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How to Prepare for the CELTA Pre-interview Task

Sophie Spyrou, Yahoo Contributor Netw ork
Aug 14, 2007 "Share your voice on Yahoo w ebsites. Start Here."

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The CELTA (Certificate in English Language Teaching to Adults) pre-interview task will help students
to prepare for the rigorous CELTA course to teach English that lies ahead of them. The course can be
taken part-time over a three month period or full-time for a month. But in order to be fully prepared
for it, you must complete the assigned tasks that the language school sends you in advance of your
Related Content
course.
Read Questions T hrough Carefully How to Prepare for a Successful CELTA (Certificate
in Language Teaching to Adults)...
As you look over the booklet and assigned reading, you must consider what it is that you are being
Have a CELTA Qualification? Career Alternatives to
asked to do. To be most successful in the Pre-interview task, you must read the questions through EFL, ESL Teaching
carefully and not opt for the first answer that comes to mind. A language analysis section will look at The Advantages and Disadvantages of the CELTA
grammar to help refresh your memory of the function of grammar within the English language. It will Course
not be an easy task for some. But if you plan on teaching English to non-native speakers, how will you What to Expect from the Four-week CELTA Course:
be able to explain complex grammar questions if you are not thoroughly familiar with English Part I

grammar yourself? What to Expect from the Four-week CELTA Course:

Part II
Develop a Strong Grasp of English Grammar How to Become an ESL Teacher

Top 5 Language Learning Software Apps

EFL (English as a Foreign Language) and ESL (English as a Second Language) teachers do not have to
be conversant with all aspects of English grammar. But if you are striving to become an English
teacher, you must have a strong enough grasp of English grammar to be able to explain principles Takeaw ays Did You Know
clearly and easily to a student. For example, how would you explain what is wrong with the sentence:
"I goed to school today"? If "go" refers to the present tense, "goed" may seem to be the logical way of The pre-interview task will help students to prepare
for the rigorous CELTA course
explaining a past action from a student's perspective. It is your job to anticipate such conclusions that
To teach others you must have an understanding of
students will come to and try to explain why certain rules do not apply in all aspects of English. English grammar and be able to explain a principle
Focusing on deeper aspects of grammar will help
Another example would be "I read a book at the moment". If the sentence ended with the word prepare you for your teaching course
"book", the action would have occurred and finished in the past, therefore belonging to the past
tense. But this complete sentence is referring to the present continuous tense, which means that the
action has not stopped. It is carrying on with no obvious end in sight. To correct the sentence, the
words "am reading" would need to be added after the first word for the sentence to make sense. Even
though the sentence is understandable to a native English speaker, it is an incorrect use of English
grammar.

Understand How Students Interpret Grammar

These examples and other such examples of incorrect grammar will help you gain a deeper insight
into how ESL students analyse and interpret grammar and try to make sense of it in their own
language and then how they translate it into English. It will be your job as the teacher to try and
anticipate some of these errors and to know how to correct the work and be in a position to explain
why it is wrong.

Motives and Personal Experiences

An important aspect of the pre-interview task will involve a self analysis of your motives for wanting

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to teach English as a second language. Are you truly committed to teaching adults English? Is this
simply a way of working abroad during your gap year between school and university? Do you have
any personal experience as a foreign language learner?

A personal insight into language learning is a great benefit to teachers, even if it was just a 6 month
part-time Italian course at the local college. You will be able to draw from your own frustrations,
problems, strengths and goals that you had as a language learner and see where your students are
coming from. It is important to ask yourself these questions before you are asked the questions from
those who will be instructing you during your CELTA course. Based upon your answers, they may
decide you are not suited to this line of work and that your skills would be better spent elsewhere.
Alternatively, they may welcome you with open arms.

The pre-interview task and interview that you go through will be your opportunity to shine. Make the
most of this opportunity. It will not be the last time your work will be placed under the microscope.
During your training course, you will have to get used to trained teachers sitting at the back of the
classroom assessing you as you carry out lessons that you have prepared for beginner, intermediate
and more advanced learners. Thorough preparation will help to build your confidence as you enter
the classroom to teach, but also as you prepare to be taught by others.

Published by Sophie Spyrou

Sophie has been writing for the Yahoo! Contributor Network since 2007. As a British citizen she has used her personal
experience to share her knowledge about the UK culture, travel, pet-related content, expa... View profile

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