CELTA equal to Bachelor's degree?

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bbq99

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Hi all, first of all compliments for the forum is full of useful information, I don't know if this is the right section to post this thread so I apologize in advance if it isn't, anyway I'm a native Spanish speaker I'm fluent in English and I'd like to get the CELTA certification in order to teach English abroad, I'm in my early twenties and I have no university degree but I know that in order to get a work permit as a teacher in some countries one need to have at least a Bachelor's degree, now I don't know much about the UK education system but I found out that the CELTA is a level 5 qualification just like a bachelor's degree so my question is is the CELTA like a Bachelor's degree in full? can I directly access a postgraduate program with a CELTA? and if it isn't like a bachelor's degree is there a way to make it a Bachelor's degree like for example taking some exams at the university? Obviously the same questions apply for the DELTA since it's a level 7 qualification like a Master's degree. Thank you in advance for your help.
 
Hi, thank you for your reply, and is there a way to go from CELTA (level5) to Bachelor's degree? I mean will the universities recognize it and make me start from level 5 instead of making me start from the beginning (high school diploma I suppose)? this way I should only attend the last year of a Bachelor's degree, and what about DELTA (level 7) and Master's degree?
 
I haven't heard of CELTA being used this way. It's hard to see how a CELTA could be used to replace two years of a university degree unless the degree is in ESL- how would you have covered the materials for those years?

Another thing to think of is whether other countries will recognise equivalence if you can do it- they set their standards and may only want graduates who have taken a full degree course. The requirements for Korea, one of the key markets, are that the person is a native speaker (with a passport from US, CA, UK, IR, AS, NZ, SA) with a full degree. I am not sure that they would recognise a CELTA and a year at a university as a full degree.

In the more competitive schools and countries, you may find things more difficult anyway if you are a Spanish national- there's a bias, rightly or wrongly, for native speakers- there are also gender, ethnicity and age biases in some countries, and in some places they even ask for a full-length photo, presumably because they have a bias against people of certain builds and/or looks. If you're going to do it, I would say either do the CELTA then go to places where degrees are not obligatory or get a full degree. With high unemployment among young people in many English-speaking countries, the market is awash with graduates with the CELTA- so much so that salaries are being driven down in many places. These are the people you will be in competition with- it's not just a question of getting a work permit, it's also a question of getting work.

DELTA can be used that way in MAs- I am not sure whether all do, but I have seen some that do.
 
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Although DELTA and the Trinity DipTESOL are recognised as Level 7 (Master's level) by the British Office of Qualifications and Examinations Registration, that does not mean that they are universally accepted as Master's degrees, or even as equivalent to Master's degrees..

In many countries in which a Master's degree is a requirement for a certain level of job, DELTA and DipTESOL are not accepted. If you wish to take a Master's degree in ELT/Applied Linguistics, you may well find that your DELTA/DipTESOL gives you exemption from only a small part of the course and only at some universities.
 
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yes of course I was talking about getting an ESL degree or similar anyway are you telling me that in the case of an Bachelor's ESL degree it can be done?
And regarding DELTA I followed your link and it's interesting but does that mean that one has direct access to a Master's degree course without a Bachelor's degree?
 
bbq99 said:
[STRIKE]y[/STRIKE] Yes of course I was talking about getting an ESL degree or similar. [STRIKE]a[/STRIKE] Anyway are you telling me that in the case of a[STRIKE]n[/STRIKE] Bachelor's ESL degree it can be done?
Each university will have its own policy on this. There is no universal answer. However, I am pretty sure that no university will allow you you to take just the final year of a first degree on the strength of a CELTA.

And regarding DELTA I followed your link and it's interestin, but does that mean that one has direct access to a Master's degree course without a Bachelor's degree?
Once again, each university has its own policy on this. At many universities, at least some Master's degree courses are open to people without a Bachelor's degree, if they have experience which the university considers shows them to be capable of successfully completing the course.
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5
 
Once again, each university has its own policy on this. At many universities, at least some Master's degree courses are open to people without a Bachelor's degree, if they have experience which the university considers shows them to be capable of successfully completing the course.
Click to expand...

For example in this case:
Sheffield Hallam
MA TESOL
60 credits to DELTA holders (i.e. they are exempt from the Postgraduate Certificate, which forms the first part of the MA).
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My understanding is that the Postgraduate Certificate is a higher level of education than a Bachelor's degree therefore I am (or should be) exempt from the Bachelor's degree as well.
Is this correct?
 
bbq99 said:
Quote: Sheffield Hallam
MA TESOL
60 credits to DELTA holders (i.e. they are exempt from the Postgraduate Certificate, which forms the first part of the MA).
My understanding is that the Postgraduate Certificate is a higher level of education than a Bachelor's degree therefore I am (or should be) exempt from the Bachelor's degree as well.
Is this correct?
Click to expand...
No.

All that says is that if you have a DELTA you will be permitted to start with the second part of the MA. You will not be required to take the first part, the Post-graduate certificate. Nothing can be inferred about a Bachelor's degree.
 
I have been looking back through the thread. I may be wrong, and I intend no offence, but it appears to me that you are trying to find the easiest possible way to the highst possible qualification. There is nothing inherently wrong about that but, as a non-native speaker in their early 20s, you will not be accepted directly into any DELTA, DipTESOL or ESL Master's course. If you gain a CELTA or CertTESOL you will not be granted any exemptions on a Master's course, you will almost certainly not be granted any exemptions on a Bachelor's course, and you will have to teach full-time for a year before you can be considered for a DELTA or DipTESOL course.

The range of opportunities for non-graduate teachers is shrinking all the time, and for a non-native speaker jobs are virtually non-existent outside their own country. If you are considering a long-term career, then you should be thinking of going to university for a Bachelor's degree in English/ESL or, possibly, linguistics. If the course itself does not include a teaching qualification, then take a CELTA/CertTESOL in one of the long vacations. When you have your Bachelor's degreee and initial teaching qualification, you can worry about jobs, Master's degrees and Diplomas.

If you decide to skip the degree, I must warn you that you will find it difficult to get a job outside Spanish-speaking countries. It may not be easy in those countries.

I must also warn you that CELTA and the CertTESOL are not recognised in Britain, or indeed in most countries, as a teaching qualification for state schools. To teach in those, you need a recognised teaching degree or a Bachelor's degree plus a post-graduate Certificate in Education (a one-year course).
 
No I'm not offended, you are right it's exactly what I'm trying to do, the thing is I'm in a really complicated situation right now and this way would be more convenient to me, by the way I think that there is nothing wrong with trying to find the quickest, easiest way possible even in an ideal situation. I already knew that before DELTA one has to gain the CELTA and at least one year of teaching experience, I also knew that being a non native English speaker surely doesn't help. I know that the range of opportunities for non-graduate teachers is shrinking (see Thailand) and that's why I'm asking, my intention was to teach in countries where it's still possible to do it without a degree and then get a degree that way in order to teach in countries where a degree is needed, like my country for example. Obviously being a native Spanish speaker Latin America is the first area that comes to my mind when I think of relocating. Thank you so much with your replies you really cleared my doubts.
 
Is it possible for an ESL teacher working full time, to make other commitments such as studying in the evening to gain a degree, or would he be bombarded with lesson planning and homework/classroom activities marking that it may make it impossible to commit to other things ?
 
al-anwaar said:
Is it possible for an ESL teacher working full time, to make other commitments such as studying in the evening to gain a degree, or would he be bombarded with lesson planning and homework/classroom activities marking that it may make it impossible to commit to other things ?
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It depends on the job. You may find a job with 25 classroom hours in one location, teaching from a well-known coursebook. Unless you are straight out of a Cert course, you are likely to find yourself with plenty of time for study in the evening. If, however, you are tavelling from one side of the city to the other between classes ranging from complete beginners to CAE, as not infrequently happens in the early days of your TEFL course, you may not even have time to contemplate suicide.
 
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