The Cambridge CELTA(Certificate in English Language Teaching to Adults or Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages) is the world's most widely-recognised entry-level credential for teaching ESL or EFL. It is accepted throughout the world by organisations which employ English language teachers. International House Language Centre Palermo offers CELTAteacher training in a four-week face-to-face intensive format or in an 13-week blended format.

International House Language Centre Palermo is the first CELTA approved Cambridge English centre in Sicily.

It has been offering the internationally recognised CELTA programme since 2002 and has the most cost-effective CELTA training in Southern Italy.

Each year we welcome candidates from all over the world. Applicants have ranged in age from 20 to 70 and come from a variety of backgrounds.

The CELTA

• teaches you the principles of effective teaching
• provides a range of practical skills for teaching English to adult learners
• gives you hands-on teaching practice
• builds your confidence

Grammar for Teachers - Language Awareness Course (one-year access) 10-hour online course included!

There are five main units of learning:

• Learners and teachers, and the teaching and learning context
• Language analysis and awareness
• Language skills: reading, listening, speaking and writing
• Planning and resources for different contexts
• Developing teaching skills and professionalism

Face-to-face Intensive Courses (4 weeks)

 

The Cambridge CELTA course is very demanding. The attendance requirement is 100% and in addition to the 10:00 to 18:30 workdays at International House Palermo, you will need most evenings and weekends for homework tasks, written assignments, lesson planning, and materials preparation. The course is challenging, but most trainees enjoy and thrive on the work!

As a CELTA trainee, you will be working in large, modern classrooms, and you will have access to a quiet workroom for lesson preparation and self-study.

International House Language Centre Palermo has materials for your exclusive use as a CELTA trainee, including a variety of up-to-date books on methodology, grammar, and activity books for use in the classroom. Additionally, you will have access to other areas open to students at International House Palermo, such as the recreation area and the computer laboratory.

Typically, mornings are devoted to input, and afternoons to supervised teaching practice, feedback, and assisted lesson planning. Teaching practice starts on the second session of the course.

As CELTA training is based on "learning by doing", Teaching Practice (TP) is the heart of the course. In your TP sessions, you will be asked to put into practice the ideas and concepts you learn during the input and feedback sessions.

Part-time course (13 weeks)

IH Palermo Language Centre's part-time course has sessions once a week. To do your teaching practice, you will come to school and teach real students. You will also work through multimedia materials, complete interactive tasks, discuss topics with other course participants and your tutor. Some of the work may be completed with digital tools. Teaching practice, feedback, supervised lesson planning and live observation will require coming into the centre once or twice a week.

CELTA courses are very intensive whichever way you complete them. On face-to-face courses there are 120 contact hours or more spent at the centre. However, trainees often spend at least this amount of time again reviewing input, preparing lessons and writing assignments. When considering the time necessary to complete the course please be aware of this significant additional time on top of completing online units, observing classes and attending the face to face components.

ELT jobs that require the CELTA within International House.

All tutors (teacher trainers) have the advanced Cambridge Diploma in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (Delta), or the Diploma in Teaching English as a Foreign Language to Adults (DTEFLA), a sound background of theoretical knowledge, and years of practical classroom experience with monolingual and multilingual groups at all levels. Cambridge ESOL follows strict standards for approving CELTA tutors.

 

International House Palermo's team of fully qualified and dedicated CELTA tutors combine sound theoretical knowledge with practical teaching experience from most regions of the world. Their qualifications ensure that International House Palermo CELTA courses incorporate a wide range of teaching principles and practical classroom techniques.

You will be teaching adult volunteer students from a wide variety of language and cultural backgrounds, and you will teach at two distinct levels. The tutors will give you time to meet and get to know your students before they begin to assess your practice teaching. Typically, a TP class will have from ten to fifteen students and will contain students from Italy.

Entry to the course is through application form, language task and selection interview.

Applicants must:

• be at least 18 (It is recommended that candidates should be aged 20 or over, but candidates aged between 18 and 20 can be accepted at the centre’s discretion.)
• have an awareness of language and a competence in both written and spoken English which will enable them to undertake the course and prepare for teaching a range of levels. (C2 / C1 on the Common European Framework (CEF))
• have the potential to develop the necessary skills to become effective teachers and to complete successfully the written assignments and the assessment of teaching practice.
• have a standard of education equivalent to that for entry into higher education (Applicants who do not have formal qualifications who can show they would be likely to complete the course successfully may be accepted at the centre’s discretion.)

Admission Process

 

Places in all CELTA courses are limited. Admission is selective and stages must be completed to confirm your place on a given course.

 

First complete the application form and pre-interview task.

International House Palermo reviews the pre-interview assignment and interviews candidates (out-of-city candidates can usually be interviewed by phone/Skype).

International House Palermo will confirm an offer of a place to accepted candidates within 48 hours of the interview. Course fees are due four weeks prior to the start of the course. To guarantee your place on the course you must pay a deposit of 500 Euros. Please note that when the course date is approaching (i.e. 1-4 weeks before the official start date) payment for the whole course will be required.

Preparing for a Course

If you are offered a place, and if you confirm your place with the payment of your deposit, IH will send you a pre-course task that will help you prepare for your course. It provides a good introduction to the topics of the course. Applicants who complete the pre-course task generally perform better on the course than those who do not.

International House Palermo Refund Policy

In an effort to maintain the lowest possible tuition costs in a labour-intensive, limited enrollment programme, International House Palermo will refund your tuition fees, less 25% for administrative processing only if:

• the course has a full complement of trainees and International House Palermo can confirm the admission of a suitable alternative candidate.
• International House Palermo can confirm the admission of a qualified alternate. International House Palermo makes no refund if these two conditions are not met or if you withdraw from a course after it has begun.
• In light of the covid-19 restrictions, any unavoidable cancellations linked to travel, visa or quarantine payments will be refunded.
• If IH Palermo Language Centre cannot operate the course because of irreconcilable restrictions candidates will be refunded.

Please Note

While CELTA training is standardised, every approved teacher training centre has its own style, services, and approach. We hope this information has helped you understand what the CELTA course at IH Language Centre Palermo is like. If you believe this course meets your professional needs, we look forward to receiving your application and pre-interview task.

 

Upon successful receipt of your application, you will be invited to complete a pre-interview task to find out more about your suitability for the course. This will be verified by an interview with one of your course tutors. During the interview you will have an opportunity to find out more about the coures and ask any questions you may have.

Further information

• Online application form


• Frequently asked questions