FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

practicas

These are some of the most frequently asked questions about doing CELTA at International House Madrid. If you don't find what you are looking for here, contact us and we'll be happy to answer your queries.

• Do you need to have teaching experience to enroll?
• Do you really need to do a TEFL course in order to gain employment?
• Does your school help in finding accommodation?
• What is the application and interview procedure?
• What does the interview consist of?
• What are the deadlines for registration for the course?
• What level of English grammar is expected prior to enrolment?
• What is the pre-course activity?
• How much money should I have with me for my first month in Spain?
• Can I work or study Spanish while I'm doing the course?
• What is the difference between the full-time and the part-time course?

Do you need to have teaching experience to enroll? No, though if you do, it obviously helps you to cope with being in the ELT classroom. However, it's interesting to note that some past trainees who did have previous classroom experience (usually in other fields) have said that they sometimes felt it was more difficult for them because they had to "de-program" and "re-learn" quite a lot. The course assumes that the majority of trainees have no experience, so nothing to worry about!

Do you really need to do a TEFL course in order to gain employment?
Most reputable schools, not only in Spain, but also in the rest of Europe and in most other parts of the world, will expect their new teachers to be trained to teach English. The Cambridge CELTA is one of the most respected and well-known training courses, and the one which the majority of people refer to when they ask 'Have you got the TEFL?' or 'Are you trained to teach English?'

The second consideration here is your own confidence. Starting to teach English is made a great deal easier if you have some idea of what you are doing, why you are doing it and how to go about teaching. The course gives you this confidence to walk into a classroom feeling like a prepared teacher.

Does your school help in finding accommodation?
Yes! We try hard to meet your needs and place you in the accommodation style of your choice. We can place you in you in a flat with someone else on the course, with a Spanish family, or with other international students.

What is the application and interview procedure?
The application procedure is as follows:

Complete the form Complete the application form and task and email it back. You'll receive a message setting up a time for you to call us for an interview. If you are in Madrid, we like to do the interview face to face at one of our centres.
Interview You will be told during the interview if you have been accepted.
Acceptance letter Wait for an acceptance letter with details for payment.
Deposit Pay a deposit of 400 Euros to secure your place. Most trainees pay by credit card and you can do this by calling International House Madrid or dropping into any of our centres. You can also pay by bank transfer.
Pre-course reading Shortly after securing a place, we will send you some pre-course reading to prepare you for the training.
Payment Pay the balance of the course fees four weeks before the course begins.
First day letter Two weeks before the course begins, you will receive all the necessary details for starting the course.

What does the interview consist of?
This usually lasts about 15 minutes and we give you some more information about the course. You can ask any questions too! The interview gives us a good idea of your skills and qualities and therefore, how you will respond to only four weeks of training - whether it will be enough to bring you up to pass standard and allow us to award you the Certificate.

What are the deadlines for registration for the course? The real deadline is when the course is full. There is normally a maximum of 10 places on any one course. We recommend you secure your place as soon as you have been interviewed.

What level of English grammar is expected prior to enrolment?
Rather than 'level', we prefer to look at it as 'instinct'. Our pre-interview task helps us to see whether you can instinctively analyse grammar, i.e. : whether you have a 'feeling' for language so you can help students with their problems. Your learning of the grammar really takes place when you teach it, because you have to research it when planning a language lesson. But we also include input sessions on the course to help you develop this area.

What is the pre-course activity?
How much time and preparation is involved? The pre-course task involves about 12-15 hours of work. Although it isn't assessed or marked, it's very useful as initial preparation for the course, especially the sections on Language Awareness and Phonology. We'll send it to you as soon as you've confirmed your place with payment.

How much money I should have with me for my first month in Spain?
You'll need money pay for accommodation – around €650 plus €62 set up charge if you decide to use our service. If you decide to do it yourself, a shared flat will cost you at least €450.

Some other indications of the cost of living:

Food: A 'menu el día' - a set meal in a reasonable restaurant near the school - is around €10 euros. Evening eating out can be anything from from €12-15 euros or more. Cooking in your accommodation is obviously much, cheaper.

Drinks: a beer or coke etc is around €2.50 euros or more, depending where you drink it. Spirits are more expensive and drinks in a club can be over €10 each if you're not careful.

Transport: The metro and bus system (if you need to use it) is very cheap - €9.30 for a ten-trip pass.

Other expenses: Allow around €20 euros a day on average, or around €550 for the month doing the course, which is what past trainees say they spend during the course.

Can I work or study Spanish while I'm doing the course?
If you are doing the full-time course, definitely not! You will need to devote all your time to CELTA and you need time to disconnect and relax.

If you are doing the part-time course, we would recommend that you are doing something on the days when you are not doing CELTA. If you are teaching, then you can begin to put into practice what you are learning on the course. Or you could brush up your Spanish by taking a course at IH Madrid.

What is the difference between the full-time and the part-time course?
The is no difference in the content of the course. The only difference is that the part-time course is spread out over 10 weeks. The course is more suited to people who live and work in Madrid and don't want to take a full month off. It is also less stressful as there is more time to assimilate the course input. The certificate awarded for both courses is exactly the same.

Here is an example of a typical day on the part-time course »