What is the difference between a CELTA and a TESOL certificate?

What is the difference between a CELTA and a TESOL certificate?

Lesson planning is the most important skill that a TESOL / TEFL course should teach. In the 4-week CELTA course, trainees complete lesson-plans as part of the 6-hour Teaching Practice module. However, the assignments in the CELTA program consist purely of reflection essays and trainees do not get any training in lesson planning frameworks. 

In the 120-hour, 168-hour, and 250-hour online TEFL / TESOL courses offered by OnTESOL, trainees get to do between 3 and 7 lesson plans covering various formats and approaches prior to the Practicum module. Those who complete the 20-hour or 50-hour Practicum for the respective TESOL course, get to do more lesson plans in the practicum to polish their skills with feedback from a qualified supervisor and OnTESOL’s Director of Studies. 

Isn't the Practicum more important than lesson planning? Well, you can't have a chicken without the egg first! If you can't plan a lesson that follows the Communicative Language Teaching method, then what exactly will you be teaching? The Practicum with OnTESOL is optional because an online TEFL / TESOL certificate is sufficient for all online teaching jobs and 80% of teaching jobs abroad. Those who do not complete the Practicum after the online portion of the OnTESOL course, graduate with the lesson planning skills they need to succeed on the job.

Furthermore, the Teaching Practice module with an online or in-class CELTA course is 6 hours. With OnTESOL, the 20-hour Practicum for 120-hour / 168-hour graduates includes 10 hours of Class Observation and 10-hours of Teaching Practice. The 50-hour Practicum for 250-hour TESOL graduates includes 30 hours of class observation and 20 hours of teaching practice.



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