EXPERT ENGLISH SL

Being a firm believer in silver linings, I can most definitely say that this year’s silver lining has been the opportunity to participate in this program. Not only it provided us with the training CELTA is famous for, but we also learned how to teach English and manage a classroom 100% online in a time when education is shifting, and probably for good.

During the course, you will be taught to plan, develop and teach a lesson according to the highest standards there are, which will work both for in-person and on-line teaching. This particular program will specifically enable you to teach on-line to a group of students professionally and with ease. It is one of the best investments in time and money I’ve ever made and one that I will benefit from for the rest of my career.

Special mention should be made about the human talent behind this project: without the extremely professional, dedicated and very patient tutors, this story of success wouldn’t be possible. Every single detail is critical in a program this intense. From planning to support and everything in between, the tutors are on top of every aspect making sure the trainees achieve their goals. I encourage you to enroll and join this path of learning that will give you a backpack full of tools, experiences and knowledge worth the effort it takes to walk it.

Despite my initial qualification as a Primary English teacher, I decided to enrol on this course to gain more experience and widen my knowledge because, as Albert Einstein said, "once you stop learning, you start dying". Now that I have completed the Cambridge CELTA course I am beginning to realise the enormous amount of knowledge that I have actually acquired.  Therefore, I have to express my gratitude both to Adriana, to make it possible, and to the three tutors (Milada, Gemma and Beata) that I had throughout the course for the constant feedback as well as for answering my endless list of questions. During the five-week course they have been available and were always giving supportive feedback so that we could improve and develop our teaching methods.

This course has had another important point. It was one of the first CELTA courses that were offered 100% online due to the coronavirus situation. We used the zoom app for teaching and observing our partners and the Google Classroom for downloading our materials and uploading our essays. Thus, I have gained a lot of experience in teaching in an online environment that will undoubtedly be very beneficial not only for my teaching career but also for my students, because they will be given the chance to learn English from the comfort of their homes. After the eight 45-minute classes that I had to teach throughout the course and after seeing my partners' as well as some experienced teachers' classes, I feel I have gained the necessary tools to carry on with teaching online classes for both the short and long-term future.

Another advantage of teaching online is that you can encounter students from different nationalities. For instance, during my eight classes I had some students from Spain, Algeria, Mexico, Poland and Egypt. Despite the fact that it can be a bit difficult at the beginning and you will have to work a lot, in the end it will be a unique experience in which you will be discovering not only different points of view but also other cultures and other ways of seeing life.

To sum up, I would strongly recommend the CELTA course to any person who has a strong level of English and who is interest in acquiring the necessary tools to become a qualified English teacher. During the 120-hour course you will be receiving support from very experienced EFL teachers, as well as giving and receiving feedback from your performance in your teaching practice sessions. Furthermore, by adding the online component the course is even more valuable because you will be acquiring the digital competence, which could be the future of English Language Teaching. Although the course is really intense and you may not be able to have a social life while doing it, I strongly believe it is worth doing because of all the knowledge that you are acquiring.

To illustrate the experience in a few words: the CELTA online course organized by Expert English deserves every euro invested and every minute of effort. A complete personal evolution takes place over the four weeks, which is indisputably necessary to adapt to the educational reality. By adding the online component, the course gains another added value, as all teaching practice is done through Zoom. The direct and indirect learning that the trainees learn from the tutors is very significant, as well as the good collaborative disposition of the other teachers before, during and after the lessons. I would certainly recommend the course to anyone who wants to expand their horizons and test new methodologies in e-learning contexts.

Tutoring and feedback

For me the most enriching and meaningful part of the process. The course offers the possibility that teachers with more than 20 years of experience in ELT show you your strengths and weaknesses, the areas in which you stand out and those in which you have to focus your development. Guided Lesson and Feedback sessions offer the possibility to plan and reflect on the learning process, as well as to self-assess your own procedures and attitudes. Personally, another of the points in favor of the course organized by Expert English, is the quality and professionalism of the tutors. They transmit confidence and play your role with dedication, enthusiasm and effort. It can be seen with the naked eye that they are enthusiastic and highly vocational teachers. During the 30-day course they have always been available to resolve any doubts, show their support and understanding, as well as to establish a bond of trust and respect.

Learners

The willingness and desire to work of the students implies an extra motivation when planning and carrying out the classes. The group work and collaboration of the participants greatly facilitates the improvement of educational processes. One of the biggest attractions of the course is its international character, offering the possibility to interact with people from other countries and cultures.

E-learning

After completing the course I can assure you that I feel ready to teach English online. The 8 45-minute classes, as well as the 18h observation of other trainees are enough to understand and experience the educational possibilities of distance learning. Some of the skills to be highlighted are: how to adapt traditional materials to the digital environment and how to enhance the functions of Zoom as an educational tool. Within the feedback of each TP, the tutors offer recommendations on how to improve the materials and their presentation, with the aim of making them more student-friendly.

Accessibility and Content Management

The quality of the resources and their easy access has been the common denominator throughout the course. While it is initially difficult to adapt to the Google Classroom digital platform, once the basic guidelines are in place, it is truly intuitive to access the documentation and information needed to complete tasks and send all documents. Input sessions are complemented by downloadable material and a complete, selected and highly relevant bibliography.

The fully-online CELTA course with Expert English was a marvelous opportunity to learn how to put together and teach a top-quality English lesson. It allowed me to boost my teaching skills, learn a lot about teaching in an online environment, and detect development areas to work on as I progress in my teaching career.

Having the CELTA will hopefully allow me to land a job teaching English online - from what I have seen in my job-browsing so far, it is the most demanded qualification to teach English. The tutors, the experience and the co-trainees were all great, and I would wholeheartedly recommend this course to anyone considering earning this qualification.