We’re taking a look at the journeys of our recent CELTA graduates. So lets get straight into it…
I completed my CELTA earlier this year after working on it part time alongside my job in retail. During my CELTA, I secured a summer teaching job with EF Education First on the Isle of Wight.
Upon completion, I continued working in retail for a month or so as I worked out what my next move would be. I applied for the Erasmus+ Leaders in language programme, a placement designed for new teachers to gain experience. I got a place and I’m currently writing this from Valencia, Spain where I have been on a work placement for a month. I have been teaching young learners, mainly older teenagers, in a semi private catholic school in the centre of Valencia. I am due to return on Sunday and I’ll have a few weeks off before I make my way to the Isle of Wight for the summer.
Come September, I’m unsure of exactly what I’ll be doing but I am considering one of several options, the first being a BA degree in linguistics, the second travelling or the third to get a permanent teaching job back in the UK. I completed my CELTA online, but this hasn’t stopped me from securing face-to- face teaching positions. In the future, I’d like to complete the DELTA and do some examining work.
Amy O’Connor, 21, British
I couldn’t be more happy with my next chapter after my CELTA Course. I always taught little kids and never imagined standing in front of teenagers or adults. Now I find myself teaching English in primary and secondary school, and giving online lessons for people in business. And always looking forward for more experiences abroad. I am more than satisfied with my CELTA course and would definitely do it again.
Florencia, 30, Argentina
“I undertook my CELTA at International House London in 2018. Not only did I love doing the course itself and making great friends on the way, but my CELTA set me up for some of the most exciting years of my life.
Soon after completing my CELTA, I headed off to Australia to teach English at a school on the beautiful Sunshine Coast. This was my first ‘real-life’ teaching experience, but my training had prepared me well and I settled into the school quickly, and was almost immediately getting great feedback from students and teachers alike. I felt like I was finally doing something that mattered – sharing a skill that would help my students both personally and professionally, and having the time of my life whilst I did it!
I met some amazing students from around the globe, many of whom I am still in touch with; and got to have some incredible experiences as part of my job, including running the school’s activity programme which brought me to theme parks along the Gold Coast, the stunning Fraser Island, and allowed me to better explore my own local area of Noosa, including meeting some of the local wildlife!
There’s no way I would have had the most amazing year of my life so far had I not done my CELTA, and I’m looking forward to returning to Australia once the Covid-19 crisis is over.
My CELTA has also been so helpful in the uncertain times in which we are currently living. I’m riding out Covid-19 in the Netherlands, a country quite unfamiliar to me. Without a good grasp of Dutch, it has been very hard for me to find a job here, but my CELTA helped me get a job teaching English online, helping me stay afloat financially, stay safe as I can work from home, and continue helping my students achieve their English goals.
I am genuinely so excited to see what places my CELTA brings me to once the world opens up again, and can’t wait to see what experiences are still in store!”
Ciara Murphy, age 25, Irish
“I did my CELTA in April 2019. I had spent 10 years working in marketing for a large financial media company and for me, doing the CELTA course was an opportunity for career change and adventure.
By the summer, I was teaching English to international students in London and by September of that same year I was in Bangkok. I didn’t stray far though – International House is a family; securing a CELTA from IH is like unlocking the door to a hugely respected and well-established network of schools across the globe. I secured work at International House Thailand and was suddenly thrust into a whole new world. A world of tuk-tuks and street food and sweltering temperatures and noise and chaos and colour!
Since my teaching role at International House Thailand, I continued with another teaching position at Wall Street English, before coming full circle: I’m now back in the marketing seat. A week ago, I started a new role as Marketing and Communications Manager at Shrewsbury International School, Bangkok.
I wake up every morning and now I see banana trees and palm trees from my window. I’m learning Thai, I’m visiting amazing places and most importantly I’m meeting exciting new people – both personally and professionally.
For me, the CELTA truly was a lifeline. And a CELTA from IH London is just the first step to a uniquely different and exciting world.”
Andrew Walker, age 37, British
My CELTA certificate was key to me securing a new career, as an English editor for academic journals, as the job is not just correcting the English of authors for whom English is a foreign language, but also providing them with the tools — the rules of English grammar and spelling — to allow them to better communicate their research to the world.
Jamie, 53, UK
My teaching career started off quite suddenly and unexpectedly. I embraced a job opportunity I was offered without thinking twice and soon found myself enjoying teaching and talking to students so much that I felt a proper education in the matter was needed.
Every single teacher I met suggested taking a CELTA course, therefore, smack dab in the middle of the Covid-19 pandemic I signed up for the online course given by IH London. Both on the Internet and by word of mouth, I read it was an excellent school to attend and, in fact, it was. Teachers were friendly and encouraging yet professional and fair. The learning environment was always positive and, despite the distance, we managed to create a supportive group teaming up to do our best. I was working long hours when taking the course so it definitely was a tough period, however, the lack of competition between us students and the willingness to learn and improve, made everything so much easier and, why not, even fun.
An adventurous and demanding experience I see worth embarking. It’s been a year since I got my CELTA certificate and it’s been the most hectic year. Thanks to it, I’ve got a job that I like in a private language school where I’m proudly one of the few Italian teachers among all natives. I still rely a lot on the basic teaching strategies learnt during the course and when in need of further training, my choice falls on IH London where competence and support are guaranteed.
Lisa, 25, Italian
Rewind 9 months and I was plodding through my days in a monotonous translation job, knowing that something more ‘me’ was out there but not quite certain as to what I was looking for. I’d taught English on and off whilst living abroad, yet the possibility of teaching full-time had never really crossed my mind. That is, however, until an umpteenth night job-searching led me to the door of CELTA and to International House London.
Finally, a venture that seemed up my street! Fast-forward 2 months and my boring corporate job is miles behind me and I’m strolling through Covent Garden towards a 4-week intensive CELTA. Any ounce of nerves evaporated completely as I was introduced to our experienced tutors, practically bursting with enthusiasm, and to my fellow trainees who are some of the most friendly, interesting and open-minded people I have ever had the pleasure to meet. Indeed, the support and camaraderie of our group transformed this often-challenging teaching course into four of the most magical weeks of my life. I felt like I’d found my people, and just as importantly, my calling.
It’s such a rewarding feeling to step into a classroom armed with the power to unlock a student’s language potential and to transform their life in the process. Yet my life too has been transformed. International House provided the tools to kickstart my ESL teaching career and just weeks after completing the course, I was offered a job at an English-language school in Manchester. And today, gone are the dreary translations I used to slave over. Instead, I’m facilitating speaking activities, drilling pronunciation, planning lessons and marking homework – all with a huge grin plastered on my face!
Jenny