If you're just after my experience then scroll down a little; you're missing out on a fab intro though ;)
Travelling is something I have wanted to do for a long time. Now that my degree is near enough finished I'm thinking towards the future and what to do next. If there's one thing I can firmly say about myself, it's thinking far ahead does not come naturally to me - I'm much more of a 'go with the flow, see what happens' type of person. While I really enjoyed my degree subject and have quite a few 'avenues' I can go down, I haven't got a definite path or plan for the future (I could do a whole post just on this!)
The conflict between having a stable, secure life and wanting to get out there and see the world is something I think a lot of people struggle with. I'm sure I'll want the former at some point, but at the moment I want to make the most of being young and having little responsibility. In a perfect world I'd be able to travel and earn an income, so I searched the internet for ideas - that's when I found the route of 'teaching English as a foreign language'. Teaching is a profession I have always considered going into, so being able to teach and travel? Ding ding ding, the jackpot was hit. *Cue about 18 months of researching and consideration*
There are many types of 'ESL/EFL' teaching qualification, I ended up choosing CELTA (Cambridge Certificate in English Language Teaching to Adults) as it seems to be the most respected and recognised. I had a look online and found a local college that runs the course. I sent an email asking for more info and booked an interview date - eeep!
MY EXPERIENCE
Disclaimer: CELTA interviews and exams vary depending on who is running the course. Some people are given a test before the interview, others on the day. The interview may be in person, via skype or over the phone. That being said, there are definitely similarities in topics covered and I found reading others' experiences useful for preparation, so I thought I'd share mine.
My interview and exam were held at the college where the course is run. We started with the exam and the tutor interviewed prospective students throughout in another room.
While I won't disclose exact questions, the topics covered were:
1. Teaching ideas
2. Phonology - stressed syllables
3. Parts of Speech
4. Differences in meaning between similar words
5. Tenses
6. Meaning of words depending on context
7. Correcting badly written sentences
8. Extended piece of writing (writing about a topic, often to do with teaching).
The exam is not ridiculously hard, but if you haven't studied English Language in a while you will need to study - you cannot bluff your way through the exam (or the course for that matter). It tests various aspects of English language, as well as teaching methods, so grab a couple of books and study them! My college actually gave us a list of topics to revise and books to use for preparation. The internet also has a wealth of information so have a good search (I'll leave a some links at the end).
The interview was pretty informal. The tutor asked me a few questions about teaching and myself, and also explained the course. Many have said it's not necessarily about having the 'right' answers but showing willingness and passion, and I would agree. The course is extremely practical so they need to see that you are confident and willing to take criticism.
The next day I got an email saying I had passed the exam and interview, and was offered a place *woo-hoo!*
The whole process lasted around 2 hours, which whizzed by! It's really not as scary as it sounds; if you have knowledge of English language and show you are willing to learn and teach, there is no reason why you shouldn't get a place. If you're not accepted don't be disheartened, CELTA isn't cheap so it's best to do the course when you're ready - this is a reason why the course seemed so credible, they won't accept you unless they think you can pass.
My course doesn't start until January so I have some time to prepare and study even more. I'm planning on documenting my experience so check back to see how I'm getting on! If you have any questions or comments leave them below and we can have a chat :)
Useful links for studying:
http://www.educationscotland.gov.uk/knowledgeoflanguage/english/index.asp
http://www.grammar-monster.com/index.html
https://www.englishclub.com/grammar/parts-of-speech-table.htm
http://www.englishleap.com/grammar/tenses
http://www.englishpage.com/verbpage/verbtenseintro.html
http://www.passthecelta.com/celta-course/comprehensive-celta-guide
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