Often described as a ‘golden ticket’, the CELTA creates opportunities to travel, countless career prospects, and opens diverse routes for your future. Our CELTA graduates have experienced first-hand the difference this qualification can make to your life, read some of their stories below.
“After leaving my first post-university job as a management consultant for 4 years, I planned to use my CELTA to work abroad and see more of the world, namely by teaching English in Vietnam.
I set off to Sri Lanka and India shortly after finishing the CELTA course and, during this period, secured a teaching position at ILA in Hanoi (Vietnam) beginning in early April. Unfortunately, Covid-19 forced me to return to the UK prematurely and I was never able to reach Vietnam and fulfil the job offer.
Not to be deterred from teaching ESL, I used my CELTA to secure online teaching positions for iTutorGroup and English First within a month of returning to the UK, as well as attracting students on an independent teaching site, Preply. Between April and October, I managed to teach over 2000 students from across the globe at all ability levels in both group and one-to-one settings. It was a hugely rewarding experience and helped me apply and develop a wide array of skills that were taught as part of IH’s CELTA programme.
After a bad cycling accident put me out of action for several weeks, I spent the free time exploring a return to the corporate world, but with elements of teaching built in. I was incredibly fortunate to stumble upon WhiteHat, a tech company founded in 2016 with a mission to ensure young people have access to the best career-focused apprenticeships on offer, creating an outstanding alternative to university. During the interview process, the team highlighted the benefit they perceived the CELTA qualification would have to my coaching potential, as well as the experience my online teaching would bring.
Ultimately, I was offered and accepted the job of ‘Project Management Coach’ and I know that this would not have been possible without the reputation that IH’s CELTA qualification carries.”
Charlie Manthorp, age 28, British
“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 embarked on the CELTA course after many years in finance and found it challenging but brilliant.
A few months after completing the course I set up an English class for clients of one of our local food banks, run by a refugee charity.
The free two-hour class took place weekly in a local church hall, and I had a team of wonderful volunteer helpers. The ability range of the students was very wide, but I tried to prepare a range of activities for my helpers and students so that, whatever the topic we worked on together, each student could then be suitably stretched in the smaller groups with the helpers.
It was a huge challenge but mostly I felt competent. The class had to be suspended in March because of Covid-19, but I continue to support several of the students by email.
Once things get back to normal I also hope to set up a one-to-one tuition business teaching overseas professionals working in London, and possibly their families as well.”
Gillian Keeler, age 61, British
“Many schools in London offer teacher training courses, but I knew I would go to IH London to study for CELTA when I moved to the UK. I got the certificate in April 2019, and worked at the IH young learners centre in Oxford in July.
I was a student in one of the summer schools in England myself when I was 13. Since then it has been my dream and ambition to become an English teacher.
After my IH Oxford summer experience I got lucky enough to get hired as an English for Academic Purposes tutor at the University of Birmingham pre-sessional course in the Autumn of 2019.
From February to July 2020, I worked as an EFL teacher at The Language Gallery school in Birmingham starting face-to-face and later moving to teach in Zoom.
I became CELTA certified a year and a half ago; since then I have had three English teaching positions in different areas. Though this year has been extremely difficult for the industry, I am sure it will pick up and thrive again both in face-to-face settings and online.”
Anastasiia Romaniuk, age 29, Russian
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
“I want to tell you about my amazing whirlwind of a journey since completing my CELTA in June 2019. After working in the private charity sector for several years I wanted to combine my passion for travelling with my dream of teaching and oh how the CELTA has enabled me to do so!
As soon as my CELTA finished I was lucky enough to secure a summer teaching role at IH London which really enabled me to put my learning into practice. I worked alongside some fantastic teachers as well as my tutors and really ignited my fire for teaching English.
I then spent 6 months teaching at a Language school in Brighton both face-to-face and online and also took a course to further my knowledge in teaching IELTS and Cambridge Exams.
After starting to feel a little more experienced I thought it a good time to take off and start seeing more of the world. Since February 2020 I have worked in Batz-sur-Mer, France and Venice, Italy teaching a mixture of young learners, exam preparation courses and in local high schools.
I then decided to take the plunge in September 2020 and moved to Lake Como, Italy where I currently teach for a wonderful private school that teaches business English, exam preparation and general English.
Taking the CELTA truly has changed my life and I haven’t looked back since!”
Ellie Locke, age 27, British
“After completing my online CELTA full-time course in July 2020, I started looking for teaching jobs around Europe but couldn’t find much due to Covid-19 crisis. In September I applied last minute for the Erasmus + and within one week I was off to Seville, Spain, for a 3 month long experience. Here I’ve been teaching English in an Academy to young learners and adults online and face-to-face (always wearing a mask), I have observed other teachers in class and got familiar with the Cambridge exams and materials. Before the Covid restrictions really kicked in, I also had the chance to travel safely along the coasts of Spain and Portugal during the weekends, it felt like an endless summer!
“I am now preparing to get back to London but only to celebrate Christmas (in quarantine) and pack my things in order to come back to Spain following a job offer as an English teacher in an academy in Valladolid, starting in January 2021! I am very excited and grateful to be able to start a new professional path in these uncertain times, especially considering I was made redundant from my previous job in the tourism industry right when I started attending my CELTA course. It seems despite all the difficulties, it was all meant to be and all that hard work has really paid off.
“I feel so confident and eager to put in practice what I have learnt in order to become a better teacher everyday and I want to thank my tutors and my fellow trainees for everything they taught me at IH London.”
Cristina Vargiu, age 32, Italian
“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
If you are interested in broadening your horizons and beginning your own CELTA adventure, click here to learn more about our range of part-time, full-time, online and face-to-face CELTA courses.