Completely online CELTA: FAQs

Due to the COVID -19 pandemic, a lot of schools and centres around the world are unable to run face-to-face CELTA courses with teachers having teaching practice on the centre’s premises.

ILC, together with Cambridge Assessment English, agreed on the possibility of holding a full-time CELTA course this summer 100% online. Therefore, we have prepared answers to the most frequently asked questions about this format of the course. Let's start!

How’s is the completely (100%) online CELTA different from CELTA Online?

CELTA Online has been around for many years now, but it is a blended learning course. Most of the input is done online by completing the tasks on the platform and later getting written feedback from the tutor. The teaching practice component is completed face-to-face and it has to be done at an Authorized Cambridge Assessment English centre.

The new completely online CELTA is more similar to the face-to-face course, but it is delivered in an online environment, which means that the input sessions are done by the CELTA tutors working with that particular group of students online and the teaching practice is done online as well. You also have access to your tutors throughout the day and you don’t have to wait for their written feedback on most of the coursework and tasks you complete during the course.

Which online platform is used for input and teaching practice?

It is up to the centre to decide which platform they would like to use. Most centres choose Zoom, as it is one of the more user-friendly platforms and most of the candidates will have used this platform for teaching their students online, so a lot of them will feel comfortable using it.

How long will the completely online CELTA be available?

At the moment, Cambridge has allowed CELTA courses starting before December 31^st 2020 to be run completely online, and we don’t know whether this format will continue to exist in 2021, so this is a rather unique opportunity!

What are the advantages of the completely online CELTA?

Well, one of the best things about this new format is that you can learn about the principles of the communicative approach, practice using them, and do it with a group of other teachers and experienced trainers. The material covered during the input sessions is the same, but the teachers who are taking the completely online course will have a better understanding of how such principles can be applied not only in a face-to-face classroom, but in the online environment as well. This makes the completely online CELTA course very different from the other formats and, given the fact that the world of teaching is changing, this is a great way to accommodate such changes. Also, it can be done from home now :)

So can you combine this course with working fulltime?

The answer to this is no. CELTA is a very intensive and challenging course, so it is impossible to complete the coursework to the best of your ability and benefit fully from this course while continuing to work fulltime. With the completely online CELTA, you should expect to be busy 8 hours a day, which will include:

- attending input sessions;

- teaching;

- participating in teaching practice feedback and lesson planning sessions run by your trainers.

The great news is that you can take it from home, so you won’t have to spend the valuable time commuting, and you won’t have to cut up cards and make dozens of copies of the handouts for your students. That does help to save time, but not enough to continue working full-time.

Is the complete online CELTA certificate recognized around the world as well?

The certificate you get for the completely online CELTA is the same as the one you’d get for a face-to-face course, as long as you complete all the requirements, which are:

• 120 contact hours (with the trainers during input sessions, teaching practice, feedback and lesson planning and individual consultations)

• 6 hours of assessed teaching practice

• 6 hours of observation of experienced teachers

• 4 written assignments.

Similar to the face-to-face courses, completely online CELTA’s are assessed by a verified Cambridge representative which, again, proves that the quality of the course meets Cambridge standards.

Is the assessment of the teachers different on a completely online CELTA?

No, it isn’t. The assessment is continuous on this course, it is based on the portfolio of the lessons that candidates teach and the written assignments they submit. The lessons are assessed using the same criteria as on the face-to-face course.

So thanks to the completely online CELTA you can continue to develop professionally and open up new career prospects this summer without leaving your home! Let’s use this unique opportunity!