There is still a lot of debate as to which of these two certifications is best for teaching abroad and I have noticed a lot of elitism for both certification. Before I toss myself in the debate I think it is best to clarify the terms.
CELTA
What is it?
CELTA is the Certificate in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (wait shouldn't it be CTESOL then?) which is endorsed by Cambridge ESOL and is only available via endorsed centres. In many countries it is offered by the British Council and surprisingly the price varies where you take it.
What do you learn?
Long story short you learn to teach. The material is broken down into five sections and goes through the basics of language learning with some focus on the CELTA methods for learning and preparing lessons. There is no formal exam for CELTA just written assignments and practical teaching of 6 hours. At the end participants will be given a "pass" "pass A" or "pass B"
TESOL
What is it?
TESOL and by TESOL I mean the "Trinity TESOL" is Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages and is again available at endorsed centres. You can find a heck of a lot of TESOL courses not endorsed by Trinity college so buyer beware.
What do you learn?
Long story short you learn to teach. The material is broken down into five sections and goes through the basics of language learning with some focus on theCELTA TESOL methods for learning and preparing lessons. There is no formal exam for CELTA TESOL just written assignments and practical teaching of 6 hours. - - Whoa whoa whoa... isn't that the same with CELTA crossed out for comedic effect??? Why yes, yes it is.
I think the main reason there is so much debate on this subject is because there is very little difference except maybe cost.
So what is the difference?
One of the main differences I have seen is arrogance. A lot of CELTA holders like to lord the almighty CELTA over their colleagues as they had themoney skill and time ability to use a pen to sign up qualify for the CELTA. TESOL holders, on the other hand, scoff CELTA holders as they were broke wise enough to go for the same level of certification but at a more reasonable price. Ok, so I am being very tongue-in-cheek over this and that is because this has got to be one of the silliest professional arguments going around!
The real difference is that there is no difference. I have had many completely terrible teachers that have passed with an 'A' on their CELTA. I have had teachers who were fantastic who had NO TEACHING CERTIFICATES AT ALL related to ESL. I have also had good and bad teachers with $50 online TEFL/TESOL certs. The bottom line is simple: no certificate guarantees quality.
One of the worst teachers I think I have had working for me was an overly proud CELTA grad. This particular teacher you could tell understood the theory of teaching as well as many of the tactics that are taught in CELTA. The problem was that despite having all of the best resources at their disposal this person lacked the ability, commitment, and drive necessary to teach.
So what's the bottom line?
The bottom line is this teachers should have a framework or style to their teaching. If you are not sure how to develop that you NEED to take one of these two courses. To work in many countries you also may NEED one of these two certifications. Choosing one is easier then you think. If you are a new teacher read their syllabuses www.cambridgeenglish.org or www.trinitycollege.co.uk and choose whichever sounds more interesting to you. If you are an existing teacher and you need or want one of these certs I would just choose the cheapest or if you want greater prestige do the CELTA. If you just need it for a job and anything will do I wholeheartedly suggest you get an online TESOL/TEFL as you probably already know what you are doing.
That is my two cents and that is the way I see it
CELTA
What is it?
CELTA is the Certificate in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (wait shouldn't it be CTESOL then?) which is endorsed by Cambridge ESOL and is only available via endorsed centres. In many countries it is offered by the British Council and surprisingly the price varies where you take it.
What do you learn?
Long story short you learn to teach. The material is broken down into five sections and goes through the basics of language learning with some focus on the CELTA methods for learning and preparing lessons. There is no formal exam for CELTA just written assignments and practical teaching of 6 hours. At the end participants will be given a "pass" "pass A" or "pass B"
TESOL
What is it?
TESOL and by TESOL I mean the "Trinity TESOL" is Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages and is again available at endorsed centres. You can find a heck of a lot of TESOL courses not endorsed by Trinity college so buyer beware.
What do you learn?
Long story short you learn to teach. The material is broken down into five sections and goes through the basics of language learning with some focus on the
I think the main reason there is so much debate on this subject is because there is very little difference except maybe cost.
So what is the difference?
One of the main differences I have seen is arrogance. A lot of CELTA holders like to lord the almighty CELTA over their colleagues as they had the
The real difference is that there is no difference. I have had many completely terrible teachers that have passed with an 'A' on their CELTA. I have had teachers who were fantastic who had NO TEACHING CERTIFICATES AT ALL related to ESL. I have also had good and bad teachers with $50 online TEFL/TESOL certs. The bottom line is simple: no certificate guarantees quality.
One of the worst teachers I think I have had working for me was an overly proud CELTA grad. This particular teacher you could tell understood the theory of teaching as well as many of the tactics that are taught in CELTA. The problem was that despite having all of the best resources at their disposal this person lacked the ability, commitment, and drive necessary to teach.
So what's the bottom line?
The bottom line is this teachers should have a framework or style to their teaching. If you are not sure how to develop that you NEED to take one of these two courses. To work in many countries you also may NEED one of these two certifications. Choosing one is easier then you think. If you are a new teacher read their syllabuses www.cambridgeenglish.org or www.trinitycollege.co.uk and choose whichever sounds more interesting to you. If you are an existing teacher and you need or want one of these certs I would just choose the cheapest or if you want greater prestige do the CELTA. If you just need it for a job and anything will do I wholeheartedly suggest you get an online TESOL/TEFL as you probably already know what you are doing.
That is my two cents and that is the way I see it
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