TEFL - Cambridge CELTA Part-time (Online) Mexico City, Mexico

Mexico City, is one of the biggest and most cosmopolitan cities in the world. Surrounded by volcanic mountains, the city was the capital of the ancient Aztec Empire and a centre of Spanish colonial power. Ancient civilizations, indigenous and immigrant populations, a rich cultural heritage and modern living all combine in this dynamic city.

The school is located in a very pleasant central area surrounded by cafes and restaurants. You will never feel you are in the middle of one of the largest cities on earth. Mexico City caters for absolutely every taste and there are endless cultural and entertainment options to keep you busy.

This is a highly practical course which provides initial training and a Certificate in Teaching English as a Foreign Language to Adults. The general aim of the scheme is to provide comprehensive initial training for entry into English Language teaching and is therefore a pre-service, initial scheme. This means that the course will concentrate on the practical rather than on the theoretical aspects of teaching and it will provide a broad perspective of classroom practice rather than a specialised narrow one. The course presents a view of the principles underlying language teaching and deals extensively with the analysis of English from the learners' perspective. Activities to develop language skills. the presentation of new language, integrating phonology into lessons, syllabus design and timetabling are all considered. On completion of the course successful candidates should be competent teachers at levels ranging from beginners to upper intermediate Cambridge CELTA is recognised internationally as an initial qualification in English Language Teaching to Adults.


Course Programme:
The certificate course programme is designed to enable candidates to:

1) Develop an awareness of language, a knowledge of the description of English and apply these in their professional practice.

2) Develop an initial understanding of the contexts in which adults learn English, their motivations and the roles of the teacher and the learner.

3) Develop familiarity with the principles and practice of effective teaching to adult learners of English.

4) Develop basic skills for teaching adults in the classroom.

5) Develop familiarity with appropriate resources and materials for use with adult learners for teaching, testing and for reference.

6) Identify opportunities for their own future development as professionals in the field.


Timetable:
Monday to Friday: Input sessions online via Moodle(open source learning platform), flexible timetable, at your own convenience(i.e. there is not an specific time when you need to be available online during the week).
Teaching Practice, Feedback and Guided Lesson Planning: only once a week, you will have to be connected for 4 hours of live sessions. Moreover, on the selected day there will be a morning and a evening shift so that we can cater for people with different time requirements.
Three specific Saturdays throughout the course you will need to attend 2 hours of live sessions (not Teaching Practice). These extra hours are video recorded for later access if necessary.


Teaching Practice

Teaching practice is a main component of the certificate and takes place every day. Small groups of trainees (maximum six) obtain experience by working with classes at different levels from elementary to intermediate. The content of the lesson is monitored by the tutor and after each teaching practice session the lesson is discussed and evaluated by the trainee group and their tutor. Trainees must liase with other members of their group outside course hours to ensure a series of cohesive lessons.


Observation

The observation of experienced, qualified teachers is an intrinsic part of the course and takes place outside course hours.


Mode of Assessment & Certification
There are three components of assessment on the course:

1) Candidate's professional development

2) Assessment of teaching practice.

3) Written assignments.


Assessment is on a continuous and integrated basis. There is no final examination. Candidates are assessed primarily on their supervised teaching practice and four written assignments of 3000-4000 words in total.

Candidates will be informed of the progress they are making by written commentary on their teaching practice and also in one-to-one tutorials throughout the course.

A Pass grade is awarded to candidates whose overall performance in teaching practice and the written assignments meets the specified criteria. Pass grades A/B are awarded to candidates who have demonstrated a significantly higher level of achievement in teaching practice than that required to meet pass level criteria. Candidates who do not pass the course will be issued with an attendance certificate.


Number of Participants

The maximum number of participants on a course is 12. We wish to ensure that all candidates on the course get the required individual attention needed on such a short but highly intensive training course. The centre offers both a familiar and personal learning environment.


Entry Requirements
Candidates should:

a) Be at least 18 years old by the starting date of the course.

b) Have a good standard of education i.e. university entrance standard or equivalent.

c) Have an awareness of language and a competence in both written and spoken English that enables them to follow the course.

Course directors may use their discretion in admitting to courses candidates who do not fulfil the above but it should be borne in mind that candidates should be of a standard comparable to b) and c) above.

Input sessions online via Moodle: flexible timetable, at your own convenience + Teaching Preparation & Practice: once a week, 4 hours of live sessions.

The trainers were great! I seriously cannot complain about them. The course was extremely challenging and stressful, but one of the most rewarding experiences of my life, loved it!
-Shaun Butt-

The course is one of the best training courses I've ever had in my life, I've learned a lot about teaching. I think this course would be great even for executive in companies to manage their teams.
-Didier Sirodot-

If you're looking for a job as an English teacher either in the Mexico or abroad, you're on the right track taking the course with this school. They have seen our staff and trainees use their Cambridge CELTA qualification to go in many different directions with their careers, part-time jobs and hobbies, as well as travels.
o First-time teachers have gotten jobs teaching ESL (English as a Second Language) to adults in language schools and international companies in Mexico and other locations in different countries overseas.
o Experienced teachers have also taken the course and used their CELTA qualification for professional development and to expand their repertoire to teaching ESL students within their schools as well as to travel and work abroad.
o Some teachers have also used the CELTA certificate to get volunteer and paid work teaching immigrant students in the the UK and the US and some have taught ESL in refugee camps overseas.

The possibilities for types of employment, types of students and job locations are endless.

Whatever it is you choose to do, taking CELTA at this school prepares you for all the above possibilities and more. Not only does the CELTA give you the practical, hands-on training that you need to be completely prepared and confident to walk into an EFL/ESL classroom anywhere in the world and teach English.

There are several more ways the school helps our teachers find work. It is our aim to make sure that each of our teachers has the ability to find teaching positions where they want, and we are very proud of the places where our teachers go on to work.

With this school the process of getting our teachers the right job starts before the course has even begun. Our trainees write out their CV and bring it with them to the start of the course. Over the last week of the course, our tutors give support to help trainees write their CV to send out to schools. One of the most powerful tools for finding work is the School Database. This is a purpose-built database of information on schools in Mexico and around the world. So whether our trainees wish to teach English in Mexico or China, Barcelona or Isreal, we have listings of all the major (and quite a few minor) schools in the district with contact details including email and postal addresses as well as phone numbers.

With the School Database, our teachers can contact schools directly, bypassing the crowd who can only apply for teaching positions once they have been advertised. The best jobs rarely get advertised on the Internet and are taken by teachers who can apply directly to the principal of a school who does the hiring. Our teachers have access to the right people through the School Database. And access does not stop once a teacher has got their first job; our teachers have access to the School Database as well as job assistance and advice from our tutors for life. Remember, in the ELT profession, which is a versatile international field, you want to make sure your teaching qualification is just as versatile and international! We ensure quality training, experienced staff and long-standing internationally-recognized certification with CELTA. Combined with access to the School Database and our expert assistance in job hunting, you will be well on the way to getting the job you want!

Please note: We do not charge our teachers extra for access to the School Database or to give references. Furthermore, we do not accept payment from schools who wish to employ our graduates. As such, we never accept payment from either our graduates looking for work or the school hiring, and we would be very wary of any teacher training centre which did.

1. Choose the start date which interests you. If you're still unsure, please choose an approximate date for now; you will be able to specify later.
2. Register your details with Cactus TEFL (1 minute) to help us track your application.
3. Download the application form and save it on your computer.
4. Complete it offline in your own time
5. Go back to www.cactustefl.com, sign in and submit your completed form.

You can also submit an application by email. We will explain how to do this on the application form. Please contact us if you have any problems with the application procedure.