TEFL CELTA or Cert TESOL?

TEFL - CELTA or CertTESOL - What's the difference?

This is probably the most frequently asked question at Cactus. We asked Jeremy Page to shed some light on the matter. Jeremy is Deputy Director of the Sussex Language Institute, University of Sussex. He previously worked as a teacher, trainer and director of studies for International House in Italy, France and the UK. He has been an assessor for the Cambridge CELTA scheme since 1992 and an examinations consultant to Cambridge ESOL since 1993. He is the co-author of Think Ahead To First Certificate Workbook (Longman) and Search (BBC Worldwide).

"In the world of TEFL, ELT, TESOL (call it what you will), there are a plethora of pre-service qualifications, but only two that are recognised by the British Council in the UK as conferring 'TEFL initiated' status or widely accepted overseas as evidence of thorough and rigorous initial training. These are the Cambridge Certificate in English Language Teaching to Adults (CELTA) and the Trinity College London Certificate in TESOL (Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages). What's the difference?

The commonly accepted wisdom is that the answer to this question is 'not a lot', and it's true that the differences lie in the detail rather than in the broad aims of the schemes. Both aim to provide a sound initial training to adults (of eighteen years and above) wishing to train as English Language teachers. Neither requires course participants to be 'native speakers' and neither requires them to be graduates (though both stipulate a level of education that would allow access to a degree programme). Both schemes are commonly delivered as very intensive four-week courses, though part-time variants exist. Both awarding bodies have centres in the UK and overseas. And both certificates sit comfortably at level four of the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority's National Qualifications Framework. Courses tend to be of similar length, cover similar syllabus areas (or units of learning as we are now to call them) and require a minimum of six hours observed and assessed teaching practice per candidate as well as observation of experienced teachers.

In practical terms, then, there are few differences of any great significance. Differences of emphasis, though, are suggested by the following:

Trinity courses are moderated (by a Trinity appointed moderator) while Cambridge courses are assessed by a Cambridge appointed assessor. From the candidates' perspective this distinction manifests itself most obviously in the fact that on a Trinity course each participant is interviewed individually and in a group by the moderator, while on a Cambridge course participants may well find themselves being observed in teaching practice by the course assessor as well as by a course tutor on the day of the former's visit. In addition, from October 2003 one assignment per candidate on Trinity courses will be assessed by the course moderator.

There may be more variation in course content between Trinity centres despite the existence of a core syllabus, since Trinity centres submit a course proposal to the awarding body which may seek to take into account the needs of candidates on a particular Trinity course.
There is more emphasis on the learning of an 'unknown natural language' on Trinity courses and this (though not candidates' progress - or lack of progress - in the language) typically forms a small part of the overall course assessment.

Trinity certificates are not graded, though individual centres may choose to devise their own means of differentiating strong candidates from weaker candidates. On Cambridge courses candidates are graded pass, pass 'B', pass 'A' or fail, and it is part of the assessor's role to ensure standardisation of grading between centres. In practice, then, grades appear on certificates issued by Cambridge but not on certificates issued by Trinity.

Unsurprisingly, it seems that the two schemes have far more in common than divides them. While the differences of emphasis may lead a small number of candidates to choose the one rather than the other, the majority will no doubt continue to make their decision on the basis of recommendations from friends or practical considerations such as the location of centres or course fees."