to work in
the UK for part of the summer.
When is the best time to find
a job?
Most northern hemisphere
schools’ academic year is from September/October to June. Schools
are looking for new teachers from around May to replace teachers
that are leaving, and/or from the middle of September to the end of
October. December and January are also
good months to find work, since some teachers leave in December and
new courses start.
How do I go about finding a
job?
There will be a talk given on recruitment during the CELTA
course. Language Link has schools in the UK, Russia,
China and Vietnam.
Teachers who have
successfully completed our training courses are offered the opportunity
of teaching for Language Link abroad, thereby gaining initial teaching
experience in a supportive environment. We are also in contact
with a number of international school chains and are happy to assist in providing more
details. Other good sources of information include
The Guardian
and The
EL Gazette websites.
Finally, you might like to consider working for the voluntary
sector. VSO places a large
number of teachers.
How much can I expect to earn?
The ELT market is largely
unregulated and conditions vary greatly from country to country and
school to school. Teachers are normally paid in the currency of the
country in which they are working and the value of that salary, when
changed into Sterling, can seem very little. In the UK
salaries for newly qualified teachers range from around £9.00-£25.00
per hour.
Is it possible to have a
career in ELT?
There is now quite a
well-established career structure within the field in the UK. As a
newly qualified teacher, you might consider looking for a job which
will provide you with support for two to three years then consider
taking the next-level qualification DELTA (Diploma in English
Language Teaching to Adults). After this, you might think about
moving into teacher support in the role of senior teacher. After
gaining some more experience, many teachers go on to do an MA in ELT
before moving into teacher training or ELT management.
