Is the International Citizen Service for me?

The first step is choosing the charity. Have a browse of this and check out the countries and projects related to each charity. I chose Progressio because three out of five of the countries they worked in were based in Latin America and I therefore had a greater chance of being placed in one of these. The other charities had an assortment of countries from different continents, but for me learning and improving my Spanish was a big motive for signing up.

Additionally, the duration of all the Progressio trips was 10 weeks, which was optimal; the other five charities all had trips that were 12 weeks long. It didn’t bother me that Progressio had Catholic roots, but I know this puts some people off; however, religion had no impact on the project whatsoever.

The process of getting onto this trip was fairly easy and included a selection day in London and then a three-day training weekend before being asked to raise £800. The selection day was with lots of other potential volunteers and they have lots of group activities to test your ‘teamwork skills’ and then you have a one-on-one interview to assess whether you’re a suitable candidate for the trip.

If you apply early enough then you’ll be able to choose your country. I applied in May with my assessment day in July for a January departure, so I was lucky enough to be able to choose El Salvador, but I know many applicants were just placed anywhere. I’ve always wanted to become fluent in Italian and Spanish, so I thought that this trip would improve my language skills and I would get a lot of exposure. This trip was fantastic for language practice and I got a lot of conversational practice with the national volunteers we worked with on a daily basis, who became our friends (cue soppy music). For anyone who does not have a basic understanding of Spanish, be aware that it is a very important element of the trip and starting with absolutely no knowledge of Spanish is very difficult, unless you have a knack for languages or you are very sociable and outgoing by nature (and therefore more willing to get stuck into communicating despite language barriers). Instead you may be better off heading to either Malawi or Zimbabwe where English is spoken.

No matter where you go or which charity you do it with, you will be asked to fundraise £800, £1500 if you come from a particularly wealthy family (I don’t make the rules!) I’d raised £200 from friends and family, put in £300 of my own money and was lucky enough to obtain a £280 grant from the Jack Petchey Grant for Individual Volunteering (only for those who live in London/Essex). A lot of people on the trip had done athletic activities to raise the funds, but I’m not atheltic. And I was working full-time…

The training weekend was fantastic and definitely one of the highlights of the trip. It was an expenses paid weekend in a hotel lodge in Essex with sixty other people going to all of the five countries. There are two training weekends available which cover the same content, so generally you only get to meet half of your group. The food and meeting people was great, but definitely the best bit was getting drunk in the evenings (sorry future employers).

After the training weekend there wasn’t much more to prepare and there was only vaccinations, appropriate clothes, language-learning and shopping to be done. The best purchase I made was a pocket Spanish dictionary, a grammar book and one Spanish novella to work through. For Latin America, no special vaccinations were needed (rabies is a waste of money), nor malaria tablets. January-March is their summer so barely any winter clothes were needed either. This is definitely not the case for the rainy season though.

After the ten weeks you will also have a Returners Weekend approximately a month after and have six months to complete your ‘Return Volunteer Action’ which you’re required to do. This can be anything from helping out at a Training Weekend to helping out at the office or fundraising more money for Progressio, it’s all up to you. I’m still in El Salvador and will have my Return Weekend early April and commence action before summer, so contact me then if anyone wants more details.

Hasta luego!

My Ten Weeks Volunteering in El Salvador

As I mentioned in my previous post I’m currently volunteering in El Salvador with Progressio under the International Citizen Service for 10 weeks in the community of Santa Marta, in the north of El Salvador. My project is split into organic agriculture and working with a local tourist group and I’m in a group with 12 other British volunteers.

In one half of the project, we’ve been working under sustainable agriculture; working in the existing greenhouses (los invernaderos) and creating a completely new organic greenhouse from scratch . We look after the crops that grow (tomato, cucumber, chilli) and make fertiliser (bokachi) using chicken remains, cow faeces, mud and more! This fertiliser is completely organic and is therefore more time-consuming than the chemical fertilisers most farmers use. We’ve also done a lot of manual work in the greenhouse, using pickaxes, hoes and spades to create a sanjo, which is a trench designed for the rainy season, so the water does not flood the grounds of the greenhouse. We’ve also been working to create an organic farm outside of the greenhouses for crops.

With the tourism group we are building a historical route to commemorate El Salvador’s past, restoring their underground shelters to what they would have looked like during the war and adding this onto the walking route.  Additionally, we have created two new campsites for the historical walking routes, Guerrillero and El Mirador. The latter of which have the most stunning views I’ve seen in El Salvador. It’s a shame the tree’s blocking the view…

We’ve also been assisting with the local tourist’s group litter campaign (campagna de limpieza) in a bid to clean up Santa Marta. Upon coming here, I was very surprised to find out that there was litter strewn everywhere; in the streets, the plaza, in the football pitches and by the schools. Some point the finger (poner el dedo) at the Americanisation of Salvadorian culture as the majority of rubbish lining the streets are junk food packets. The community has an annual clean-up but this obviously isn’t sufficient and so rubbish collected in the home is often burnt. Right in the midst of our litter campaign, someone dragged a four-foot tall bin out of the town hall and tipped the rubbish right outside the front door….and then proceeded to burn it. This is right in the heart of the community!

To help combat the problem of litter, we ordered twelve new bins for the community and using tools and concrete, cemented them in the community, with two bins right outside the town hall, where previously there was none. We also organise weekly litter collections amongst the volunteers to classify the rubbish into recyclables and non-recyclable materials.  As part of an independent mini-project, we also held a poster competition, with entrants needing to design posters with a message against litter, in the local schools. We then laminated the top ten and gave out prizes.

We also held meetings and designed agreements for local leaders in the community regarding rubbish. We sought to make it the responsibility of the local police, the shop owners and the schools to ensure that Santa Marta was being kept clean and would be kept clean in the future.

For the historical route, we also conducted interviews with war veterans and people from the community who lived in Santa Marta during the ’70s, ’80s and ’90s, so that testimonials of the past would always be remembered. These will complement the historical route and remain as a relic of the past. We also designed and painted a mural in the townhall (Casa Communal) which depicts the history of Santa Marta and El Salvador:

Volunteering in El Salvador

I have currently been volunteering in El Salvador, Central America from early January to mid March. There´s no internet here, so I´m not able to update but will fill you all in when I´m back!

 

But follow this link to a blog post I´ve written about my placement here and the company I did it with. Details for a trip like this will be in my archives, “How to do a gap year with little or no money”

http://www.progressio.org.uk/blog/empowered-blog/el-salvador-organically-does-it

The Dangers of Teaching English

Teaching English isn’t the most stable profession and the industry is rife with ‘cowboy’ schools who deliver substandard service to the teachers they employ (not to mention the students). For those who are unqualified, teaching English may be an attractive prospect as all that is required is a bachelor’s degree, however it is not uncommon for teachers to become entangled in the fine print of their contract once its signed. I’ve even heard of stories where schools have refused to return teachers’ passports to them (for Visa purposes certain countries may be required to hold onto your passport for the duration of your contract, but I definitely wouldn’t hand it over). The above video is an example of the perils of teaching English, watch it now. I’ll wait.

Some of it initially seems comical but many of it is rooted in truth:

“I can tell by your skin colour that you will be a great teacher“- some countries may hold a bias against non-Caucasian teachers, even those whose native language is English. Some may see it as more of a “guarantee” and do not want to be taught by someone whose first language is not English. It may not even be the schools who are biased but parents may hold this preference that schools would have to accommodate.

“Do you have a bachelor’s degree?”
“Do you have two opposable thumbs that can be used to touch and grasp simple objects?”
“Do you have less than three felony convictions for molestation of a minor?”

These ‘requirements’ hint at the lax criteria used to hire prospective teachers, hence why it’s better to be qualified, so you can go for the better-quality schools. I’m not going to go through the rest of the video, but its always best to get reviews from teachers who have worked there and ask the right questions during interview. Of course they could always lie, like my interviewer did, but at least you can pull them up on it later on. Also make sure that you get your contract translated into English if it is in a different language! Here is just one account of things that can go wrong.

Vatican City Guide

Surrounded by il bel paese, Vatican City will take you half a day to explore. The two biggies are St Peter’s Basilica and the Vatican Museums and below will be some tips on how to make the most of your trip, in a short space of time.

St Peter’s Basilica

When in Rome, do as the Romans and when in Vatican, COVER UP. You wouldn’t believe the amount of foreign tourists who rocked up to St Peter’s in tiny denim shorts and a tank top, only to be turned away or have to buy an expensive shawl  to cover their bare arms and legs. Nothing should be worn above the knee and shoulders need to be covered up.

St Peter’s Dome

This isn’t something I realised existed until reading it on another travel website. To the right of the Basilica there should be a sign that says “La Coppola di San Pietro” and it costs  €5 to walk the 300+ steps or 7 euros to take the lift. I very nearly missed the stunning views from the top and stopped here, thinking this was the end:

Up here overlooks the Basilica, but don’t stop until you see these steps!

And you’ll end up here:

Musei Vaticani

The quickest itinerary of Vatican City includes going to the Vatican Museums before the Basilica. These are a 15 minute walk away in Rome and once in the Sistine Chapel (€15 standard price, subsidised for certain groups, i.e. students) after looking at The Creation of Adam turn around and head towards the exit on the right, which will say “Tour groups only”. This is a shortcut back to the Basilica which links the Museums and Vatican City, just pretend you’re in a tour group

Routes Into TEFL

Most of the information here will be geared toward British graduates, unless stated otherwise. There are a wide range of different routes into the TEFL industry, but it can be hard to know which ones won’t take advantage of you. My failed experience in TEFL in Italy has not taught me to give up, but to pursue alternative (and more structured) routes in.

Graduates without qualifications

Most of the British Council assistantships will be closed off to you, except for the ones in China where you don’t need any knowledge of Mandarin. Everywhere but China you need a language A-Level to even be considered for applications.

To work in Asia at all though, you won’t really need qualifications. Many countries just want graduates with a degree, but beware that there is a racial bias and some south east Asian countries will prefer white graduates over other races, as they see this as more of a ‘guarantee’ that they’re a native speaker. It is possible to work straight off the bat without qualifications, but it could be quite a risk, as schools who are willing to take on teachers who aren’t qualified will be of a lower quality and therefore more apt to take advantage. These are known as ‘cowboy schools’.

There is also the JET scheme for those who are happy to spend up to a year working in Japan and teaching English-not neccessarily in the big cities either. You can apply to be an Assistant Language Teacher (ALT) and can earn up to £25,500 per year. Not bad for a graduate starting salary.

Language Graduates (A-Levels/ Modern Foreign Languages Degree)

If you have studied a language at A-Level then you are eligible to apply for British Council assistantships in Italy, Spain, France and even south America. Many of these places will be awarded to language undergraduates as this is a required component of their degree, but the British Council also consider graduates. You will be required to work for an entire academic year and have a working week of 12-16 hours. In this scheme you are guaranteed a regular salary, structured work placement and are unlikely to be taken advantage of. You will be based in one school and unlike many other teachers, won’t have to race around the city to make your next class. Lucky you.

Graduates with qualifications CELTA/ CertTesol and PGCE (and other general teaching qualifications)

You’ve heard me praise the CELTA at length, so I won’t bore you any longer. With this qualification, you will be able to target the better schools and command a much better salary-particularly in Asia. Be warned though, being fresh out of a CELTA can make job-hunting difficult in the Middle East and Europe, where they expect teachers with more experience.

The aforementioned teaching qualifications also mean you are eligible to apply for the British Council’s Comenius assistant scheme. I prefer this to the British Council’s general assistantships as you can choose to work between 13- 45 weeks in Europe. The sole caveat is that you have to either have studied, be studying or plan to work towards a teaching qualification. This includes the CELTA and I will be making applications for the coming academic year here!

Graduates and Non-Graduates with other TEFL qualifications

Weekend courses and other schemes don’t hold much sway in the TEFL world but may stand you in a better light in Asia, where even a weekend course is better than no previous experience. I’d advise you not to waste money on these courses, as they won’t even come close to guaranteeing you a job.

Graduates who just wanna volunteer

Whilst its all well and good wanting to volunteer abroad, be wary of organisations that will cost you a bomb. Remember you shouldn’t have to pay for the privilege of giving away your time, but if you do want a shorter stint then volunteering could be the option for you. Do keep in mind the impact you will have on your students though, if you decide to volunteer in an African village for a few weeks before touring the Serengeti, having signed away £4000 (not including flights of course) to a British charity. It’s these trips you should try and avoid.

If you want to break up your travelling, log onto Help Exchange and see if the areas you’re visiting need a hand for a few weeks to a few months. Its a great (free!) opportunity to help out in schools in need and can give you a fantastic opportunity to get to know the country and culture a little better. Some may ask for a minimum commitment.

City Guide: Rome

For me, Rome is where the heart is and it is such a beautiful city-historically, gastronomically and is definitely something you should try and visit at least for a weekend or as part of a RTW trip. Fantastic sights on every corner, beautiful weather, astounding food…what’s not to love?

NB: The transport options I’ve listed for each attraction are from Termini Station, which is the equivalent of London’s Kings Cross or New York’s Grand Central-you’ll usually end up here if you’re flying in from either Fiumicino or Ciampino Airport with buses to Termini costing between €6-€8 and journeys being 30-51 minutes, without traffic.

The Colosseum 

The Colosseum is a must-see, tickets cost up to €12 but is discounted for EU citizens and is around €7. DON’T make the mistake of queuing for tickets outside the Colosseum, especially in summer when crowds are large. Head to the Roman Forum (past the Arch of Constantine-the thing that looks a bit like the Arc de Triomphe in Paris) and keep walking then go to the right. The queue is way smaller and tickets bought from here are valid for the Roman Forum and the Colosseum-even until the next day.

Transport: Take the metro to the eponymous stop or get any of the buses from Termini station to “Piazza Venezia” which will take you to the Vittorio Emmanuel monument- go to the left of the monument and its only a few minutes walk to the Colosseum. The 85 bus goes direct from Termini Station but I usually prefer to walk from Piazza Venezia.

Piazza Venezia

This photo really doesn’t do it justice but this is the Vittorio Emmanuel monument at Piazza Venezia. You can go all the way to the top and get some fantastic views of Rome for €7, but in my opinion, the best view is the monument! There are lots of benches in this area too, so a good resting spot before heading to its next door neighbour, the Colosseum.

Transport: The easiest place to get to, a hell of a lot of buses from Termini Station will go from here (40, 64) or take the metro or 85 bus to the Colosseum and walk from there (its easier to go from Venezia to the Colosseum then the other way around, as you can clearly see the building from a distance).

Castle Sant’Angelo

Just a stones throw from Vatican City, the views from here are fantastic! Tickets are quite pricey though and I paid around €15 for entry. If you’re pushed for time, I wouldn’t recommend this sight as there’s not much to do inside, but its lovely to view from the outside and here you can do a circuit from Vatican City all the way to the shopping districts, past the river.

Transport: Take the 40 express bus or 64 bus, both journeys begin at Termini Station.

Piazza di Spagna

Always a popular hotspot, Piazza di Spagna is always thronged with crowds, but is a good hanging out spot. It’s surrounded by tonnes of shops and right next to the Keats-Shelley House.

Transport: Get the metro to “Spagna” or take the 175 from Termini Station and there should be lots of brown signs pointing you to the Piazza di Spagna and the nearby Trevi Fountain, metro is easiest though as it’s much closer.

Trevi Fountain

Popular during the day and the night, the Trevi Fountain never fails to draw large crowds (love to see it when its frozen over though!) Tourists throw coins in the fountain…apparently up to €3000 is collected each day from here. Near the Piazza di Spagna, so both can be seen within a few minutes of each other.

Transport: Get the metro to Barberini (La Fontana di Trevi) or the 175 bus. Alternatively, follow the signs from the Piazza di Spagna.

The Pantheon

In a maze of side streets, the Pantheon is a very quick stop on your route around the Piazza di Spagna and the Trevi Fountain and is within walking distance of both.

Next week look out for the sister city guide to Vatican City.

CELTA Glossary

Below is a list of CELTA terminology that you can get to grips with if you want to be extra-prepared for the course, in no particular order and it features stages that should be in every TEFL lesson. 

Productive skills- These are the skills in which students are producing the target language through speaking and writing

Receptive skills- These are the skills in which students are imbibing the target language through reading and listening

TP- Teaching Practice

Setting the context- Before every lesson it is vital to ‘set the context’ to get sts interested in the topic. For example, when teaching a lesson on “used to do” (past state) I drew a character on the board and asked students to name her. I then told them what this character’s life used to be like before winning the lottery and saying “Before winning the lottery, Pochahuntus (they named her, not me!) used to live in a small flat, now she lives in a mansion.”

Realia- The visuals used to teach vocabulary, e.g. bringing in lots of fruit, veg, snacks to teach food names

Eliciting- Drawing the target language from the students. Tutors hate it when you tell students the answer instead of drawing the answer from them. This always seemed bizarre for me as how could you draw from students what you’re just about to teach?! But many of our students had had quite a few English classes before and often were familiar with the majority of our material. So for teaching sport vocabulary, instead of showing a picture of a football match and saying “Football”, I would ask the class what this was. If no one gave the right answer, then I can tell them, but you have to make them work for it.

Model- This is when you literally just say a word so students can hear the correct pronunciation and stress. You enunciate and ensure that they can hear where the stress goes.

Drill-Making students repeat the word or sentence you have just introduced. You should always drill chorally (everyone) and then individually, picking on random students to give you the pronunciation. So first in unison and then individual checks just to make sure everyone’s got it. Most of my coursemates and I didn’t get this until after halfway through TP’s so it might be a boost to your grades to slot it in from the beginning. Tutors were adamant about the chain of eliciting-modelling-drilling.

Flying with the fastest- In your class there will always be stronger students and weaker students and once the stronger students have gotten the answer or understood the question it is easy to just move on, but you shouldn’t! Just because the stronger ones are shouting out the answers doesn’t mean that everyone in the class has understood, which is you you need to “concept check” (literally check students have understood the concept” with Concept Questions…

Concept Questions-These check a student’s comprehension of a new word or piece of grammar. So if I was to concept check “I used to” I might say “I used to play tennis everyday,” I would ask the class, “Do I still play tennis now?” (no!) Its a way of making sure students have really understood what you’re teaching them. Concept questions are a bit harder than they sound and my coursemates and I sometimes got this wrong for various reasons. You’re not allowed to use the target language or grammar structure in the target sentence! Remember you’re checking their understanding so you have to rephrase it. Also ensure that your concept questions are not harder than the target language being taught. 

Sts- For some reason tutors had an obsession with abbreviating “students” to “sts” or even “ss”

Error corrections- You should not automatically correct students’ mistakes but should try and get them to correct each other. So if a student said to me during a past tense lesson, “I go to the shop”, I would say to the group they’re in or the class, “Is it ‘I go to the shop’ or…?” and usually someone else will supply me with the correct answer. We were told that when teachers correct students’ mistakes, they’re less likely to remember it then if they correct themselves or are corrected by their peers. Sometimes I would also try and get them to correct themselves, so if we were conjugating verbs in the past tense I would have the “I, you, he/she/it” structure written on the board and if they said, “I go to the shop” I could point at the board and indicate that they need to change their answer and usually they will correct themselves. This follows the Chinese proverb, “Tell me and I’ll forget, teach me and I may remember, involve me and I learn.” 

What is the CELTA really like? (Week 3 and 4)

Week 3

The weekend between two and three has been surprisingly relaxed, despite having to redo my failed assignment, write up my second one and organise the next lesson. If you manage your time well, then you won’t get stressed. At the start of week 3 our tutor told us that this was the ‘notorious’ week-and if you’ve been reading any of the CELTA forums online, you’ll know this is the week to pick your favourite corner, because, yep-you’ll be crying in it.

Or so they say.

Despite CELTA scaremongering I actually found this week OK-definitely more work than the last week (one night I had 3-4 different things to write and plan!) but certainly not as bad as many people make out. Again, it’s all about time-management. The assessments have been piling up and whilst in week 1 I was able to read a book during break times (or even outside the course), meet friends for lunch and go out the nights before I wasn’t teaching this has become impossible since week 2. I also failed my second assignment and so have to rewrite a small part of it in 2 days time, as well as writing up my third (very hard!) assignment on a Receptive Skills Lesson (Reading/Listening lessons). 

To my surprise, my TP sessions have actually gotten better as I’m remembering to model and drill the target language chorally and individually. I’m also nominating students randomly for feedback and then getting them to check their answers in pairs (the trainers love this!) I’ve also made an effort to make the lessons more “student-centred”. The idea is that the students should be doing all the work, whilst the teacher is hovering in the corner monitoring and occasionally giving feedback.

For the past two weeks I’ve also noticed my bedtimes get noticeably earlier and today I’m actually struggling to stay awake (its 9.30pm!) Alas, I have an assessment due in tomorrow, so no rest for the wicked. Stay tuned- next week I’ll be planning my first hour-long lesson  :o

Week 4

Whilst the hardest week is technically over, I was anxious about the TPs of this week-as after all-it is week 4 and the bar is raised higher! My last lesson went well and I got some helpful feedback. I really feel that I’ve learnt a lot on this course and am able to autonomously prepare my own handouts and activities. The last lesson was also harder because it was a 60 minute, rather than 40 minute lesson so I had to pack more into it. I decided to do a reading lesson with a grammar focus on the future perfect tense.

The rest of the week was spent gaining our Preparation for Teaching in the Lifelong Learning Sector (PTLS) certificates which normally cost a couple of hundred pounds but has been integrated into our CELTA. It’s necessary for those who want to teach at UK colleges and it’s also part of the PGCE. This week was the most interesting as most of us had finished all of our TP’s and had sessions on the differences between EFL and ESOL learners and different types of English teaching: Business English, Aviation English, medical English-all of which fall under the bracket of English for Specific Purposes (ESP), although recently Business English has become a category in its own right. We also got an informative talk from two recruiters from SaxonCourt on how to land a job (CV, covering letter tips etc) and a small presentation on which regions to teach in. They also let us know about any job opportunities they had going but unfortunately their jobs in Italy were already filled

Towards the end of my course I only knew of one person who had a job offer and I myself have been encouraged to go to my chosen destination and job hunt in person, as many in Italy prefer to meet before hiring. Obviously, this is more feasible for me, someone coming from the UK, than if you were to fly out to Brazil or Korea to check out the not-so-local competition.

The last component of the course was coursework which was tough as I ended up having to resubmit all assignments, but they were only around 1000 words and everyone was only asked to submit smaller chunks and you’re always given specific guidance on what needs to be edited. Failing coursework is definitely not something you should worry about or become disheartened by (although I was after coursework number four!), CELTA have exceptionally high standards and if you get anything less than approximately 95% it immediately has to be resubmitted. Most people on my course failed at least two assignments and some even ended up failing the same assignments twice which led to an overall fail for that piece of work. Anyway CELTA dictates that you’re allowed to fail at least one assignment after resubmitting out of the four so you’re home and dry even if you keep failing. 

What is the CELTA really like? (Week 1 and 2)

For anyone who’s serious about teaching English some form of teacher-training course is imperative. The Certificate of English Language Teaching to Adults (CELTA) is the most revered in the profession and most countries (outside of Asia) will ask for this as a minimum, plus a degree. The CELTA is an entry-level course designed to make you a teacher in 4 weeks and even though it specifies that it is for teaching adults, the equivalent qualification for Young Learners is nowhere near as prevalent and so every institution will accept the CELTA.

I applied and was accepted to the CELTA course at West London College Ealing campus in July 2012. £1000 later and I was still unsure as to what exactly the CELTA entailed. Sure, there’s a bit of information floating about on forums, but most just tell you about how intense it is and warns you against that inevitable breakdown you’ll experience in weeks 2-3. Here I’ll give you the lowdown on what the course is really like….

Week 1

After completing one week of the course I’m surprised at how I’m able to handle the workload. It could be because I just graduated from university and am still in studying mode or the fact that I’m making an attempt to be organised, but I’ve made it to the end of week 1 without feeling the strain. Half of each day is reserved for ‘input’ where we’re taught about teaching strategies, classroom management and various other things pertaining to the TEFL classroom. By day 2 I’m teaching a 20 minute lesson and it’s actually great-you get given a lot of information beforehand. Day 3 I’m teaching my own 40 minute lesson and from then on we have to make our own lesson plans and photocopy handouts. Planning for the lesson is probably the most challenging aspect of the course thus far and surprisingly the textbooks are not as helpful or well written as you’d think (watch out for Headway).

The basic concept I had of a ‘teacher’ has been shattered and replaced by another image, that of the ‘Enabler.’ Our tutors told us that in  this course it’s better to let the students do all the work during lessons and to minimise lecturing and teaching from the board. The onus should be on the students and teachers should ensure that students have many opportunities to communicate with each other and learn the language interactively, rather than them passively receiving the information lecture-style, they call these “student-led activities”.

Whilst teaching, your fellow CELTA coursemates are at the back observing along with your course director. At the end of the teaching session everyone gives feedback on how your lesson went and gives tips for improvement. This was nerve-wracking at first and remains so till the end, as half the time it’s your peers giving you negative feedback. Your lesson is graded either ‘Below standard’, ‘To standard’ and ‘Above standard,’ but bear in mind this differs depending on which institution you’re at- I’ve read of other schools doing a ‘weak’ pass and a ‘strong pass’. Two ‘below standard’ grades and you’ve bagged yourself a meeting with the tutor on how you can improve-if you’re ever in danger of failing the course, you’ll well in advance. In total we teach around 9 assessed lessons each.

We’re required to teach every other day and to write 4 assignments in total. My first one is due tomorrow and is a language related task. One thing that should be mentioned- in CELTA a good knowledge of grammar is desirable, but not exactly essential. I found that the non-native speakers of my course fared particularly well on this aspect of the course as they once had to learn English as a foreign language, but all of us native speakers were a lot weaker in this department. I’ve had one incident where my knowledge of grammar could have been better when teaching a lesson and the first assignment I’ve had to redo (my tutor said most of us will have to resubmit anyway). Resubmitting is not a big deal the first time you fail and the teachers will give you a lot of guidance on exactly what to improve so it’ll pass the next time, all of my four assignments passed second time. Overall, you’re allowed to fail one assignment completely (as in, also fail the resubmission) out of the four, but it means you will be ineligible for the A grade. I was worried about failing this way but my teacher said that it was very rare and had never happened to a student she was teaching.

CELTA is graded as follows; FAIL, PASS, PASS B, PASS A. Many of the forums assure me that the percentage of people who fail is infinitesimal. It’s notoriously difficult to get an A, less than 3% of trainees get this- I even read this woman’s online account where she’d gotten 6 Above Standard lessons out of 8 and was still only awarded a B, so don’t stress out about grades.

Don’t feel you need prior teaching experience to embark on a CELTA- out of the ones on my course who had worked as ESL teachers, half benefitted from this previous work experience and the other half found it hard to unlearn previous teaching habits. It may be harder for those without previous teaching experience to get the higher grades, but it should be noted that this course is not like school. Do not, on any account, be disappointed with anything less than a B. In six years  (so around 60 classes) a Cambridge examiner told me that his centre had only awarded around 3 A grades! I imagine if you did get an A grade you wouldn’t really have needed to take the course in the first place. Should get a refund if you ask me…

Week 2

It’s the start of week 2 and things are heating up a bit-with assignments and Teacher Practice (TP) sessions every other day it’s hard to go out the evening before teaching a lesson. In the past week and a bit of the course we’ve had a foreign language lesson (Gaelic, so we know what it’s like to be on the receiving end of teaching), techniques in teaching new vocabulary and have watched other teachers as part of live observation or on DVD.  We’ve gone through different types of lessons- speaking skills, reading and listening lessons. The ‘productive skills’ are speaking and writing, with the ‘receptive skills’ being listening and reading. The tutors reminded us today that we are also observed on professionalism, punctuality and preparedness, so this is something to think about before starting the course. Your tutors will also give you your first reference so it’s important to have a good relationship with them (and no, no one’s paying me to write this!)

Most failed the first language assignment and so we have to resubmit it with the corrections our tutor made. This weekend I have a party and am meeting a friend, but might have to blow off my plans as I have to re-do my first assignment, finish off the second one and come up with a lesson plan for Monday. But honestly, that’s not as much work as it sounds! Assignments are usually around 1000 words each and you’re never asked to resubmit the entire essay, just the section(s) you get wrong.

The CELTA is definitely not as stressful as I thought though, I’d heard many accounts of people getting stressed into week 2/3 and whilst I’ve been quite nervous teaching, it’s because I feel I’m not planning the lesson effectively enough or taking in the feedback very well.  I’ve been told to reduce my TTT (Teacher Talking Time) and to deliver slower instructions as I have a tendency to speak very fast, so bear this in mind when you’re teaching! Most importantly remember to grade your language and simplify! Rather than saying “Let’s go through the answers…” we were told to say “Look (points at worksheet) at the answers.” I’ve just finished teaching the elementary class and am now moving on to teaching the upper intermediate class.

Next week I’ll be publishing my experience of week 3 and 4 of CELTA. If anyone has any questions about the course, please feel free to post them (top right-hand corner of the page speech bubble or bottom of the page) and I will get you back to you.