Tips from other CELTA course trainees

Seeing Barcelona

• Get there early and do the tourist thing before the course starts as with the workload you won't be able to enjoy it fully later on. Iain
  
  
• Do your sightseeing before or after the course, because there's not time during. Miguel

Grammar and language analysis

• Study the grammar. It's not really necessary that you know your grammar or are good at language analysis but it will help give you that extra edge. Doing the pre-course homework will help you with this. Tammy
  
  
• Don't worry about your language analysis. Most of the trainees come on to the course unable to analyse a name tag, let alone a complex grammatical structure You will learn how to research the specific language for a given lesson - just concentrate on the day in hand. Iain

In the classroom

• When teaching, speak slow and clear, or else students will look at you blankly and whisper "¿qué?" to each other. Miguel

Working with other trainees

• The people I worked with were always ready to help with your lesson plan, organising materials and so on. Colleagues' feedback after the lesson was invaluable. You get not just the tutor's opinion, but that of 4 other people and I found this to be really constructive. Fiona
  
  
• Try to solidify as a group with your colleagues as a team. Working with your teaching group will yield many benefits. You will help each other prepare lessons and have people to bounce ideas off. Tammy
  
  
• Help each other as much as possible because you are each other's resources, support, friends and counsellors. Anna

Teaching practice

• Teaching practice is nerve-wracking but having a laugh about the things that went wrong over a beer in the bar afterwards makes it all feel ok. Claire
  
  
• Don't get nervous about your teaching practice. It's all about learning, not trying to prove what a great teacher you are. Mistakes allow everyone to learn, so appreciate them for that reason. Remember, if you were the perfect teacher you wouldn't have signed up for the course anyway! Tammy
  
  
• Don't worry if you have terrible lessons occasionally and don't take any failure personally: it's a learning curve and some days I had lessons that must have made my students want to call a taxi for me but then the next day a lesson would go really well. Iain
  
  
• Remember that making mistakes is the best way to learn. The teaching can feel great but can also be very disappointing when it doesn't go to plan. Just remember to laugh! Anna
  
  
• If you're worried about teaching, don't be. The first time in front of a new group is always a bit scary but the more you get to know a group, the more relaxed you feel. Try and talk to the students as much as possible in breaks and before the lessons: knowing the students more personally helps you to teach them more confidently. Mark

Feedback

• Feedback from colleagues and tutors is very useful [but] the criticism can be a bit heartbreaking after you have tried so hard [only] to be told that you hadn't done it right. Taking the attitude that it will be tough but of value is far more effective. Iain

Creating free time

• Keep at least one day at the weekend free because you need some time to think about something other than teaching. You have lessons in the morning, teaching in the afternoon, lesson planning in the evening and then assignments at the weekends. But there's always time to chill with a beer in the bar and hit some dodgy bars on a Friday night. Mark

Surviving CELTA

• The best way to survive CELTA is to work out as quickly as you can where your strengths and weaknesses are and concentrate on the weaknesses. Mark
  
  
• Breathe in, relax, keep a cool head and enjoy it! Mark