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CELTA or, What’s in a title? Credibility? | ||
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 Language Learning Forum : Immersion, Schools & Certificates |  | |
| mrwarper Diglot Winner TAC 2012 Senior Member Spain forum_posts.asp?TID=Registered users can see my Skype Name Joined 5036 days ago 1493 posts - 2500 votes  Speaks: Spanish*, EnglishC2 Studies: German, Russian, Japanese | Message 1 of 3 26 October 2010 at 11:53pm | IP Logged | ||
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(If any moderator thinks this thread should be moved to 'General discussion' please go ahead and do it)
I'm a native Spanish speaker, and in the last few years I've come to a conflict about my English language skills, which I never doubted nor held with particular pride before... Because of the economical crisis and other factors, a few years ago I thought I might have to look for a job someday. Since people seem to go to incredible levels of BS in their résumés anyway, I thought it would be better to get some certifications to somehow backup my language skills in the eyes of prospective employers. So, off I went. I tried test materials for every English qualification out there and, frankly, they all seemed too easy. In the end, someone asked me if I was so good, why didn't I become an English teacher? And... well, suddenly it all made sense. I interviewed and was admitted for a CELTA training course, and passed (not with flying colors, mainly because I had a hard time adapting to 'modern teaching', the 'communicative approach' and all that jazz). I held that to myself as proof of my own competence (not that I thought I needed one). Now, the question was, how good was a CELTA title as proof of competence to others? I 'applied' for jobs. Only one prospective employer (an English academy) said that I was indeed eligible for a position with them because of my qualifications (the CELTA). Another one (a software development company IIRC) said that they'd only hire people with an 'official' (Cambridge University-sanctioned, anyone??????) English title... isn't it amazing? That's why I got my B2: later that year I applied for an 'official' Spanish EOI course, exam only. I went in and out, got my title. 60€, 3 hours (or something like that). That's the highest they offered for a reasonable price. Was that enough? Read on. Being a little paranoid, I phoned quite a few English schools speaking Spanish in advance and they invariably told me they'd only hire native speakers no matter how proficient I could be or that I had gotten a CELTA. I went to them in person anyway, speaking English that second time, and in most cases I met the same spaniards I had previously talked to over the phone. Most of them (interestingly only one or two spoke good English) happily said I could apply to work with them as soon as they had any open positions, others set me up for an interview some other day. Some of them, however, quickly returned to their previous takes on the matter when they saw my Spanish name on my CV, despite their obviously inferior skills. Others were really embarrassed when I told them I was the same guy that had phoned earlier. So, I'd like to hear your comments. To me, the only valid test is seeing people in action, which is why I never bothered with official qualifications until recently in the first place. You, of course, may have something else to say :) Do you think it would make any difference, or that it makes sense, to get some other English qualifications? Would you say I wasted my time, money and effort with the whole CELTA thing (wrt anything other than personal interests, i.e. labor market, etc.)? What if I got an official (as in approved by the Spanish government) English-Spanish sworn translator title (exams are due like next month)? Or the Cambridge C2 later this year/in June? The thing is I don't really feel like spending another $350 just for the sake of it... :) And last but not least, why isn't CELTA listed as an official qualification here at HTLAL? ;) Edited by mrwarper on 26 October 2010 at 11:54pm 2 persons have voted this message useful | |||
| ymapazagain3 Newbie Australia Joined 4936 days ago 3 posts - 3 votes | Message 2 of 3 13 November 2010 at 2:58am | IP Logged | ||
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I would imagine that the reason CELTA is not listed as an official qualification here is because it pertains to teaching proficiency as opposed to language proficiency.
1 person has voted this message useful | |||
| mrwarper Diglot Winner TAC 2012 Senior Member Spain forum_posts.asp?TID=Registered users can see my Skype Name Joined 5036 days ago 1493 posts - 2500 votes Speaks: Spanish*, EnglishC2 Studies: German, Russian, Japanese | Message 3 of 3 13 November 2010 at 2:55pm | IP Logged | ||
The ACE seems roughly equivalent to the CELTA and it is listed. Anyway, despite my original post being a bit messy, my original questions remain... my personal standards tend to be quite above most examinations, so I generally wouldn't believe (nor disbelieve) how proficient someone says he is in language X until I see him in action. However if I can't judge myself because I know nothing of the language and the guy comes with a certificate in teaching of X and some demonstrable experience, I'd be tempted to believe he manages himself pretty well. Now, am I crazy or what? 1 person has voted this message useful |
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