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Is a CELTA course worth it?

Is a CELTA course worth it?

Is a CELTA course worth it?

Ok, so maybe you’ve decided you want to travel the world as an English Language Teacher, checked out all the courses and are left with one question: is a CELTA course worth it?

You see the CELTA course is the ultimate TEFL qualification. (See another post: CELTA vs TEFL.)

It’s the most globally recognised qualification, it’s run by Cambridge University AND is hands down the best course out there…

But it’s also the most expensive.

When choosing any academic course or job training program, the question of money eventually has to come up.

That’s why we’ve written this article, to help you decide if the CELTA course makes sense financially for you.

Check it out.

How much is a CELTA anyway?

Good question!

While the prices vary on the CELTA course depending on where you do it, they usually come in around the same amount by around £100.

This is because Cambridge takes a certain amount of fees as they are the university that accredits your qualification and provides you with the certificate etc.

So when applying for where to do your CELTA, it’s crucial to choose a school that you trust will deliver the best training possible (it’s worth it for the sake of £100.)

As an example, if you were to do the course with us here in Belfast, Northern Ireland it would cost £1295.

Is a CELTA course worth it?

So is a CELTA course worth the money?

Short answer: absolutely.

One of the reasons we love running the CELTA course is because it is a course that delivers such high-value to the trainees for the price.

It’s really unlike any other academic course or job training program we’ve ever come across… of course, we’re biased, but here are a few reasons to show you WHY.

1. The CELTA is one of the most affordable ways to an incredible career.

If you were to try and become an English Teacher in a high-school, it would usually require you to go and do a three-year English course at a university AND a one-year teacher training course at a college.

Four years of university-level education does not come cheap and depending on where you study will set you back 10,000-100k+

Unfortunately, it can also be incredibly hard to get a job as a high-school teacher, and it breaks out heart to see qualified teachers working jobs they are overqualified for.

2. The CELTA is one of the most flexible academic courses out there

What we mean is that you can do it ANY time you want.

We run courses every single month of the year meaning that if you’re already in a full-time job all you need to do is get one month off to study rather than a full academic year.

The other drawback of a university is that there is little flexible when it comes to studying times. Most places require you to start around September and finish around June.

As we all know, sometimes life is a little hard to organise to try and match our free-time to study up with an academic year, whereas doing a CELTA helps you pick the month that works for you.

Is a CELTA course worth it?

3. The CELTA is one of the fastest ways to an incredible career

We offer a 30-days CELTA crash course that will get you fully qualified and trained in just one month.

This is incredible because it makes a career change or a first-time job so accessible to anybody who has the passion and desire to teach English anywhere in the world.

You don’t have to waste four years of your life training for a specific job; you can do a CELTA course and start work the next month.

(Plus the skills are incredibly valuable and transferable to all kinds of careers.)

4. You make your money back after your first month of teaching

We think this is probably the best one on our list.

Because the CELTA course is so affordable, many trainees actually end up making their money back after their first month of teaching.

Forget about student loans and paying back tuition debt for the next 20 years.

5. Job satisfaction is worth every penny

We know this is a post about finances, but at the end of the day, there are things that money can’t buy… one of them being job satisfaction.

Teaching isn’t for everyone, but if you want to make a difference in the lives of people AND see the world while you’re doing it, then we think that you’ll find your CELTA course worth every single penny.

No other course gives you access to jobs almost anywhere in the world. In fact, we often say that your CELTA certificate is like a passport!

Plus it’s a course that means you are delivering value to your students from your very first day on the job and that after all, is what it’s all about.

6. CELTA gives you real life experience teaching English

While studying CELTA, you’ll be required to undertake 6 hours of supervised teaching practice. As a new EFL  teacher, this is invaluable. Language schools abroad are unlikely to want to hire teachers with no experience.

Even if you could find a job, would you really want to stand up in from of a class of students having never managed a classroom before?

At International House Belfast, our CELTA students are given the opportunity to lead sessions with our in-house English courses. During these sessions, you’ll be observed and assisted by one of our experienced EFL teachers.

Obviously, this is far better than being thrown in the deep end at a new job halfway across the world.

Is a CELTA course worth it?

What can you do with CELTA?

CELTA is the most prestigious TEFL certificate in the world. As such, it’s the best way to ensure you can find high quality TEFL jobs anywhere in the world.

Because of this, CELTA is the most popular certification for new English teachers who want to make a permanent move abroad, as well as those who want to make money by teaching while travelling.

Many people choose to teach English abroad as a gap year or a career break. When they return to their day jobs, they often find they’ve learned valuable skills without even realising it.

Teaching English as a foreign language gives you important skills like communication, organisation, cultural awareness, and leadership.

These are invaluable in for all kinds of jobs after CELTA.

Where should you study CELTA?

One of the great things about CELTA is you’ll receive the same qualification, whether you study in Bangkok or Birmingham. Schools offering CELTA courses are heavily audited by Cambridge University, so you can be confident of the teaching quality you’ll receive.

Still, it’s important to consider the experience you’ like to have when choosing between CELTA centres.

After all, you’re committing to at least 4 weeks in a new city, you want to know you’ll enjoy it.

In many ways, Belfast is the perfect place to study CELTA, given its low cost of living, vibrant cultural scene and compact size. You’re already investing a lot of money in your CELTA course, you don’t want to spend it with no extra cash to have fun outside the classroom.

International House Belfast also offer a range of short-term accommodation options for CELTA students. This makes the experience of settling in a lot smoother. That way, you can focus on enjoying your time in Belfast.

Interested in doing a CELTA or finding out more?

We hope this post helped give you some extra information as you considering doing the CELTA program.

If we can be of any help in any way please feel to contact us.

Also, if you’d like to take a sneak peek at a CELTA application form or find out more information about doing a course with us, click here.

Thanks for very much for reading and we wish you every success in your English Language Teaching career!

– Paul McMullan, Director of International House Belfast

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