Cambridge CELTA and DELTA courses offered in Madrid, Spain:
TEFL, EFL or ESL certifications Cambridge
University certifies schools and academies both inside and
outside of the U.K. to provide teacher training courses that,
in turn, certify that a teacher has the ability to teach English
as a foreign language. In Madrid, Cambridge University "authorizes"
the schools below (and for all practical purposes, if they say
they are OK, then they are OK.)
The fact is that these three academies are the best local options
if you want a certification which will be accepted locally and
recognized around the world. There are slightly cheaper uncertified alternatives
in Madrid, but you might have a much harder time getting them
accepted by your prospective employers. Personally, I'd have a harder time taking your TEFL "certificate" seriously (and you, frankly) if it wasn't from either Cambridge or Trinity.
British Language Centre
The
BLC is one of the biggest English language training academies
in Europe and the most active in Madrid, Spain. They have been
offering the CELTAs every month since 1989, as well as plenty
of other training courses. To date, they have trained over 2,300
CELTA teachers and 350 DELTA teachers. The BLC definitely looks
like the centre that is the most interested in teacher education
and training in Madrid, Spain, and they have definitely made a
big effort to be the "man-on-top" in this sector.
Recognition of the Centre (and Certificate)
As far as I can see, this is one of the best-known schools for
teacher training in Madrid, and a couple of teachers, including
a TESOL convention staff member, talked them up to me at this
years' convention.
BLC runs at least ten people through its CELTA full-time intensive
courses every month as well as doing another 2 or 3 part-time extensive
CELTA courses yearly for a total of more or less 150 CELTA teachers
trained annually.
Training Staff and Course
I have a close friend who did the DELTA at the British Language
Centre who often recommended it to me while he was doing it (actually,
he just about twisted my arm to get me down there). He told me
that the teacher in charge, Alistair Dickinson, also had a webpage
at http://www.developingteachers.com,
which is quite an accomplishment for any individual professional
(it's one of three webpages I think, actually). From what I could
gather, the staff, which seems to have a reasonably-well-qualified
line-up, was quite conscientious and always pressured him (in
a good way) to be more professional.
Installations
Adequate and functional,
the installations are well located in the heart of Madrid's business district and are next to a major bus and underground (subway) station and one
subway stop from
the train station at Chamartin. It's right on Plaza Castilla, which is one of Madrid's well-recognized landmarks.
DELTA course (Diploma in English teaching)
The British Language Centre also offers both part-time and full-time DELTA courses two or three times a year.
Current courses - straight from the horse's mouth
Full-time one-month CELTA courses starting every month except December.
Part-time CELTA courses start frequently. Check the dates on their site. British BLC
Other Information
My conclusion about BLC is that there are some very talented and motivated people doing the training there. Judging from the sheer weight of the activity
the BLC is generating with regard to teacher training, I would say it might well be the best option for doing the CELTA course in Madrid, Spain. There is just no substitute
for constant practice and judging from what I observed of their Director of Studies' staffroom, they are moving at an incredible pace.
Bear in mind: "The pass rate at the BLC is consistently
very high, well above the average. The June 2001 results were
the best at the BLC out of all centres running the course."
The space above is available:
More on TEFL courses in Madrid on Transitions Abroad: TEFL.
International House (Updated April 20, 2008)
I
studied my own CELTA (English Teaching Certificate) at International
House 15 years ago and I was quite satisfied with it. I did the
4-month extensive course and was always up to my neck in work so
I don’t know how anybody could hope to survive the 1-month intensive.
(The course-load has now been reduced somewhat to give more time
for lesson planning.) I have also studied one or two other courses
with their trainers over the years and apparently things haven’t
changed there regarding the quality.
Recognition of the Centre (and Certificate)
With over 120 schools internationally, International House is well-known
all over the world and in Madrid, which will make it easier, I think,
to get your Certificate accepted by your prospective employers anywhere
you go. (It probably won't hurt to have an IH certificate if you want
to work at IH in Madrid or elsewhere.)
Training Staff and Course
I thought the CELTA course that I did was great and the staff was
professional. I recently spoke at length with their Head of Teacher
Training, Steven McGuire, and I can give my own personal "certification"
as to his professionalism, intelligence and general knowledge of
English teaching. He is definitely a competent teacher who regularly
teaches at conferences.
Installations
Generally speaking, the recently renovated Zurbano Centre is just about
as good as it gets around Madrid. The classrooms are large, there are
lots of facilities for the students and teachers, it’s centrally located
with an English language bookshop and Subway station nearby and there’s
a Café with 5 internet-connected computers on the ground-floor next
to the reception area.
I'm told that teachers on the course now have access to the extensive
teachers' resources library in the staff-room.
Current courses
Apparently, the next intensive one-month CELTA courses will be in
June of 2008. The title of their website's section for CELTA courses
includes: "Train with International House Madrid to work for
International House Madrid."
DELTA course (Diploma in English teaching)
After a brief absence, International House Madrid has reestablished
the DELTA course. There are currently 8 trainees on a part-time
course which is reaching completion and preparing teachers for the
June exam. As from September 2008, the format of the DELTA changes
to a modular course. This has certain advantages for candidates
who will be able to take the 3 modules – Written Exam, Practical
Assignments and Extended Assignment - in any order and at any stage
of their teaching career. It also allows teachers to spread the
load over a longer period. The course is open to all teachers regardless
of where they work and applications are now being invited for the
next part-time course running October 2008 – May 2009. Experienced
teachers may consider the option of working for International House
while doing the course which automatically qualifies them for a
20% discount on the course fee.
Prices
Cost of the CELTA is 1,490 Euros (Jan. 2009 price). Cost of the DELTA course is 2,490 euros (Jan. 2009 price). More information on dates
and prices at the training web site: http://www.ihmadridtraining.com/.
The IH Madrid Young Learner Certificate course
This course is designed for qualified teachers who have completed a CELTA course or equivalent, but who have either limited experience of teaching young learners or need to develop their current skills to teaching different ages or levels of children in different situations. The course consists of 30 hours of practical-based seminars and workshops to equip teachers with all aspects of young learner teaching.
The next full-time course runs from September 15 - 26, 2008
Every morning, Monday to Friday from 10.00 - 13.00
The next part- time course runs October 1, 2008 – February 14,
2009 - Alternate Saturday mornings from 10.00 – 13.00. The course
is held at our main centre in Alonso Martínez, Calle Zurbano,
8 - 28010 Madrid.
The cost of this course is €435 Euros. See: http://www.ihmadridtraining.com/
for more information on the contents of the course.
Hyland Language Centre
The
recent "International House" spin-off, the "Hyland Language Centre",
appears to have an excellent line-up of experienced teachers (a
couple are published authors) and might well be an excellent option
for a CELTA course here in Madrid, Spain. They certainly have the
qualifications and experience. Years ago I worked with a top teacher
who had worked for them for 4 years, who had been terribly reluctant
to leave and who had nothing but really positive things to say about
them.
Recognition of the Centre (and Certificate)
This academy cannot be very well recognized around the world (nor even in Madrid) as it was just created in 2003
(even though it had existed for quite some time before as just another "International House"). However, start to
mention a few of the big "names" that have worked on the Hyland Language Centre staff and any Director of Studies (DOS) worth his or her
salt will recognize them immediately. There will be no problem in getting your in getting your TEFL certification recognized
anywhere around the world. For example, TEFL author Peter Moore was a past DOS of Hyland Language Centre and was also
co-author of "Cutting Edge", the most popular series of English teaching text-books in the world.
Training Staff and Course The staff, with Ceri Jones
and Peter Jeffery, certainly looks top-notch (and they did participate at the last TESOL convention with several speakers, by the way) and, on the surface of it, the company looks to be hungry for the lead position in the "quality English teaching" sector in Madrid (if so, they likely have few competitors around here) so I am sure you can look forward to some really interesting and challenging learning with them.
Installations
Very well located and adequate in every respect. It is no palace but you won't feel at all squeezed for space or resources.
Current courses - straight from the horse's mouth
Hyland has got four one-month intensive CELTA courses, the next
two are from the 2nd to the 27th of June of 2008 and from the 1st
to the 26th of September of 2008 .
DELTA course (Diploma in English teaching)
Hyland does not offer a DELTA course at the moment
Other Information
Everything looks rather well organized and professional. It really is about as good
as it gets - top-notch!.
Prices
CELTA - 1,450 euros (Jan. 2009 price).
Other FAQS
What about making payments for your CELTA or DELTA course?
Do yourself a favour and negotiate your payments to the centre yourself. Middle-men do
nothing for you except take a big percentage. Generally, you will not have a problem with
making the payment for your CELTA course to any of these centres using electronic transfers
from your bank to theirs, but read their terms and conditions carefully before you do make the
payment.
Are there any other schools that offer either one of these courses?
There is at least one other school advertising TEFL courses online in Madrid. I don’t believe that they are certified by the British Council and I cannot
recommend them either. I dropped by one of these places and found it to be located in a second-rate office park, which smelled of mould and insect spray,
at the end of a long cheap-hotel-like passageway with very closely spaced doors on either side. Good luck to you if you decide to risk one of these courses.
What’s your opinion about doing a CELTA or DELTA at a distance?
The British Council actually used to offer a DELTA distance course
and I’m sure that if they’ve got a DELTA, then they’ll also have
a CELTA. However, I don’t believe there’s much value in doing one
of these courses at a distance. The real value is in the apprenticeship.
How can you really improve your teaching without observing other
“experts” teach with a particular methodology or technique and being
observed by them in turn (with commentaries)? I’m rather surprised
they offer it, but perhaps the offer includes other hidden features
that I hadn’t considered.
Are there any other potential problems with either the DELTA or CELTA?
One requirement for any of these courses is to have classes with a minimum
number of students, which was 10 at BLC. This is a reasonable requirement,
but it certainly favours institutional teachers over true freelancers,
who have mostly company and private classes with far fewer students
or classes that run from January to December while the DELTA courses
usually run from Fall till Spring.
One alternative is to do the intensive DELTA in the summer at BLC. They provide the classrooms and students on-site, which for those of us who no longer
teach in academies, it is an absolute requirement.
British Language Centre
Recognition of the Centre (and Certificate)
