What’s The Difference Between TESOL and CELTA?
Acronym
The acronym CELTA stands for the Certificate in English Language Teaching to Adults. This is used to describe a very specific certificate course, rather than a general term. It is most widely recognized in the UK, where the issuing authority (Cambridge) is located. The nominal study hours of this certificate are 120 contact hours and another 80 hours of expected reading, research, pre- and post-session tasks, assignments and lesson preparation, so 200 hours in total.
The acronym TESOL stands for Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages. This general term can be used to represent the industry and multiple courses or certificates, from industry courses to nationally accredited courses by the Australian government underneath the AQF (Australian Qualifications Framework). At TESOL Australia, we have a range of fully integrated courses with practicum that meet the required standards to teach overseas, online, and in Australia:
- International TESOL Certificate (200 hours)
- International TESOL Diploma with IELTS (600 hours)
- Certificate IV in TESOL (800 hours)
Minimum Requirements
If you want to teach in Australian schools you will need a Certificate IV in TESOL in conjunction with a bachelor’s degree to meet the minimum standards here. This can be a degree in any field. Unfortunately, you won’t meet the minimum requirements in Australia with a CELTA, as the nominal study hours and course depth are much less compared to the required Certificate IV in TESOL.
When applying for a job overseas or online, the main thing HR departments are weary of (avoid) are cheap certificates, that consist of only online readings and quizzes, which do not provide an integrated learning environment (teacher contact time, tutorial videos, assignment and assessment work, practicum). For the vast majority of job advertisements online they will usually state a minimum requirement of ‘TESOL/CELTA or equivalent’.
Price
Another consideration for many prospective students is price. The CELTA, depending on where you study, with its Cambridge brand will typically be much more expensive than a TESOL Australia course of the same study equivalence — as a result, you will pay 3 to 4 times more for a brand name. At TESOL Australia, we have a range of fully integrated and affordable courses with practicum that meet the minimum standards to teach overseas, online, and in Australia. Enquire today to find out more!
