What CELTA Is Really Like: Reflections from a Trainee Teacher

When people hear that I am studying for a CELTA qualification, they often ask the same question:

“So, what is it actually like?”

Most people have heard that CELTA is intensive.

Many have heard stories about endless lesson planning, observations and feedback.

Some people are considering taking the course themselves.

Others simply want to know what teacher training involves.

As I write this, I am four weeks away from completing my course. I have not received my final result yet, so I cannot tell you what it feels like to finish.

What I can share is what the experience has been like so far.

This is not a course review.

It is a reflection on six months of learning, teaching, making mistakes, receiving feedback and gradually seeing education from a different perspective.

Why CELTA Felt Like the Right Next Step

Although my CELTA course began in January 2026, my relationship with English started much earlier.

I first learned English as a child in France and later moved to England in 2006 to improve my language skills through immersion.

Over time, English became the language of my work, my studies and much of my adult life.

I completed a university degree in English, worked with people from many different backgrounds and discovered that I genuinely enjoyed helping others learn.

By 2025, I found myself wondering whether teaching English could become part of my future.

Friends who had completed CELTA warned me that it would be demanding.

They were not wrong.

Still, after nearly twenty years living in the UK and more than thirty years learning English, I felt ready to take the next step.

Or perhaps more accurately, I felt ready enough.

Choosing the Part-Time Route

One decision I made early on was to choose the part-time course.

CELTA is often associated with intensive full-time study, but I knew that was not the right option for me.

My course runs every Wednesday during term time from January to June.

The schedule allows time between sessions to reflect, prepare lessons and balance other responsibilities.

Looking back, I am glad I chose this route.

I also deliberately chose to study in person rather than online.

I wanted to travel somewhere with a purpose each week.

I wanted to meet tutors and fellow trainees face-to-face.

I wanted to be part of a learning community.

That turned out to be one of the most valuable aspects of the experience.

First Impressions and Unexpected Surprises

Before starting the course, I assumed I would probably be the only non-native English speaker in the room.

I was wrong.

Our group included people from a range of linguistic and cultural backgrounds. Some were native English speakers, while others had learned English as an additional language themselves.

In hindsight, I am not sure why this surprised me.

This is Cambridge, after all.

The diversity of experiences actually enriched the course. Some trainees understood language from the perspective of native speakers. Others understood the challenges of learning a second language first-hand.

Both perspectives brought something valuable.

Another surprise was discovering how much teaching terminology I did not know.

During an early tutor meeting, I remember being told to use a “cline” to help explain a concept.

A what?

Despite decades of learning and using English, there were suddenly dozens of teaching terms I had never encountered before.

It was a humbling reminder that learning never really stops.

The Reality of Teaching Practice

My first teaching practice was not what I expected.

Before becoming a teacher, I spent many years working in hospitality.

I had served celebrities, pop stars and high-profile guests.

Standing in front of a small group of learners did not seem particularly intimidating.

I remember thinking:

How hard can it be?

What I underestimated was not the speaking.

It was the teaching.

My first lesson focused on adverbs of frequency such as always, usually, often and sometimes. Fortunately, grammar has always interested me, so I was genuinely excited about the topic.

I prepared slides, handouts and activities. Thanks to years of creating presentations and training materials, I felt reasonably organised.

However, by the time my turn arrived, I could already see gaps in my planning.

Watching other trainees teach before me made me realise there was far more to lesson design than simply knowing the language.

Thankfully, the lesson went well enough and I passed.

More importantly, I learned.

Learning to Become More Student-Centred

If there is one lesson that has shaped my teaching more than any other, it is this:

Good teaching is not about how much the teacher talks.

It is about how much the learners learn.

This sounds obvious now.

At the beginning of the course, it was not.

Like many people, I naturally wanted to help.

When learners struggled, my instinct was to explain.

When there was silence, my instinct was to fill it.

When someone could not find an answer, my instinct was to provide it.

CELTA challenged those instincts.

Gradually, I learned to ask more questions.

To simplify instructions.

To give learners time to think.

To become more comfortable with silence.

Most importantly, I learned that learners often gain more from discovering something themselves than from being told immediately.

That shift has probably been the most important development in my teaching so far.

Feedback: Less Painful Than Expected

Receiving feedback can be intimidating.

Nobody particularly enjoys having their work analysed.

What helped on our course was the way feedback was structured.

After each teaching practice, fellow trainees shared what they felt had worked well and what could be improved. Tutors guided the discussion rather than simply listing mistakes.

The atmosphere was constructive rather than judgmental.

Of course, hearing suggestions for improvement is not always comfortable.

But over time I stopped viewing feedback as criticism.

Instead, I began seeing it as information.

The purpose was never to prove I was a good teacher.

The purpose was to become a better one.

The Moment I Started Feeling Like a Teacher

For most of the course, I felt like a trainee.

Someone learning how to teach.

Someone experimenting.

Someone trying their best while still making plenty of mistakes.

Then something changed.

During one of my later teaching practices, I felt unusually prepared. The lesson plan was solid. The activities flowed well. I felt calm and focused.

At one point, a student asked a question about the language we had just studied.

Looking back, there were probably several ways I could have handled it more effectively.

Perhaps I could have invited another student to answer first.

Perhaps I could have elicited the response rather than giving it myself.

But that is not what I remember.

What I remember is the feeling.

The students were engaging with the lesson.

They were asking questions.

They were interested.

And for the first time, I remember thinking:

Maybe I really am teaching.

That moment felt surprisingly significant.

What CELTA Taught Me About Learners

One thing that has stood out throughout the course is the generosity of the volunteer learners.

Our classes include learners from different backgrounds and levels, ranging from pre-intermediate to upper-intermediate.

Many attend week after week, helping trainee teachers develop their skills.

At the start of the course, there were many unfamiliar faces.

Now, approaching the end, some learners feel almost like familiar colleagues in the learning process.

Watching them reminded me how much courage language learning requires.

Every time someone speaks in another language, they are taking a risk.

They might make mistakes.

They might not find the right word.

They might feel embarrassed.

Yet they participate anyway.

That willingness to keep trying is something I deeply admire.

What CELTA Taught Me About Education

Perhaps the biggest lesson has very little to do with grammar, lesson plans or teaching frameworks.

CELTA has reminded me that education is fundamentally human.

Learning is not simply about transferring information from one person to another.

It is about creating opportunities for growth.

It is about confidence.

Curiosity.

Practice.

Reflection.

Communication.

The longer I spend on the course, the less interested I become in delivering the perfect lesson.

Instead, I find myself focusing on something simpler.

Did learners understand more than they did before?

Did they have opportunities to communicate?

Did they leave feeling more confident?

Those questions matter far more than perfection.

Final Reflections

As I write this, I still do not know my final result.

Part of me feels confident.

Another part still wonders whether I will pass.

Perhaps that uncertainty is simply part of learning.

If I could go back and speak to myself before the first session in January, I would keep the advice simple:

Trust the process.

The learning will happen if you commit to it.

That advice applies to teacher training.

It applies to language learning.

And it probably applies to many other areas of life as well.

When I enrolled on CELTA, I thought I was learning how to teach English.

In reality, I was also learning how to become a better learner.

For me, that may turn out to be the most valuable lesson of all.

Because good teaching is not about performing perfectly.

It is about helping people learn, communicate and grow.