Not sure where to start here. Well, this review is looong overdue. First of all -- YES IT IS ABSOLUTELY WORTH THE MONEY! I did the CELTA at the Teaching House Chicago in March 2014. In June, I moved from Chicago, where I had lived for 8 years, to Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. I've been here 3 months and I couldn't be happier. In fact, I just convinced my friend from University to take the CELTA with TH in Chicago.
What an amazing time I had doing the CELTA. It was incredibly challenging, but so very rewarding. I formed really strong bonds with a group of amazing people. Now we're all over the world putting our intense education to good use. So cool to look back and think about how much I learned in that month. The tutors are so wonderful and supportive. The ESL community is tight, and they really do want to see you succeed, because they truly know, from many years of living and working abroad themselves, just how awesome the experience can and will be. It will be hard, but don't shy away from the challenge and you'll be just fine.
The school director, Heather, is such a wonderful person - intense, but really caring and FULL of knowledge about everything you'll ever need to know about working in ESL or living abroad. Seriously, get on her good side and stay on it. By visiting the Teaching House even after the course was over, I got to know her better and she helped me land my first two jobs. She recommended me for a job at a prestigious language school in Chicago where I worked for 3 months, and she gave me a recruiter's info at the school I work for now in Vietnam.
Lastly, my main concern during and even after the course was about whether or not I'd be able to find a job. The answer is 10000% yes, there are so many ESL jobs everywhere. Get a CELTA and the world is your oyster. Good luck! read more