CELTA Course with Teaching House: Locations Throughout the Globe!

Taking the CELTA was the best investment I ever made towards advancing my teaching career. The practical knowledge, hands-on activities and in-depth feedback I gained from the course are invaluable. Unlike other courses in which you often just listen to someone lecture about how to teach English, with the CELTA you start teaching within the first couple days, and then almost everyday thereafter FOR A MONTH. It's can be incredibly challenging at times, but I believe it is truly the best way to prepare people to become (better) teachers. Teaching House Boston provided us with an incredibly gifted staff, clean facilities and lots of support throughout our program. I was really impressed by their depth of knowledge and overall concern for the trainees. I didn't feel like a number; just another person taking a course. Rather, our trainers really showed a genuine desire to see us succeed. I think the in-depth feedback we received from our trainers after every lesson was one of the most valuable take-aways from the course. They really honed in on the details of our performance, highlighting both our strengths and our weaknesses. I am so grateful for having the opportunity to take this course with the fantastic staff of TH Boston and recommend everyone else serious about advancing their teaching career to do the same.

Having heard from many others how difficult this course was, I thought I had a good idea of what to expect going into it, but boy, was I wrong! It was very trying, especially weeks two and three, and there were times where many of us felt like we were about to break, but we made it. Honestly though, it was a shock for many of us when it was finished, we couldn't believe it was all over. The knowledge that we gained, and the friendships and connections that we made was well worth it!

This course is tough, whether it taken in a month or three. The workload is intense and especially for those who have never taught, this type of work is very different from typical essays or group presentations from college. This course forces you to think about language and its application in a completely different way and I have truly benefitted from it. Now I feel I can confidently go out into the world and teach.

I didn't believe the CELTA would be as stressful as everyone said it was. Let me assure you, it is TOUGH!

At least three people, including me, were on the verge of quitting at one point. Yeah, that's right: We considered giving up our $2,800 investment due to the stress.

But it's worth it.

You go into the CELTA knowing little but come out with 9 teaching practices and confidence.

The camaraderie developed among fellow trainees was great, as well.

I really enjoyed this class (looking back on it); there were definitely some stressful moments but our tutors and fellow classmates were really supportive and encouraging. The students were fun too; I enjoyed meeting so many people from all walks of life and from around the globe. Washington D.C. in particular is a great place to be, and I'm glad this course is offered there. I'd love to return someday!

CELTA was the hardest, most difficult, most stressful, most exhausting four weeks of my entire life. I had an emotional breakdown in week three, probably got about four hours of sleep total in week two, and legitimately almost upchucked before my first teaching practice. BUT, even with all of that, CELTA was hands down the best decision I have ever made in my ENTIRE life. Teaching House was absolutely phenomenal and I would 150% would do it all over again if I had to.

The two trainers of my course were an absolute godsend. Shannon Felt (the Teaching House general manager), specifically, was a marvel. She was supportive, encouraging, hilarious, engaging, enthusiastic, and genuinely passionate about what she was doing. It was obvious that she loved her job and that she loved teaching English. Because of her energy, I (and many of the other teachers-in-training on the course) felt all the more energized about what we were there to learn and do.

The resources provided by Teaching House were top notch and I always felt that I had everything I could possibly need at my disposal. I felt supported, encouraged, and pushed into being the best teacher I could possibly be.

Even better, the students at Teaching House (the ones you, as a teacher-in-training, teach) were amazing. The two groups (upper-intermediate and pre-intermediate) were diverse, helpful, and wanted to learn English just as badly as you wanted to help them learn it.

In the end, I left Teaching House with a CELTA, some truly fantastic friendships, and feeling of confidence that I could and would be able to do something with the certificate I'd earned. That confidence is a feeling I hadn't gained from either my BA or MA and one I will value forever. And, perhaps most importantly, a confidence and a certificate that helped me land a job at Kaplan International just two weeks after graduating from CELTA (without any pre-CELTA teaching experience under my belt).

CELTA will kick your butt and make you work harder than you ever have in your entire life. But if you can buckle down, trudge through, and remember that teaching is kind of freaking awesome then I know you'll come out the other side loving the experience just as much as I did.

My experience with the part-time 10-week course at Teaching House Chicago was intense. I've encountered "you are set up to fail" from systems and the people that administer them before, but never in my experiences had it been quite so true. My personal schedule was a bit tight, so it was easy for me to fall behind in the early stages of the course. It took a good month-long stretch of fighting and clawing to get back in shape. Luckily the TH center was well-stocked with reference materials and excellent educators to help me straighten myself out.

The Saturday inputs were serious business. Every week a lot of new information is disseminated, with very little time for review. As we were going through these inputs, it all made perfect sense. Once you are planning your lesson at home by yourself, however, that illusion can quickly fade. I found that at least 12-13 hours was required to effectively put together a lesson plan with a reasonable expectation of success. This, of course, is best accomplished over the span of a couple of days. One my major follies as the course started to heat up is that I would force myself to do it all just one or two days ahead of the lesson. There wasn't much time for rehearsal, editing, editing and editing. Eventually I got the hang of the preparation process and I became prepared and eager for my lessons.

If you are someone with a busy schedule or hectic lifestyle, this course can be a challenge. Time management is of supreme importance both in class and wherever you spend your time outside of it. This is a rewarding challenge, nevertheless.

Really enjoyed the course, it was very intensive for full-time but it is really worth it. I would definitely recommend it to others. Started off being unknown to it with a vague idea about the course but as the days goes on very quickly, no day was wasted. Everyday was learning something new and discovering something exciting. It was very challenging and motivating. From student to teacher in 4 weeks!