Entry & Course Requirements

Candidates must be educated to the standard required for entry into higher education and be at least 18 years of age. It is recommended, however, that candidates should hold a primary degree or have entered or be about to enter the final year of their primary degree.

Selection for all courses is by written application and interview. Acceptance on to a course is not automatic and the selection process is quite rigorous. Acceptance on to the course is made subject to satisfactory references being supplied. You are asked to provide the name and email contact details of two referees for us to contact when you submit your application form.

Candidates should have an awareness of language and a competence in both written and spoken English that will enable them to undertake the course and prepare for teaching a range of levels. They should also have the potential to develop the necessary skills to become effective teachers and to successfully complete the written assignments and the assessment of teaching practice.

Candidates whose first language is not English

We welcome all speakers of English, not just native speakers of English. All applicants must meet the minimum entry requirements set by Cambridge English. They must be a proficient English language user (between CEFR Level minimum C1 and C2 or above).  Applicants whose first language is not English will be required to show documentary proof of their current level, usually by way of a Certificate from an English language competency test, for example, the Cambridge suite of examinations or IELTS.  Note: An IELTS Certificate that is more than two years old will not be accepted.

Candidates must have proficient computer skills.

Course Requirements

CELTA candidates are expected to attend the whole course. Furthermore, as part of the general course requirements, they are required to:

• complete 6 hours of practice teaching*
• observe 6 hours of experienced teachers teaching classes
• maintain an electronic portfolio of all their work including written assignments, lesson plans and teaching materials
• submit the required written assignments

Candidates will also need to spend a minimum of 80 hours reading, researching, assignment writing and lesson preparation, outside the course.

*Teaching practice is conducted with groups of English language learners at above and below Intermediate level of ability in English. The levels usually are A2 and B2. See here for more detail of level descriptors.

In Ireland, you cannot teach in an ACELS-recognized school without a primary degree.  ACELS is the Advisory Council for English Language Schools and they can be contacted at their website: www.acels.ie and email: info@acels.ie

For Cambridge, the examining body for CELTA, it is possible to teach in the UK without a primary degree and in some other countries too, although this is becoming increasingly rare.  As a CELTA centre, we can accept people on a CELTA course if we feel they have strengths that compensate for the lack of a primary degree.

However, if your qualification is professionally orientated rather than a degree or in some grey area in relation to a primary degree you would need to consult with ACELS to check whether this would, with CELTA, allow you to teach in an ACELS-recognised school.

To participate in the CELTA course, you do need to be fully computer literate.

Assessment

Assessment is continuous for both the practical and written work. CELTA courses are internally assessed and externally moderated by an approved external assessor, appointed by Cambridge.

Candidates are assessed on their 6 hours of teaching practice, 4 written assignments and their professional development and suitability. The assessment of professional development is included as an integral part of the written assignments and teaching practice.

By the end of the course, candidates should demonstrate that they:

• can prepare, plan and teach lessons designed for adult learners of English
• can apply ELT theory to practice in classroom teaching
• are familiar with key ELT concepts and terminology
• are sensitive to relevant aspects of professional development
• are able to use written and spoken language in the classroom which is clear and coherent and essentially free of mistakes in spelling, punctuation and grammar.

Awards

Candidates are awarded the Certificate in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (CELTA) if they satisfactorily fulfil all the requirements of the course and the assessment criteria. Certificates are awarded at Pass, Pass B and Pass A.

Candidates who fail to meet criteria in any or all assessed components or who do not satisfactorily fulfil all the course requirements will be awarded a Fail.

The qualification awarded for the fully online CELTA course by Cambridge is the same as the one given for the in-person course.

Interviews

Interviews will take place by arrangement with a CELTA Tutor. The interview process lasts approximately two hours during which candidates will be tested on their language awareness and will be interviewed by a Course Tutor.

Before the interview with your tutor, you will be given a pre-interview task. This is designed to establish your overall language awareness and language analysis ability, and also your ability to research language. You will be provided with online resources to help you in this.

Evidence of awareness of the course structure and demands is required at the interview stage. You will find this blog, which consists of interviews with past CELTA trainees of interest as they describe well the level of commitment involved will inform you.

Please note that places are limited and being called for an interview is not a guarantee of acceptance.

Course fees for all CELTA courses

The CELTA course fee is €2,065 

• If called for an interview, a fee of €50 is payable by credit/debit card (non-refundable)
• A deposit of €500, which is non-refundable is payable on the day of the interview (after acceptance on the course). Those that are called for an interview need, therefore, to bring this deposit with them on the day of the interview. Failure to show means of paying the deposit before the interview may mean that the interview may not take place as scheduled. 
• The final payment of the balance is payable within four weeks of being offered a place on the course and in any event not later than four weeks before commencement of the course. 

Please note the policy on withdrawing from course within four weeks of course commencement.

o Should you decide not to take your place within four weeks of course commencement and full fees have been paid, you lose your €500 deposit, plus the €50 registration fee, plus admin fee.

o Should you decide not to take your place within three weeks of course commencement and full fees have been paid, you lose your €500 deposit, plus the €50 registration fee, plus 20% of course fees paid, plus admin fee.

o Should you decide not to take your place within two weeks of course commencement and full fees have been paid, you lose your €500 deposit, plus the €50 registration fee, plus 50% of course fees paid, plus admin fee.

o Should you decide not to take your place within the final week prior to course commencement and full fees have been paid, you lose your €500 deposit, plus the €50 registration fee, plus 80% of course fees paid, plus admin fee.

· Two passport photos must be submitted with the final payment so that a student ID card can be produced before the commencement of the course.

If fees are not paid in full within four weeks of being offered a place on the course, the candidate’s place on the course may be forfeited and offered to the next person on the waiting list.

You can pay your fees by credit/debit card.

Should a trainee withdraw from the course, refunds can only be made due to exceptional circumstances. Trainees must explain in writing the exceptional circumstances they want the Language Centre to consider. A deferral may be considered if a candidate has completed more than half the course, but cannot finish the course due to exceptional circumstances. At the discretion of the Language Centre, candidates may complete the assessment requirements on a subsequent course, and further fees will apply.

How To Apply

To register please complete the CELTA Application Form 2026 

For more specific information you can email us at TandD@ucc.ie

• All applicants will need to forward copies of their qualifications with their application.
• For payment of interview fee and course fees, see here: Bank details Language Centre

Please note that submitting an application form does not guarantee an interview. Courses will run only if minimum numbers are met to form a class. If the course does not run, a full refund will issue. Selection is at the discretion of the Course Director.

Course Dates

Please note, we offer the online CELTA when there is demand. Please email tand@ucc.ie to enquire about this.