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."