Video transcript - Why I Don't Help CELTA TraineesAbout once a week, I get an email from someone on a CELTA course asking me to help them.
And I’ve got a short answer to this… and a long one.
The short answer is:
I can’t.
But the long answer?
That one’s much more interesting… and if you want to understand why I say no (and what I can do to help you), keep watching.
I’m Jo Gakonga, I’ve been a CELTA tutor for 25 years, and I run a website at ELT-Training.com where I make support material specifically for CELTA trainees before, during and after their course.
So… why do I say ‘no’ to trainees?
The first reason is simple:
Your CELTA tutors are there to support you.You’ve paid for a course that includes guidance, feedback and help and your tutors know
you, your teaching and the expectations of
your centre.
They are the best people to advise you because they’re the ones assessing you and helping you develop day by day.
If you’re unsure about something, ask them.
That’s what they’re there for and it’s not a sign of weakness to ask questions, I promise.
The second reason is even more important:
If someone else steps in to help you, someone who has never seen you teach, has never met your learners and has no idea about your centre’s context, their advice can easily conflict with what your tutors are telling you.
Not because they’re wrong, but because they’re giving you guidance based on general principles, not your situation.
And conflicting advice is confusing. In fact, more often than not, it’s
counterproductive.
You end up trying to please everybody and in the end, you please no one, least of all yourself.
And then there’s the third reason:
For all of your teaching practices and written assignments, you have to sign to say that the work is your own.
Which… clearly… it isn’t if someone else has helped you.
And that’s not a small thing. Centres take academic honesty very seriously.
So I stay firmly out of that territory.
Now at this point you might be thinking:
Alright Jo, so you won’t help me with my teaching practice…but you have a website that clearly states you give support for CELTA. So what do you do?
Fair question!
Well, I won’t look at your lesson plans or your assignments, but what I can do is help you build the foundations that’ll take the stress out of CELTA and make it significantly easier.
My CELTA Preparation materials will give you:
- a clear understanding of English grammar
- support with lesson planning
- help with concept checking
- guidance on classroom techniques
- and all those core skills that make the whole course feel less overwhelming
The best time to do this is before your CELTA course starts when you’re not exhausted, overloaded or trying to learn everything at once.
If you prepare in advance, it gives you a huge advantage.
It means you can focus your energy on practising and improving, rather than panicking about grammar or trying to understand lesson stages at midnight.
So if you’re thinking about doing CELTA, or you’re about to start, come and have a look at what I’ve got for you at ELT-Training.com.
Then, once you’re on your CELTA course, your tutors will guide you through the rest – and that bit has to be your own work.
Thanks for watching and I’ll see you in the next one.
