5
Things CELTA Doesn’t Teach You (But You’ll Wish It Had)
Just
finished CELTA… or thinking about starting it? Brilliant. It’s one of the best
foundations you can get as an English language teacher. I’ve often heard it
called ‘the gold standard’ even. But here’s the truth you need to know: CELTA
is a great start to your teaching career but that’s what it is: the beginning,
not the destination.
So
today, I’m sharing five things CELTA doesn’t teach you, but you’ll wish it had.
If
you’re new here, I’m Jo Gakonga, I’ve been a CELTA trainer and assessor for
over 25 years and I run a website at ELT-Training with material to support
English language teachers like you at all stages of their careers.
OK-
five things- let’s go….
1.
You won’t have time for CELTA-level planning
On CELTA, your lesson plan might be three pages long, with timings, aims,
interaction patterns… maybe even scripted instructions. This is important- it
helps your tutor see what you’re thinking. But in the real world? You’ll have
20 hours a week to teach- if you do the maths, you’ll see that you’re going to
have to get faster at planning.
The good news: CELTA isn’t trying to turn you into a lesson-writing robot. It’s
teaching you to think like a teacher and planning does get quicker with
practice.
2.
You only learn to plan one lesson at a time
On CELTA, you spend hours -literally hours- planning a single 45-minute lesson.
And for good reason. It trains your thinking, your structure, your clarity. It
helps you to see what you need to think about- aims, stage aims, anticipated
problems, language analysis- not just the order you’re going to do the
activities in the book.
But in the real world? You’ll need to plan lessons in sequences. You’ll
need to think, ‘Where is this going? How does today link to tomorrow?’
It’s like learning to cook by making one dish really well. That’s helpful. But
eventually, you need to serve a whole meal.
3.
You won’t fully understand grammar after CELTA (and that’s okay)
Here’s another secret: most trainees don’t leave CELTA as grammar experts
unless they already knew it well before they started.
You’ll understand a lot more than you did before, yes. But there will still be
many moments you think, ‘is that past perfect or past perfect continuous?’ Or
mess it up when a learner asks you why ‘I’m having dinner with him’
doesn’t mean it’s happening now.
That’s normal. Grammar confidence often grows after CELTA, bit by bit, when
you’re teaching real learners (and I’ve got a great course to help you too!)
4.
You don’t learn how to build real relationships with learners
CELTA is focused (rightly!) on techniques: lesson aims, CCQs, language
clarification. But teaching is also about connection.
The quiet person in the back row? The learner who’s always late? You learn to read
them, reach them… and that takes time. Seeing the same learners week
after week and getting to know them as individuals is the key.
5.
You won’t be ready for teaching kids/ business/ academic English
CELTA is designed for teaching general English to adults. But your first
job might be a class full of nine-year-olds with sticky fingers and no filter.
Or a 1-2-1 Business client or a group of students who need to pass the IELTS
exam.
These all require different skill sets but remember there are coursebooks and
other resources to help you… and any school worth its salt will support you
too.
So, does CELTA teach you everything? No.
But it does teach you how to think, reflect and grow. It’s your
launchpad.
And with the right support after CELTA, you’ll go from competent… to confident…
to actually enjoying the ride. And if you’re preparing for CELTA, or just
coming out of it, I’ve got practical, resources to help fill in those gaps and
more.
