Celta Interview Question

[colloquium]

Hi,

I've recently applied for a CELTA course. The school is very happy with my application/task-sheet and have asked me to attend an interview which will involve an "oral test".

Can anyone tell me what I might be expected to do? I'm not 100% sure and I'm a little curious.

Any advice would be great.

Cheers.

Paul.

[Soup]

Just curious myself. Does the school know you are a native English speaker?

[colloquium]

Originally Posted by Soup

Just curious myself. Does the school know you are a native English speaker?

Yes, I think so. I'm fairly sure I provided that info in the application form.

Also, I spoke to the interviewer over the phone and I have a very standard southern english accent.

[Soup]

I see. Maybe this might help:

The pre-course assessment procedures for each new student consist of a written and an oral test. These assessments also allow us to determine the existing level of knowledge of each and every individual, but also to establish the individual's course objectives. From this information we can define the exact course requirements of each student and develop appropriate course materials, specific to their needs

Example Source

[Soup]

Here are some things to ponder:

Are you a competent user of English?

Do you have a reasonable understanding of the way that the English language works? (Or could you learn about this reasonably quickly?)

Do you want a practical teaching qualification, rather than an academic one?

Are you able to relate well to other people?

Are you capable of giving clear instructions, explaining effectively and helping people when they don't understand?

Are you able to reflect on what you do and be self-evaluating, noticing strengths, weaknesses and possible strategies for improving work in the future?

Are you able to listen to supportive (but maybe critical) feedback on lessons you have taught and to take on board other people's opinions?

Are you prepared to undertake a potentially stressful course, where you and your teaching will be "in the spotlight" for many hours. Are you prepared to have your teaching talked about by other people?

Are you keen to try a course that is hard work, but immensely challenging and rewarding?

Source - The Cambridge CELTA at IH Budapest

[colloquium]

Thanks Soup.

Yes, I feel that I'm a fairly competent user of english (aside from the odd mistake) and I've been studying grammar to gain a better perspective on english language use.

I want a practical teaching qualification, one that will allow me to travel.

I can relate well to people and communicate clearly.

I'm prepared to go through the rigorous learning process of becoming a qualified teacher. I'm going to dedicate myself to the task - the ups and downs, the stress, everything.

I think the one thing that bothers me is that when I feel nervous, I lose the ability to stay calm and I rush things (either in thought or speech) - and I make (or fear that I'm going to make) silly mistakes. When I gave presentations at university I'd speak too fast. I couldnt gather myself and stay relaxed. Generally, I'm reasonably confident, however when I know people are taking note of what I'm saying and judging it, the pressure can cause me to underperform. It's annoying; but I guess it's something I'll have to overcome.

Thanks again. The interview is actually in a couple of hours so I'll have to wait and see how I get on.

[Soup]

Let us know how it went.

[colloquium]

Originally Posted by Soup

Let us know how it went.

I was offered a place at the end of the interview which made me very happy.

To my surprise, the lady was impressed with my knowledge of grammar. I had assumed a good basic knowledge of tenses and word types would be prerequisite to being accepted, but apparently not.

She said lots of people don't know much beforehand and learn on the course; but it's only 4 weeks long so I assumed there would be no time to learn much about language itself. I thought it would be dedicated entirely to teaching methods.

Oh well, I start in October and it should be a really enjoyable yet difficult experience. To be honest, I'm fairly worried about standing up and talking in front of a group of strangers! But I know I just need to get the first few attempts out of the way and it'll become less stressful.

It's all quite exciting.

Paul.

[raj_j_i]

Man, am I glad I found this thread! My interview is on Wednesday and I've been stressing myself out, wondering what's in store for me. This thread most certainly helped! At least now, I have an idea of what to expect.

Thanks for posting your experience here Paul. And thank you too Soup for the helpful info!

Fingers crossed! :D

-Raj-

[Airone]

I think one of the reasons schools that offer CELTA certification do this is to weed out people who will likely fail the course. This may sound rather obvious to you, but I remember being vaguely nonplussed at having to be interviewed for something I was paying so much for.

The only specific question I remember was the interviewer asking me how I would teach a specific grammar point, I think the simple past. The method I proposed, something very un-CELTA involving giving candies to the student, didn't satisfy the interviewer, so she introduced me to the idea of the timeline.

I think I remember her also asking me why I wanted to teach, and my giving her some standard reply.

If I remember correctly, she asked me some phonetics questions, which I did well in.

After talking to my fellow CELTA students I learned that they had been asked different questions at the interview stage so I suspect the interview is largely up to the discretion of the interviewer; perhaps the candidates that the interviewer feels are not CELTA material receive a follow-up interview with a separate interviewer to confirm the decision to deny entry to the course.

I think if you're not below average intelligence and have a reasonable grasp of the language, and can take criticism, and have OK social skills and motivation, you should have no problem with the interview and indeed the course.

Good luck!