The Certificate in English Language Teaching to Adults, known as CELTA, is the most widely recognised pre-service qualification in the world for teachers of English to speakers of other languages.
CELTA is accredited and administered by Cambridge English Language Assessment, part of the University of Cambridge. Once you have completed the course and met the assessment criteria for all written and practical assignments, you will receive a CELTA qualification.
CELTA is a globally recognised qualification. Other courses may not be recognised by international authorities and so could cause problems getting a visa. Shorter courses are unlikely to meet the National ELICOS Standards of a minimum of 100 contact hours and 6 hours of supervised, assessed teaching practice for teachers in Australian institutions.
CELTA is for people with little or no previous teaching experience. It opens the door to exciting opportunities to teach English all over the world. When you enrol in CELTA with RMIT UP, we work with you to develop:
Skills and confidence in language teaching and classroom management.
Improved awareness and understanding of the English language.
Familiarity with methods and materials for developing English language proficiency.
If you want to teach English in the classroom environment, CELTA might be the qualification for you.
Watch to learn more about CELTA.
"Highly recommend this course at RMIT. Teachers here make the entire learning experience so much fun and rewarding. Always grateful to teachers David, Scott and Stephanie for being so helpful."
- Jacqueline D'Cruze, ESL trainer, Masters in English, Bachelor in Education and CELTA
The course is divided into 4 main areas:
The CELTA course comprises:
There is a maximum of 18 candidates per course. For each group there is a maximum of 6 candidates for teaching practice. Candidates give their teaching practice lessons to international students at 2 different levels of English language proficiency.
RMIT UP offers full-time and part-time face to face, blended (online + face to face) and 100% online CELTA courses.
The full time course is extremely intensive. Classes are held from 8.30 am to 5.00 pm on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays for 5 weeks.
Wednesdays are non-contact days. Candidates are expected to use Wednesdays for private study and to attend two 2-hour sessions observing experienced teachers running a class. Wednesdays also replace public holidays.
This is a sample timetable.
Time | Schedule |
8.30–10.00am | Workshop 1 |
10.00–10.15am | Break |
10.15–11.30am | Workshop 2 |
11.30am –1.00pm | Lunch break |
1.00–3.00pm | Teaching practice |
3.15–4.00pm | Feedback on teaching practice |
4.00–5.00pm | Lesson preparation/consultation with tutor |
Part-time courses are held from 5.00 pm to 9.00 pm on Mondays and Wednesdays for 15 weeks. Tuesdays replace public holidays. Workshops and input sessions are held on Monday nights and teaching practice and feedback on Wednesdays.
The part-time blended course runs online for 8 weeks followed by 3 weeks face to face teaching practice. Students work on the input sessions at their own pace week-by-week with regular contact online with tutors for the first 8 weeks. Teaching practice takes place face to face from 10am to 12.30pm, Monday to Friday in a three-week block following the online component.
The part-time online course runs online for 9 weeks, and both the input and teaching practice is conducted online. The input section is self-directed reading of weekly online units, which will be supplemented by weekly tutor-led meetings. The teaching section runs every Tuesdays and Thursdays from 5pm to 7pm during the 9-week course.
Start date | End Date | Duration | Mode |
---|---|---|---|
02 June |
04 July |
5 weeks (Mon, Tue, Thu, Fri) 9am to 5pm |
Full-time Face-to-face input Face-to-face teaching practice |
21 July |
22 August |
4 weeks (Mon to Fri) 9am to 5pm |
Full-time Face-to-face input Face-to-face teaching practice |
21 July |
07 November |
16 weeks (Mon and Wed) 5pm to 9pm |
Part-time Face-to-face input Face-to-face teaching practice |
22 July |
02 October |
11 weeks (Tue and Thu) |
Part-time Online input Online teaching practice |
06 October
(05 January 2026) |
12 December
(30 January 2026) |
10 weeks
(4 weeks) |
Part-time Online input (Face-to-face teaching practice) |
10 November |
12 December |
5 weeks (Mon, Tue, Thu, Fri) 9am to 5pm |
Full-time Face-to-face input Face-to-face teaching practice |
CELTA graduates are:
Our graduates teach English in countries all over the world.
The CELTA qualification can lead to many opportunities. RMIT English Worldwide teacher, Nenia shares her experience.
Applicants must:
be aged 18 years or over (preferably aged 20 or over)
have completed secondary education in their country of origin
understand written and spoken English well enough to follow and complete assignments
- recommended high C1 or low C2 (Council of Europe threshold).
Detail | Fee |
2025 CELTA tuition fee | AU$3,450 |
Applicants must:
CELTA is accredited and administered by the University of Cambridge and is a globally recognised qualification. Other courses may not be recognised by international authorities and so could cause problems getting a visa. Shorter courses are unlikely to meet the National ELICOS Standards of a minimum of 100 contact hours and 6 hours of supervised, assessed teaching practice for teachers in Australian institutions.
Your certificate, issued by Cambridge English Language Assessment, will be accompanied by a report issued in the name of the university or college where you train. A reputable institution with global recognition will open more doors for you.
The application process includes a pre-interview language task (see the CELTA online application form) and an interview. These are used to assess your ability to complete the course successfully and your commitment to its intensive schedule.
Not every applicant is offered a place. CELTA candidates are selected based on their performance in a pre-interview language task and interview. Our expert trainers will assess your application and interview to see if you have the potential to succeed in this demanding course.
The focus of CELTA is on teaching you to teach, not teaching you grammar. This is why the application process is so important, and why we may recommend you take our Grammar Fundamentals short course before you start.
CELTA is for teachers who want to teach English to students in their home country or overseas. TEFL, however, is only an entry-level English teaching certification covering basic teacher training to teach non-native English speakers overseas.
Applicants should:
There are several places to start your job search as a CELTA graduate, including:
After the course, CELTA graduates will be able to work as an English language teacher to adults anywhere in the world. Employment opportunities are usually on a casual basis. Towards the end of the course, there is a session on future pathways in which tutors offer help and guidance for finding work.
Everything you need to know for your first few weeks at RMIT including enrolment information, timetables and orientation.
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Contact us to enquire about this course.
Acknowledgement of Country
RMIT University acknowledges the people of the Woi wurrung and Boon wurrung language groups of the eastern Kulin Nation on whose unceded lands we conduct the business of the University. RMIT University respectfully acknowledges their Ancestors and Elders, past and present. RMIT also acknowledges the Traditional Custodians and their Ancestors of the lands and waters across Australia where we conduct our business - Artwork 'Sentient' by Hollie Johnson, Gunaikurnai and Monero Ngarigo.