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UC Berkeley Certificate, still need CELTA?

Posted: 19 Jul 2013, 06:05
by BeThere
I am finishing up my TESOL Certificate at UC Berkeley. It is about a 400 hour course, including many hours of teaching, taught over about 18 months. But everybody mentions the CELTA as the gold-standard. Am I really going to need that too? Or will my Berkeley certificate be enough?

If I take the CELTA, is it worth taking it where I want to teach, or does that depend on the country? (I'm pretty good at teaching so there's a good chance I'd be hired). Right now I just want to get out of Dodge and do some teaching! I am so tired of studying!

I speak and have a universite language degree in French from the (real) Sorbonne, and my Spanish is pretty good. I also have a JD, and undergrad in psyholinguistics ...

Alex? Anyone?

Many thanks!

Re: UC Berkeley Certificate, still need CELTA?

Posted: 19 Jul 2013, 16:49
by Joe
I'll let others answer whether you still need CELTA.

Let me just say that if you do get CELTA then it really doesn't matter where you get it, IMHO. That's one of the reasons it's considered the gold standard.

Re: UC Berkeley Certificate, still need CELTA?

Posted: 19 Jul 2013, 17:41
by BeThere
Thank you Alex. Sorry that I wasn't quite clear on my question about location -- what I meant is: is one likely to get a job from the place where one takes the course? (Having been there and become known.)

Thanks,

BT

Re: UC Berkeley Certificate, still need CELTA?

Posted: 19 Jul 2013, 21:23
by Alex Case
That was "matter", now this is Alex!

I don't think you need the CELTA as well.

Most jobs ask for "CELTA or equivalent", so your job on your CV and cover email/ letter is to prove right at the top that your qualification is more than equivalent. The most important thing is the number of hours of observed and graded teaching practice, and the second is that it was at a well respected university. Then you could mention any other similarities to the CELTA such as teaching methodologies covered, textbooks you used with the teaching practice groups, materials used in your own teaching training sessions, etc. If you had any professors who have published anything well known in the profession, that's also worth a mention. And I'd also explain what jobs in the US that cert would qualify you for, i.e. who does accept it.

Re: UC Berkeley Certificate, still need CELTA?

Posted: 19 Jul 2013, 22:46
by BeThere
So Sorry! Long day and night -- teaching, taking two classes, and oh yeah, working for a living lol.

Thanks!

BT