TEFL Courses in Spain

Jools Horton reports on the Cambridge CELTA in Barcelona

The help received from CACTUS from preliminary applications, through to the end of the course was fantastic, Richard and Suzanne were both exceptionally friendly and helpful and I would recommend them to anyone thinking about applying for a CELTA course.

The location
Barcelona as a city is a great place to be and IH Barcelona as a school is superb. The teaching staff are friendly, helpful and it was a pleasure to be taught by people with such a clear passion for what they do.

Accommodation
Don't expect the Ritz! Our apartment was built in 1869 and therefore was quite Bohemian. However it was clean and centrally located. We stayed in rented accommodation as opposed to living with a host and this made it easer to concentrate when preparing for lessons etc as there were very few distractions.

The course
Lesson planning is something you need to sort out fairly early, as whatever you do in the classroom stems from knowing what you are doing and having a clear view of where you are in the lesson and where you want to go. Any unexpected problems are therefore a lot easier to cope with!

Books
Michael Swan's 'English Grammar In Use' is very useful and I recommend you buy it either before you go or from IH itself. Penny Ur's 'Grammar practice activities' is also very good and I recommend 'Uncovering Grammar' by Scott Thornbury. (however the best people to recommend books are the tutors and most titles will be in the IH Library which is quite comprehensive).

IH Barcelona
If you are lucky enough (as I was) to be taught by either Roger Hunt or Gerard Mcloughlin, make the most of every lesson with them as they are both amazing teachers and tutors. Try to mingle with the students in the bar as much as possible in breaks and at the end of the day as it helps greatly in lessons if you have a personal bond with the students. Finally get in well with the guys behind the bar at IH and you won't have to wait in the queue!