The Certificate in English Language Teaching to Adults (CELTA) is a prestigious initial qualification awarded by the University of Cambridge. As one of the most widely recognized certifications of its kind, it is offered in over 300 centers across 60 countries and is officially accredited at Level 5 by Ofqual. This global standing makes it a premier choice for those seeking a respected credential that meets international standards for English language instruction.
Designed with a focus on real-world application, the course prioritizes practical classroom skills over abstract educational theory. It serves as a universal benchmark of quality, trusted by language schools, NGOs, the voluntary sector, and publishers worldwide. By focusing on the essential techniques needed to teach adult learners effectively, the CELTA provides you with the professional foundation required to work in diverse educational settings across the globe.
CELTA is aimed at a wide range of people. It is the perfect qualification for those who want to start English language teaching anywhere in the world or for those with only a little training. It is also appropriate for those already teaching English who have no formal qualification.
At Lenguas Vivas CELTA can be taken either full time (a four week intensive course), part-time (a twenty week course) or semi-intensive (between ten and twelve weeks)
A minimum of 120 contact hours including:
Candidates will need to dedicate a minimum of 80 hours for the required reading, research, pre- and post-session tasks, assignments and lesson preparation.
CELTA is the most widely recognized English language teaching qualification globally. This allows graduates to find jobs in schools in almost any country, as employers trust the certification as a guarantee of a teacher’s ability.
The quality of the course is guaranteed by the University of Cambridge. Every center and tutor must be approved, and an external assessor visits every course to ensure it meets Cambridge’s high standards.
The curriculum is broad and all-encompassing. It covers essential skills including teaching grammar, vocabulary, pronunciation, and the four key skills (speaking, reading, writing, listening), as well as lesson planning and using technology in the classroom.
The course is highly practical rather than just theoretical. Trainees begin teaching real lessons to real students by the second day of the course, with constant guidance and support from tutors before and after every lesson.
The CELTA course is delivered by a team of two or more tutors. These tutors lead seminar input, observe and assess teaching practice, lead oral feedback sessions, provide written feedback, give tutorials and mark assignments.
In addition, they provide any support that candidates may require, for example with lesson planning. The tutors will make themselves available to candidates during each day of the course (9:30 – 16:30).
Our CELTA input seminars at Lenguas Vivas are designed around the principle of active participation. Rather than sitting through passive lectures, you will engage in practical, hands-on activities—including group work, problem-solving, and games—to develop essential classroom skills. From lesson planning to teaching grammar and vocabulary, these interactive sessions provide a positive, enjoyable environment where you acquire the professional tools needed to become an effective and confident teacher.
At Lenguas Vivas, we believe very strongly that if you’re going to learn to do something, you have to be an active participant in the learning process. So therefore, our input seminars are very practical.
There’ll be lots of pair work, group work, doing things with the whole class. You’ll be solving problems, playing games, completing worksheets, doing all sorts of interesting things to help you to develop the practical classroom skills that you need to develop, but also to make sure that the learning experience is positive and enjoyable.
CELTA is primarily a practical teaching course. So, as well as being an active participant in the input seminars, you’ll be learning how to do things. The focus is very much upon how to acquire classroom skills.
So, for example, how to plan a lesson, how to teach grammar, how to revise vocabulary. Through participation in these seminars, hopefully you will acquire the skills that you need to become an increasingly effective classroom teacher.
You will complete six hours of assessed teaching, split between classes at two distinct ability levels. Rather than focusing on individual sessions, your final evaluation is based on your overall performance and growth throughout the entire six-hour period. This comprehensive approach ensures that your certification reflects your total achievement and demonstrated capability across different student groups by the end of the training program.
Teaching Practice is the part of the course when you become the teacher. You can’t take a teaching course without actually teaching, being in a classroom. And in many respects, it’s the most exciting part of the course.
It can also be a little bit daunting, but at Lenguas Vivas, your tutors are there with you every step of the way. We’ll help you before you teach, we’ll be there to watch you teach and to guide you as you teach, and we’ll be there to provide you with feedback after you teach. So hopefully, you are fully supported throughout the teaching experience.
So who do you teach? You teach real students—people who are genuinely learning English. But they’re very special students. They volunteer to come to our classes, uh, because they know that they’re going to get excellent lessons taught by enthusiastic people who are themselves learning to teach.
And that’s a very special relationship because just as they are learning English, they appreciate that their teachers are learning to teach them English. That means that they’re very supportive towards their teachers, but also highly motivated and very participative. In fact, it’s probably true to say they’re the best students you’ll ever teach.
Feedback is a cornerstone of the CELTA experience at Lenguas Vivas, designed to be supportive, forward-looking, and deeply personalized. You will engage in collaborative group discussions with peers and tutors to share insights, while also receiving detailed written reports and one-to-one tutorials to track your progress. Our tutors are committed to providing individual attention throughout the course—from lesson planning to post-teaching reviews—ensuring you have the tailored guidance needed to grow into a confident, effective educator.
If you’re going to learn to do anything, you need to receive feedback and on a CELTA course, feedback takes many forms.
After you’ve taught one of your lessons, we talk about your own lesson, what you liked about your lesson, what you think were the strengths of the lesson, but also try and identify areas for you to work on.
But your colleagues, who have also watched you teach, they will provide you with ideas, support, suggestions to help you to develop as a teacher. And in return, you will do the same for them. But obviously, the tutor is also there to guide the discussion and to make sure that useful conclusions are drawn.
However, as well as group feedback, all learners need individual attention as well so after each lesson, you will receive a detailed written report from your tutor, in which your tutor will highlight the strengths of your lesson and also suggest action points—things for you to work on to go forward to become a better teacher.
You’ll also receive tutorial time. Um, in the midpoint of the course, you’ll sit down and have a one-to-one meeting with your tutor where your progress will be reviewed together. And with your tutor, you will discuss and draw up an action plan for the second part of the course.
At Lenguas Vivas, we also realize that all individuals are different and all individuals need different things at different times. So therefore, we try and make sure that our tutors are available to candidates to provide you with the help that you need individually as the course progresses.
We always make sure that if you need to sit down and discuss a lesson, either before teaching or after teaching, that the tutors are available. We believe very strongly that it’s this commitment to individual support which makes CELTA courses at Lenguas Vivas a very special option.
You will complete four written assignments that focus on:
The specific tasks are set by the training centre and you will receive support in completing them from the tutors.
You will be assessed throughout the course. There is no final examination. An external assessor, appointed by Cambridge English Language Assessment, moderates each course.
There are two types of assessment – Teaching Practice and Written Assignments. To get the CELTA certificate, you must pass both assessments. There are three passing grades:
You will cover these topics through attending seminars, observing qualified teachers, participating in teaching practice and writing four assignments.
Trainees must be 21 years old or over.
Yes. Non-native speakers should be able to prove a level of English at a good C1 level at the very least (e.g. Pass grade A or B at CAE).
No. CELTA primarily trains you to teach adults. However, we do include some focus on teaching primary and secondary aged children. This reflects the fact that many CELTA qualified teachers working in Spain will find themselves teaching young learners.
Questions?
At Celta Valencia, we pride ourselves on clear communication and personalized support. Our team is ready to assist you with any questions.
Send us an email
info@celtavalencia.com
At Lenguas Vivas CELTA can be taken either full time (a four week intensive course), part-time (a twenty week course) or semi-intensive (between 10 and 12 weeks)
CELTA courses consist of 120 hours of training. These hours are divided between input, Teaching Practice, observation of qualified teachers, supervised lesson planning, peer observation, feedback on teaching and consultation time with tutors. In addition, trainees are expected to do a further 80 hours of work on lesson planning, reading, research, seminar preparation and written assignments.
You should treat the course as you would a job. The tutors expect trainees to attend every session and to do so punctually.
In the event of illness, please contact the course director as soon as you can (preferably before the session begins). It is your responsibility to liaise with the tutor to collect notes and handouts from any sessions you miss.
We will be keeping a register of attendance throughout the course.
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