Celta Interview Question

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colloquium

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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

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

colloquium

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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

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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

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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

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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

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Let us know how it went. :-D
 

colloquium

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Let us know how it went. :-D

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

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

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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

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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!
 

raj_j_i

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Hey everyone! My interview at the today was absolutely splendid! I was interviewed by this really nice Australian tutor, Deirdre, who had a lot of positive things to say about my application and pre course task, even though I made a fool of myself a few times during the interview. But more importantly she took the time and effort to point out the areas I need to improve on. And she made sure that I completely understood what I'm getting myself into. I couldn't have asked for a better interview.

If anyone wants to know, this is basically what transpired. I was first asked a few general questions, like why I want to do this course and what I intend on doing with the qualification. We then went through my pre-task form and application. Thankfully I didn't make too many mistakes and she was quite impressed by it :cool:. Even so, Deirdre did point the mistakes out and made sure I understood why they were wrong.

And then she explained the way the course works. Every aspect was covered; from the grading system, the standards and procedures and even bits of what I can expect in terms of lesson planning and such. I was given a very detailed explanation of what is to come when I start the course next year in terms of workload and participation. I was then given a tour of the facility and I got to see the classes in action.

After that, it was my turn to ask some questions. Since everything I needed to know was pretty much covered, I asked Deirdre if she thinks I should do the course. I wanted her personal opinion. Her reply was 'Absolutely!'. Another confidence boost.

Finally, I was given 20 minutes to complete a short essay. I guess it was just a way for them to be sure that I really have the necessary skills for the course and that I wasn't faking my application in any way. The essay was pretty easy. I had to choose either of the two scenarios provided. I chose to write about the time when I had to work in a team and the experiences I gained from it.

Deirdre read my essay, pointed out one glaring spelling mistake I overlooked :shock: and I was then offered a place! That was it! I also received an e-mail with my letter of offer attached later in the evening. And that was the best interview, of any kind, that I've ever had. Period. I'm just really happy that I wasn't judged by the way I look (I have very messy long hair) or by the way I dress (I don't believe in proper pants, ties or tucking my shirt in) but purely based on my work and my capabilities. It's a breath of fresh air for sure!

So thank you Airone, Paul and Soup. I'm eternally grateful for your help. Now the real challenge begins! Oh, and sorry for the lengthy rant! I just had get it out. :-D

-Raj-
 
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colloquium

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So thank you Airone, Paul and Soup. I'm eternally grateful for your help. Now the real challenge begins! Oh, and sorry for the lengthy rant! I just had get it out. :-D

-Raj-

I am glad you've found some useful information here Raj.

I really enjoyed my CELTA course.

I can offer some advice: try to get some teaching practice (if you don't already have any) before doing the course.

I would say that if you had to weigh it up (in terms of preparing for the course), the teaching practice is probably slightly more important than the grammar. As long as you have a good foundation of grammar knowledge, you can learn bits and pieces as and when you need to, but with actual teaching it's not so simple.

Good luck, and come back to this thread if you have anything to add on the experience. It can be hard to find "real" information on these courses are threads like this are a valuable source of information for newcomers to the field.

Paul
 

raj_j_i

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I am glad you've found some useful information here Raj.

I really enjoyed my CELTA course.

I can offer some advice: try to get some teaching practice (if you don't already have any) before doing the course.

I would say that if you had to weigh it up (in terms of preparing for the course), the teaching practice is probably slightly more important than the grammar. As long as you have a good foundation of grammar knowledge, you can learn bits and pieces as and when you need to, but with actual teaching it's not so simple.

Good luck, and come back to this thread if you have anything to add on the experience. It can be hard to find "real" information on these courses are threads like this are a valuable source of information for newcomers to the field.

Paul

Hey Paul, thanks for the advice! Definitely something I'm considering at the moment. I'll be sure to come back here soon with my experiences. :D

Sorry I took so long to reply by the way.

Thanks again!
 
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