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.
"Studying CELTA with RMIT UP was invaluable in preparing me for a career in education and has allowed me to live, travel and teach in Thailand, China and Melbourne. I thoroughly enjoyed the course and made some lasting friendships along the way."
- Chris Clarke, English Language Tutor, RMIT UP
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
09 February |
13 March |
5 weeks (Mon, Tue, Thu, Fri) 9am to 5pm |
Full-time Face-to-face input Face-to-face teaching practice |
16 March |
27 May |
11 weeks (Mon and Wed) 5pm to 9pm |
Part-time Face-to-face input Face-to-face teaching practice |
17 March |
28 May |
11 weeks (Tue and Thu) 5pm to 9pm |
Part-time online input online teaching practice |
01 June |
03 July |
5 weeks (Mon, Tue, Thu, Fri) 9am to 5pm |
Full-time Face-to-face input Face-to-face teaching practice |
17 August
|
28 October
|
11 weeks (Mon and Wed) 5pm to 9pm |
Part-time Face-to-face input Face-to-face teaching practice |
18 August |
29 October |
11 weeks (Tue and Thu) 5pm to 9pm |
Part-time Online input Online teaching practice |
05 Oct 05 Oct 04 Jan 2027 |
29 Jan 2027 18 Dec 29 Jan 2027 |
14 weeks 10 weeks (at your own pace weekly tasks) 4 weeks (Mon, Tue, Thu, Fri) 1pm – 5pm |
Blended online/Face-to-face Blended online Blended face-to-face
|
02 November |
12 December |
5 weeks (Mon, Tue, Thu, Fri) 9am to 5pm |
Full-time Face-to-face input Face-to-face teaching practice |
CELTA Tutors (from left) Marjan Khadem, Ronald Barnett (CELTA Coordinator), Briony Hewitt and Kerrie Beros.
The CELTA Team brings together a wealth of teaching experience, with four tutors who have collectively spent many years working in English as a Foreign Language (EFL) / English as a Second Language (ESL) classrooms around the world.
Two of our tutors completed their own CELTA studies at RMIT UP, giving them a unique insight into the program’s expectations and rigour. With their global perspective and practical expertise, the team provides a supportive and engaging training environment for aspiring teachers.
CELTA graduates are:
Our graduates teach English in countries all over the world.
"After finishing my CELTA, I've got a teaching job at RMIT UP, which has been a fantastic opportunity. Moreover, doing the CELTA helped me see more possible pathways in the future. It really encouraged me to rethink and replan my career direction."
- Heming Li, English Language Tutor, RMIT UP
"Our teachers provided invaluable feedback and guidance throughout this course. The skills I've developed here will serve me well not just as a teacher, but across many different professional contexts in the future."
- Mason Cao, RMIT Bachelor of Computer Science alumnus, Apple Developer Academy Napoli program participant, 2025 – 2026
"The blended model allowed me to study alongside work and balance the learning around my life. Secondly, the teaching practice period was an excellent chance to get in the classroom and see what worked and what didn't. The space to try and fail with guidance from the instructors was invaluable and helped me feel confident in how to approach communicating in the classroom."
- Ash de Neef, English Language Tutor, RMIT UP
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 |
| 2026 CELTA tuition fee | AU$3,750 |
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.
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Contact us to enquire about this course.
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