Tefl.NET Forums

Hi,

I have a PGCE and 5 years of teaching experience in primary schools. I'm looking to broaden my skills and move into TEFL (adults or children).

I know that the CELTA course is highly regarded - but do I need it as I already have my PGCE? Or is there an alternative course for those with previous teaching experience?

I am currently looking at doing the 4 week intensive course at Saxoncourt in London. Can anyone recommend this course? I've heard good things but that their course textbooks are not user-friendly.

Any advice appreciated.

Hey Skylark,

I am in the same boat. There doesn't seem to be a 'bridging' course available to us already qualified teachers. I feel that doing a course with 10 or 15 hours teaching experience a bit of a joke, bearing in mind I have spent over 17000 hours teaching in a classroom!!

Whilst I apreciate the pedagogy is slightly different in learning language: as a primary teacher and English and early years specialist, feel that with my preious classroom experience, that the leap is not so great that I could not cope with it.

I look forward to any helpful advice!!

As an experienced teacher with a PGCE you don't really need to do a 4 week CELTA course, and you don't need a course that includes lots of teaching practice. Check with your future employers, but you will probably find that you could just do a weekend TEFL course to learn about the specific methodologies used in TEFL. Weekend TEFL courses can easily be found on the internet, and take place in major cities on a regular basis. Make sure you get a certificate at the end of the course to show to potential employers along with your PGCE. You may also need to brush up on your English grammar - the course tutors will be able to recommend good books on grammar and other teaching resources for ELT.

I hope this helps, and good luck with your future career.

Carol K.
English Language Teacher in Germany

I've trained primary school teachers to be TEFL teachers, and it is often a real shock for them how different the approach is. They often start the course producing worse TEFL lessons (for adults) than the people with no experience, but make their experience count by the end. If you are a good teacher with relevant experience or can learn quickly, you should come out of the course with a B or even an A, which are very rare and put you streets ahead of other CELTA graduates. With that and a PGCE, you will certainly be rewarded with better jobs than other new TEFL teachers could go for. However, if you only had a PGCE but not TEFL with adults training or experience I wouldn't give you a job at all