Hi,

Has anybody done this course in order to teach English in Switzerland? If yes, can you let me know if it's a difficult course and did it get you a job in teaching English?

Thanks

I did the 4 week intensive course. It's pretty intense and you have to dust off / brush up on your English grammar / usage prior to the course but it's doable.

Just don't plan for ANYTHING else during the intensive course - you will eat, sleep and breathe CELTA for those weeks.

I didn't take up a job offer for an English teacher after the course because (coincidentally) I got an offer for a better paid job not in a school (I'm so shallow ).

Thank for your reply, will the tutors give you some tips of how to go about and find a job? is the test at the end of the course difficult?

There's no particular test at the end of the course - it's ongoing assessment (or at least it was when I did it 8 years ago).

At the end of the course the tutors gave some internet links to job websites plus some tips on how to secure a teaching job here. Ultimately, you are on your own to get a job under your own steam.

The course itself isn't particularly difficult - it's more demanding. You are constantly at it, either in the course sessions or planning for lessons or reading up on the "what the hell was that she just talked about??!!" sessions.

Ok, thanks for your help, at least it has given me an idea

Hi - I did the CELTA course three years ago (four week intensive course). Assessment is by continual observation of your teaching sessions (which start immediately!) and at least five written assignments of several thousand words each. It is very hard work, long hours and no spare time for socialising, lots of research, observing other teachers/students, creating teaching materials, teaching while learning, lose any inhibitions about public speaking and acting - role play is going to be big part of the course. The more imaginative and "physical" your teaching, the better you will do. Being shy is not going to get you anywhere.

The CELTA centre gave us all some vague ideas about looking for jobs afterwards, but the internet was the source most student teachers used.

Get up to speed with your English grammar before you start, buy lots of felt tip pens and a good stationary set (notepads, pens, stapler, rubber, glue etc., etc.) folders for keeping your materials in some sort of order. There is quite a lot of material on the internet - sample lesson plans and suggestions for topics and ways of teaching topics, which will save you time. Don't try to reinvent the wheel - use whatever you can.

I did my CELTA course at International House in London about five years ago. I did the intensive 4 week course and absolutely loved it. Because I had been teaching many years before hand, it was a great way to improve my skills, meet some lovely people and enjoy London.

I highly recommend International House for those willing to take some time out and go abroad for this course.

Hi!
I did the CELTA course a few months before arriving to teach here. I also did the intensive version and it really is intensive! 4 weeks of constant grammar, planning lessons and teaching. Although I haven't found the course content too useful, my classes here are mainly conversation based, I would recommend doing it. The course gave me a lot more confidence in correcting mistakes and it also gives you some concrete experience of teaching different ages. Something which you will come into contact with if you decide to teach English abroad. Also it’s regarded far more highly by employers than TEFL courses so worth the extra hard-work!


If you want to know anything else just ask!

I'm about to start a part-time CELTA course, as I work full-time and simply cannot afford to take four weeks off work. The thing is I'm a South African passport holder and would like to spend some time in Zurich, since my partner is Swiss. Does anyone have any idea whether it's possible to teach English with a CELTA as a non-EU passport holder? I will be completing the course in London, which is where I now live, but if it would be better to complete the course in Zurich, I will do that. Any ideas/advice. Thanks in advance!

I did a Trinity College TESOL (same difference) course out of Golders Green College (NW London), over 10 years ago. I think they only offered the 4wk. course - so didn't realise that it was an intensive course - although there was a fair amount of out of class work involved (I remember being up all night, at the end, for the materials project which should have been an on-going assignment, throughout the course; as I lacked inspiration until the last minute).

I don't know how it compares with other course locations, but G.G.C. was also an English school to foreign students learning English, so I had hands on teaching experience, throughout, and as part of the course, which was beneficial.

It was always intended as a fall-back qualification, for as and when it may be required, so I have never actively sought employment - although I have given a few private lessons to some of my wife's former (Swiss) London colleagues, who could already speak English, but needed a more colloquial insight to the English as spoken by natives.

The CELTA qualification is officially recognised and international therefore you should be able to teach English regardless of your passport. However some companies specify/request a British/American passport. Just avoid those ads and you should be fine!
Where you complete the course doesn't really matter - you'll get the same qualification regardless.

My wife did CELTA a few years ago in Zurich and yes it was very intense but she loved it. The problem was when it came time to getting a job. We're Australian and as a non-EU passport holder like yourself, you would struggle to get a job (unless you are married and your partner is either swiss or has a B-permit). She got one of the top marks in CELTA, got a job basically straight away with an English teaching company here in Zurich but they were unable to get her a permit (over the course of 3-4 months). The situation might have improved a bit since then but I think you should be wary of this before you choose to spend the money on CELTA

A friend of mine has her CELTA and with a variety of freelancing in Swiss & Germany, part time at a school in Swiss, and teaching online, she seems to be doing fine supporting herself.

Her focus is Business English though & she has a background in tech so she probably gets paid better.

She's from South Africa and not sure what her visa/permit situation is like (she's married to a German who works in Swiss) but don't overlook being a frontalier if it's possible for you.

Please be aware that a lot of schools here also request native speakers and the CELTA qualification.