Congratulations to myself! I earned the CELTA certificate in 2026 (CV), one of the most recognized qualifications for English teachers worldwide.
Before starting the course, I scored 106 on the TOEFL, with 24 out of 30 in speaking, my weakest skill. Knowing this would be my biggest challenge, I spent three weeks preparing for the interview and three months speaking with AI two hours a day.
The first challenge was the interview. The center sent me around 50 questions in advance, covering grammar, classroom management, learning theory, teacher professionalism, and more. They selected three or four topics and asked me to respond, along with completing an essay task. To pass it, I recommend digging deeply into those questions and practicing your delivery. Because this is professional rather than everyday English, expressing your ideas clearly and fluently requires preparation.
Next comes the first week of the four-week CELTA course, and it is extremely intensive: every day you learn new teaching concepts and immediately apply them in teaching practice, let alone adjusting to the weather, settling into new housing, and commuting about two hours a day in a new country. The workload is so heavy that you cannot afford to get sick. My advice is to exercise regularly before the course to build stamina and overall fitness.
Constant feedback from CELTA tutors is the most valuable part of the course and also the biggest obstacle to getting the certificate. Experienced tutors observe your lessons and give detailed feedback after every teaching practice. You are assessed daily and expected not to make the same mistakes the next day. Slow improvement puts you at risk of failing the course.
I earned the CELTA certificate, but I barely passed. If you ask me, I recommend having an English level at least equivalent to TOEFL 110 or IELTS 8.0 before taking the course. CELTA requires you to use English accurately and fluently under pressure. Without strong enough English proficiency, you risk wasting a significant investment of about 3,800 USD (~120,000 NTD) for tuition, homestay, flights, and food.