Chandigarh boy Robbin Singh Sethi had a degree in business studies and a Certificate in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages or CELTA. He was doing corporate training and was also an IELTS instructor. But he wanted to travel the world and therefore decided to look for jobs overseas. He did a short stint in Vietnam and thereafter immigrated to Canada in 2017. Today, he works as a LINC instructor in Toronto, teaching English as a second language according to Canadian Language Benchmarks. LINC stands for Language Instruction for Newcomers to Canada and is a free language training programme for eligible adult learners.
Arkapravo Banerjee, who has a master’s degree in English literature and another in English language teaching, did not venture abroad despite being a CELTA batch topper and an IELTS (International English Language Training System) trainer. He is currently the teacher-in-charge of New Integrated Government School in Joypur, Bankura. His primary job is teaching English to the students of his school and administrative work related to the school and service in general. But he continues to engage himself in teachers training and corporate training programmes. Post-Covid, he stresses on emotional quotient, soft skills and communication skills, and has been helping teachers and corporates overcome job-related issues arising from mental trauma associated with the pandemic and the new way of life. He is the Eastern India ambassador (honorary) of CENTA (Centre for Teacher Accredition), which aims at assessing the competencies of teachers and bringing about their professional development and has been the resource person for government and private events organising webinars and workshops on teachers’ developments. Banerjee says, “Being an ambassador to top teaching-learning platforms has helped me grow immensely. And, CELTA has given me confidence.”
CELTA is an internationally recognised teacher training and certificate programme moderated and accredited by Cambridge Assessment English (UK). It is a month-long intensive course, the English language eligibility for which is quite steep. The gruelling routine, albeit customised to the specific needs of each student, aims to make them masters of professional English with a learner-centric approach involved, quite different from the ordinary classroom teaching where most of the time students are expected to be passive listeners. The British Council offers online CELTA classes as well as classroom courses. The online course of 180 hours (spread out over maximum 10 weeks) costs more than Rs 1.5 lakh. DELTA or Diploma in English Language Teaching to Adults programmes is not available in India.
In India, a CELTA certification is enough to gain employment in international schools, be involved in teachers training in colleges, help college students with pre-placement training about how to face job interviews or be employed on a permanent basis as language trainers with industry giants.
CELTA is actually a variation of TEFL (Teaching English as a Foreign Language) and TESOL (Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages). A TEFL certificate is considered useful for educators across domains and industries. TESOL certification aims at teaching English in both native and non-native English-speaking countries, while a TESL (Teaching English as a Second Language) certificate is an advantage for those looking for employment in English-speaking countries.
The plethora of these tests notwithstanding, it is IELTS which remains the most popular English language proficiency test for higher education and global migration. Commonwealth countries use it to process immigration and university applications. It is jointly owned by the British Council, IDP IELTS and Cambridge University Press and Assessment. The British Council no longer delivers IELTS tests in India; they are now solely delivered by the education service provider International Development Program.
Debarati Roy ventured into entrepreneurship after nearly 12 years of service at the British Council. She was among the first batch of CELTA students from the British Council in 2009. She did her DELTA in 2014 from Cambridge University. With long years of service behind her, she founded the ELTA GLOBAL in 2015, which is today partnered by Education and You, ApplyBoard, Aceis and several other universities across the globe. They have ventured into multiple spheres of activities, including teachers training, public speaking, interview skills and training for courses such as IELTS, GRE, PTE and TOEFL. Their clients include industrial giants, well-known schools and colleges, and many other organisations of repute. With the new education policy round the corner and the integrated learning approach being put forward, she thinks that the need for trained English professionals is already booming. Roy says, “I believe that learning an international language like English gives learners life skills and exponentially widens their opportunities.”
Last updated on 04 Jul 2023
