rejected CELTA interview task

Asmaa Ahmad · May 26, 2015

I have submitted the application form and the pre-interview task for the CELTA course. After a month, I have received this mail :-( :

Thank you for submitting your application form and pre-interview task for the CELTA course. These have now been reviewed. Your pre interview task had a number of strengths and it is clear that you are very motivated to do a recognised qualification. However, unfortunately, we are unable to take your application to the interview stage due to the inaccurate and unnatural use of English – near native proficiency in English, or a strong C1 level on the Common European Framework, is a Cambridge requirement for the course. The course is not intended to develop your English, it is to certify you to teach English to adults at a range of levels. You need to be able to give consistently accurate models of English in class, produce error-free worksheets and deal with the spoken and written errors of students. Inaccurate models of English produced by CELTA candidates in assessed teaching practice are penalised and written assignments with more than three errors or slips are given back to you for resubmission and could fail on second submission if they still contain significant errors.

We appreciate this will be disappointing but we have received a large number of very strong applications. You are welcome to reapply in 6 months. I will not be able to reply to further requests for feedback, but am happy to answer questions about future course dates (once I know them) and course content.

please help me.
How can I improve my English language skills to pass CELTA course?
Thank you very much.

emsr2d2 · May 26, 2015

Asmaa Ahmad said:
I [STRIKE]have[/STRIKE] submitted the application form and the pre-interview task for the CELTA course. After a month, I [STRIKE]have[/STRIKE] received this [strike]mail[/strike] letter/email. :-(

Please help me.
How can I improve my English language skills to [STRIKE]pass[/STRIKE] get a place on a CELTA course?
Thank you very much.

Welcome to the forum. :hi:

The simple answer is practise! As the letter said, you need to be near-native or strong C1 level. Did you think you were at that level already? For example, look at my corrections in your post above. In the first sentence, you should have used the simple past, not the present perfect. Do you know why?

How often do you use English in your everyday life? Do you speak English regularly with native speakers? Do you study at home? Do you watch TV and movies in English?

It is difficult for non-native speakers to obtain places on CELTA courses because of the necessity for their English to be of a very high standard. There are hundreds of applications for each course and if your English isn't of a standard to compete with native speakers or other non-natives who speak English at near-native level, they won't give you a place.

Asmaa Ahmad · May 26, 2015

emsr2d2 said:
Welcome to the forum. :hi:

The simple answer is practise! As the letter said, you need to be near-native or strong C1 level. Did you think you were at that level already? For example, look at my corrections in your post above. In the first sentence, you should have used the simple past, not the present perfect. Do you know why?

How often do you use English in your everyday life? Do you speak English regularly with native speakers? Do you study at home? Do you watch TV and movies in English?

It is difficult for non-native speakers to obtain places on CELTA courses because of the necessity for their English to be of a very high standard. There are hundreds of applications for each course and if your English isn't of a standard to compete with native speakers or other non-natives who speak English at near-native level, they won't give you a place.

Thank you for your helpful information :-o
I am really grateful.

Actually, I am an English teacher.
But I use native language ( Arabic ) during my English period.
I like teaching so much, and I want to improve my teaching skills.
I start to download CAE books and I will appreciate any advice because I really need your help.
Thanks.

emsr2d2 · May 26, 2015

Asmaa Ahmad said:
Thank you for your helpful information. :-o I am really grateful.

Actually, I am an English teacher but I use my native language (Arabic) during my English period. (I don't know what you mean by "my English period".)
I like teaching so much (no comma here) and I want to improve my teaching skills.
I have started to download CAE books and I [strike]will[/strike] would appreciate any advice because I really need your help.
Thanks.

You can get more help by using the Ask A Teacher section of the forum to ask specific questions about areas of the English language which give you problems. We understand that even English teachers have questions and have areas of the language which confuse them.

Take a look at my corrections to your post above, in red.

Asmaa Ahmad · May 26, 2015

emsr2d2 said:
You can get more help by using the Ask A Teacher section of the forum to ask specific questions about areas of the English language which give you problems. We understand that even English teachers have questions and have areas of the language which confuse them.

Take a look at my corrections to your post above, in red.

Thank you so much for your help.
I mean by "English period", my "English classes".
Please, excuse me, this is my first time I talk to a native language teacher.
I really feel embarrassed because of making a lot of errors.
I appreciate your efforts so much.
Thanks a million.

emsr2d2 · May 26, 2015

Asmaa Ahmad said:
Thank you so much for your help.
[STRIKE]I mean[/STRIKE] By "English period" I mean my "English classes".
Please (no comma here) excuse me, this is [STRIKE]my[/STRIKE] the first time I [STRIKE]talk[/STRIKE] have spoken to a native language teacher.
I really feel embarrassed because [STRIKE]of[/STRIKE] I am making a lot of errors.
I appreciate your efforts so much.
Thanks a million.

Your sentence should have read "I speak Arabic during my English lessons/classes". That's not the issue. Very few schools or academies insist on only English being spoken in English classes. Even if you use some Arabic in your classes, the important thing to consider is "Am I teaching all my students correct English?" What do you think the answer to that question is?

Out of curiosity, what age group do you teach?

Given the number of mistakes I have pointed out in each of your posts, can you see why you're not ready for a CELTA course yet?

Tdol · May 27, 2015

How much Arabic do you use in your classes?

Asmaa Ahmad · May 27, 2015

Tdol said:
How much Arabic do you use in your classes?

Thanks for your presence. Unfortunately, I depend on Arabic during my classes.

Asmaa Ahmad · May 27, 2015

emsr2d2 said:
Your sentence should have read "I speak Arabic during my English lessons/classes". That's not the issue. Very few schools or academies insist on only English being spoken in English classes. Even if you use some Arabic in your classes, the important thing to consider is "Am I teaching all my students correct English?" What do you think the answer to that question is?

Out of curiosity, what age group do you teach?

Given the number of mistakes I have pointed out in each of your posts, can you see why you're not ready for a CELTA course yet?

Thanks a lot.
Of course, I can see now that I am not ready at all for a CELTA course. I teach English to teenagers in an industrial school. Actually, students have no regard for English language subject. So, I deeply need to improve my language skills as a teacher in order to have a chance to teach in secondary schools.

Tdol · May 28, 2015

Asmaa Ahmad said:
Thanks for your presence. Unfortunately, I depend on Arabic during my classes.

Try reducing your own dependence on it first- it will benefit both you and your students.

rejected CELTA interview task

Asmaa Ahmad

Member

emsr2d2

Moderator

Asmaa Ahmad

Member

emsr2d2

Moderator

Asmaa Ahmad

Member

emsr2d2

Moderator

Tdol

No Longer With Us (RIP)

Asmaa Ahmad

Member

Asmaa Ahmad

Member

Tdol

No Longer With Us (RIP)

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