Five myths about the CELTA course
You might think you know all about the CELTA and what it can lead to. Best check, eh?
There’s another great reason for choosing Brighton or Eastbourne for your TEFL course, and it’s that ELC Brighton and Eastbourne are part of what is officially the UK’s number one language school group. The high quality of the English courses provided at Brighton and Eastbourne carries over to our teacher training provision. When it comes to observing other teachers in action, you’ll arguably be watching some of the very best English lessons anywhere in the country.
At both ELC campuses we offer an intensive and challenging CELTA programme, designed to equip you with the world’s most renowned initial qualification in English language teaching (often referred to as TEFL).
Brighton and Eastbourne are great places to live and learn, so where you choose to study will depend on your personality, and what you want or need out of the city that you decide to make your home for the duration of the course.
Wherever you end up, we’ll take good care of you. We’ll look out for your welfare, make sure you’re coping OK, review your progress regularly and do everything we can to give you a valuable and engaging learning experience.
What is a CELTA course?
CELTA is short for Certificate in English Language Teaching to Adults. If you want to begin a teaching career, or improve your chances of a promotion in your profession as a teacher, obtaining a CELTA qualification is a great way to achieve success (Click on that link for much more information about the course).
CELTA is awarded by University of Cambridge and has been taught worldwide for more than 30 years with over 12,000 graduates annually. It is widely seen as the most internationally recognised initial qualification in teaching English. It is perfect if you want to gain the skills and confidence to teach English as a foreign language (TEFL) to non-native speakers at all levels of ability.
Exploring your CELTA journey
If teaching English as a foreign language is your career goal, or if you are already a teacher but would love to underpin your teaching with a formal qualification, a CELTA is a good way to make you stand out in the crowd with your current - or a potential - employer.
While choosing to start a CELTA course is an easy decision to make due to its value to you as a teacher, which ELC school to choose might be a little more difficult. Brighton and Eastbourne offer the same excellent, in-depth CELTA training courses for teachers in the UK (the format is the same at both campuses) and while each location is fantastic in its own right, they are very different places.
Whilst we’re going to spell out the differences between the two cities, it’s important to point out that you’re not going to have an enormous amount of free time during the CELTA course. The 4-week programme is known to be really intensive. You need to take on new information quickly and apply it back into your frequent teaching practice sessions, which begin with real-live language students - very early in the course. This is enough to give rise to some late nights and early starts.
This is precisely why we think that it may be a good idea to take the CELTA in comfortable reach of strolls by the sea, fresh air and good vibes.
Brighton: a city alive with energy
For a small city, Brighton is packed with things to see and do. It is extremely friendly, inclusive and welcoming. It is multicultural Britain at its best. However much time you have available to you during your course with us, Brighton has an eclectic, energetic, sometimes gritty urban vibe to it, which will cleanse the palette and always give you something different to look at.
As well as its eight miles of beaches and coastlines, it is packed with fantastic eateries catering to all budgets - over 400 cafes, restaurants and shops - and good pubs for that Friday night debrief with CELTA course colleagues, and lots of accommodation solutions if you’re coming from out of town. If you’re flying in or taking the train from overseas, we can help you with your visa application, and organise transfers too.
Eastbourne: relax by the sea
Eastbourne is the yin to Brighton’s yang. It’s calmer, quieter, and more contemplative so if you’re the kind of person who prefers a bit more peace in which to think and reflect on how your teaching practice went, or the finer points of the present perfect tense, then Eastbourne might be more your cup of tea.
And don’t worry, Eastbourne’s not some sleepy retirement town. There are plenty of pubs to go around and good places to eat. The staff at the school are extremely friendly and they’ll be able to recommend all manner of things to do and places to check out. If you really want to escape, the chalk cliffs at Beachy Head and the rolling South Downs are at Eastbourne’s doorstep.
CELTA options in each location
At ELC Brighton and ELC Eastbourne we offer a full-time and part-time CELTA course depending on the time of year:
- The full time course is 4-weeks - Monday to Friday 9:30am to 5:30pm
- The part time course is 11 or 12 weeks - Saturdays 10:00 am to 1:45pm and Tuesdays and Thursdays from 6pm to 9:30pm
- Minimum age for students is 18, although students will ideally be aged 20 or over
- CEFR entry level C1+
- You should normally have a minimum standard of education equivalent to that required for entry into higher education – for example, 2 A-Levels or equivalent.
- If English is not your first language, we would require C1+ level – normally Cambridge CPE or IELTS 8.5.
A CELTA course in Brighton or Eastbourne? Conclusion
Brighton? Eastbourne? Which one is the best fit for you?
At ELC we provide excellent, high quality CELTA courses in the UK, designed to give your teaching career the boost it deserves. Both ELC Brighton or ELC Eastbourne offer the same exceptionally high standard and would give you an excellent experience.
Whatever you decide, at ELC we are looking forward to helping you on your CELTA journey, and excited for your future as an English teacher!
