EF Education First - Quito

Even though I have a Bachelor’s Degree in English Language and I have thought English for many years in my home country Libya, I had certain specific doubts about ELT. So for many years, I wanted to join an international standard teacher training program to teach English. CELTA at EF Quito was the best opportunity I could ever get since I have recently moved to Ecuador.
The course was slightly challenging for me as a non-native speaker. However, English language teaching is my life and people at EF were very friendly and were ready to help at any time.
Nicola and Ceri were our tutors. Their input sessions were very useful, that helped me adopt the best ways of teaching and create a student-centered classroom approach rather than using the lecture method which is more teacher-centered. This changed my teaching approach. I have also learned how to include activities in my class.
I stayed with an Ecuadorian Family who was amazing. They provided me with good quality meals and were very near to the course center it was very easy to access. They were perfect hosts.
My classmates were from different continents and I had to teach local students from different parts of Ecuador during my teaching practice. So I met different people and learned many things from my colleagues and students. This helped me gain the confidence I needed to pursue my professional international teaching career. I am currently employed by a reputable school in Quito.
I would highly recommend CELTA, my best advice would be just spending a good time preparing before the course starts, delve into the online methodology books that will be provided to you when you register and brush up on grammar. All the hard work will be worth it; when you stand in front of your class. I have completely changed as a teacher. I think this course was amazingly designed to manage the class, the time, the students, the material and prepare teachers to develop their creativity in the classroom.

At first I thought we were going to hold hands singing kumbaya while talking about our teaching experiences having a blast. But what I found was a serious accademic challenge, ran by two professional tutors from the Cambridge CELTA program.
I wanted to work at night and do the course at the same time, but after a few days I found myself studying and preparing paperwork for the course all nights, teaching in the mornings and attending lectures in the afternoons. To be honest I didn't even had time for laundry or anything else, Plus I had to face ghosts I was carrying with me since I started teaching many years ago (belive me it wasn't easy and I went to Everest, so standards of dificulty are high for me). In the end I got a job offer in an international institute, I became the best paid teacher in my new job, I reshaped my teaching for good and Now I could work as a well-paid English teacher in any part of the planet. So it was the best thing I could have done with my money and time. Remenber you have to earn it and it won't come easy, good luck!!!

My experience going through CELTA in the fall of 2017 was an extremely intense one. It proved to be one of the most satisfying ones. And I feel the many benefits (professional and personal) will stay with me for life and help to nurture my future students.

Thanks to my uber qualified, motivated and always kind and caring (think pressure cooker and you'll come to appreciate kind and caring) teachers Nicola and Vicky, as well as Andrea's smooth administration, this truly demanding yet inspiring course, far exceeded my expectations.

Back then, I wrote in my application cover letter: "I expect to learn the techniques and gain the necessary skills to become a good teacher in general, and, specifically, an inspiring English teacher". I feel I ticked that many times over.

I practiced, failed and eventually rose to the myriad of challenges along the way to becoming a better teacher (and human).

I hope you get to enjoy this course, too.

When I started this course I was quite nervous and unsure of what it would be like. I was most nervous about the teaching practice because I had never taught before. On top of this, I had always had a great fear of public speaking. This course definitely proved to be difficult and required a good bit of studying and planning but it was worth it. My professors were so supportive and understanding, as well as down to earth and realistic. My fellow students were also very supportive and made all of the hard elements of the course so much more tolerable. Both my tudors and my fellow classmates made me laugh every day. This was an amazing experience that will prove to be lucrative but more importantly, has forced me to grow.

The CELTA course at EF Quito is very competitive and offers lots of support and opportunities. I enjoyed the pace of the part-time course, it made all the content manageable without loosing continuity. My instructors were always there to provide advice, and also, very eager to help. I can't say enough about my group of classmates, they were professionals, very enthusiastic and supportive throughout the course. I probably learned as much from them as from my CELTA teachers.