Can You Take CELTA Online?

Did you know that it’s possible to boost your credibility, enhance your ESL teaching skills, and secure a bomb teaching gig from your home? Or from an Airbnb in Bali? Or maybe even a cabin in Scandinavia? You do you! Point is, you can 100% get your CELTA certification online.

The CELTA is by far the most standardized and recognized English teaching qualification out there. Each course provider is certified by Cambridge University to ensure that students like you are receiving the same level of instruction in teaching English.

Like a TEFL certification, it can get you into teaching. Unlike the TEFL, it’s more British, therefore, a wee bit more refined, guvnah. But seriously, if you’re in the market for a top-notch CELTA qualification online, but aren’t exactly sure what that looks like...let us give you some information. (P.S. British citizenship is not required!)

How does online CELTA work?

All the benefits of a face-to-face CELTA course—without leaving your couch!

If you’ve already asked if can you take CELTA online?, you probably have a basic idea of what a CELTA certification is. But how is it different online?

Well, once upon a time, you couldn’t even get a CELTA online because the standards are oh-so-high—the course requires a lot of in-person teaching practice and observation, making a DIY online course a little difficult. However, as has been all too familiar, things have had to shift in the Covid era, and it’s now possible to earn your CELTA certification online, without cutting any corners.

Essentially, getting your CELTA certification online grants you access to live Zoom instruction (with access to past presentations), digital course materials, audio, and video. On top of that, you get observed teaching practice, where certified ESL experts will give you feedback and help you become a better teacher.

Although there are some obvious differences between earning your qualification online vs. in person (see below!), there’s no compromise on quality education. Either way, you’ll be getting your 120 training hours!

It may sound intimidating, but practice really does make perfect. And if you have a supportive team of tutors to guide you through the process, you’ll come out the other end a confident, ESL expert! Applying to get CELTA certified online might be the next best thing for your teaching career. 

6 differences between taking CELTA online vs. in person

1. Time zone, shime zone—online CELTA is at your leisure

Early bird? Night owl? No problem.

The beauty of taking a course with a global participation and online access is there are students in every single time zone. That means you can be placed in a group that suits your needs. You don’t have to wake up at 3:00 a.m. to study with the East Coast kids! Or stay in class until 8:00 p.m. to play with the West Coasters. Getting your CELTA qualification online is easy to work into your daily life. 

2. Community of support from around the world

You’re not the only person wondering if you can take CELTA online; there are thousands of aspiring teachers around the globe looking to boost their career CELTA-style. Along with a community of teachers from around the world, taking your CELTA online connects you with people from all walks of life. The course instructors also hail from all corners of the globe.

You don’t need to wait to travel to make lifelong connections with people from other countries. This built-in networking is a nice perk of getting CELTA certified, and a great way to move forward in your career after you have that shiny new certificate.

Maybe that student from Italy you befriended can hook you up with a homestay next year! Or that South Korean tutor might connect you with a great ESL job in Asia. Who knows, the opportunities are endless. 

Full-time or part-time, there’s an option for you online.

3. No need to ask for time off! 

Organizations offering CELTA qualifications understand that people choose online learning for its flexibility. They offer a variety of tracks that are suitable for people at any stage of work-life balance. Do you need part-time? They have that. Are you diving in full-time? Go for it!

Learning online gives you the time to work around your current job or school obligations if you need to. It also gives you the opportunity to snag that cert in only four weeks. Most in-person courses will require undivided attention (you’d be traveling overseas, after all), so if you need to get that paper and go teach English abroad ASAP, online CELTA is the way to go. 

4. Learn how to teach online…online?

That was meant to sound redundant; hear us out. The educational landscape has been in constant flux throughout the years. New technology brings new resources to students and teachers alike. It opens doors to people who may not have had access in the past, and provides tools to enhance learning experiences….If you know how to use them.

Getting CELTA certified online isn’t just a practice in distance learning for you, but it comes with supplemental coaching on how YOU can take online teaching skills into YOUR online classroom. You will be ready to teach English online as soon as you have graduated from your online CELTA course—which is another way you’ll be at an advantage to many other teachers looking for online teaching work.

5. Cost effective 

If you’re already pretty savvy with CELTA certifications, you probably have heard that they tend to be a bit more pricey than other ESL qualifications like TEFL or TESOL. However, a CELTA online course costs a good deal less than the in-person counterpart. To be clear, the course costs the same, but you will be saving a pretty penny on flights, visas, and accommodation, no?

The short commute to your living room will save you hundreds.

Corners cannot be cut in this online program due to the prestigious and rigorous standards that CELTA certifications are held to. It’s more affordable because you don’t need to pay your way to another country, not because you’re losing out on quality. It’s good to be wary of cheaper things, but you can rest easy knowing online CELTA certifications are worth more than you end up paying for them. 

6. No final exams

Yes, you read that right. There are plenty of programs out there that have hefty exams baked in, especially in in-person courses, but some online CELTA trainings do away with that aspect. Why? You’re being graded the whole time!

As you work through the course, you’re constantly practicing and developing your skills with other students under the tutelage of top-notch experts qualified to train teachers of English. Assessment is 6 hours of observed teaching practice and four written assignments. Assessment is still immensely important in earning your qualification and has not been removed just because the course is online.

Your CELTA course will offer support every step of the way. Sure, you’ll still have some homework (it’s still school after all), but nothing takes the stress off a student like a teacher proclaiming NO FINAL EXAM!

BONUS: Some things won’t change

Getting an online certification can come with some stigma. People often misjudge online school as being “easy”, “a cop-out”, or “not as good as the real thing”. But those people obviously haven’t taken any online courses.

With CELTA especially, the creators of these courses go out of their way to ensure students get everything out of an online course that they would from an in-person one. Plus, CELTA is so well known for its high standards that employers don’t mind if the course was online or face-to-face.

Employers will be nothing short of impressed by a CELTA qualification.

In the Covid era, the world has changed dramatically, and being able to change with it is the only way we will all move forward together. Your CELTA certification, whether you choose online or in-person, will hold the same weight. It won’t specify the modality in which you pursued the course because, honestly, it doesn't matter.

If you get your CELTA, you’ve proven that you are a brilliant teacher who can take on ESL teaching with no problem. So don’t worry about how you go about getting certified, just choose the path that is right for you.

Talk to our Online Advisor and get matched with 5 online CELTA courses—for free!

Get your CELTA qualification online this year!

So can you take CELTA online? Heck yes! Getting a CELTA certification online is the perfect way to further, or define, your teaching skills from the safety of your home. It will give you a prestigiously held qualification (that never expires, by the way), that is sure to open many doors: Zoom rooms and brick-and-mortar classrooms alike. So what are you waiting for? Get your CELTA qualification online, and begin your teaching journey.

Explore ALL Online CELTA & TEFL Courses on GoAbroad.com

This article was written with help from Oxford TEFL. Oxford TEFL offers both online and in-person CELTA certification. Founded in 1998, they have trained more than 4,000 teachers around the world.