CELTA: Frequently Asked Questions

Please read below the answers to the most common questions asked about CELTA.

Visa for Ukraine

For 90 days citizens of EU, the USA, Canada and the UK are free to come without a visa for Ukraine (but not from Australia).

In order to get legal employment in Ukraine foreigners have to apply for IM visa (not business !!!) after they receive a work permit from their employer .
Business visa is relevant for free-lance employees if they are officially registered in Ukraine.

As our government has changed terms and conditions for free-lance registration for foreigners, people with just a business visa without any official business run in Ukraine may be easily refused to register their visas at our central registration office. We wouldn’t recommend to apply for a business visa to anyone without making sure that a further ‘’business visa” support in Ukraine is provided by a potential employer.

Do you need to have teaching experience to enrol?

No. However, if you do, it obviously helps you a lot. The course assumes that the majority of trainees have no experience, so nothing to worry about!
Do you really need to do a TEFL course in order to gain employment? Most reputable schools, not only in Ukraine, but also in the rest of Europe and in most other parts of the world, will expect their new teachers to be trained to teach English. The Cambridge CELTA is probably the most respected and well-known training course.

Stress Factor

These courses are tiring and some find them stressful. If you are currently undergoing a difficult psychological period, then do not contemplate doing this programme. It is essential to be realistic about your own capacities prior to the start of the course. Preparation for teaching practice, liaising and written work are demanding and are in addition to the course hours.

Does your school assist in finding accommodation?

We help our CELTA candidates find a one- or two-room flat close to the school. If you live there on your own, it will cost you approximately $40 per night. If you share it with another trainee, it will cost each of you $20 per night. This price is subject to inflation and exchange rate variation; however, we will let you know in advance if it changes.

What is the application / interview procedure?

The application procedure is as follows:

1. Complete the application form and pre-course tasks (see next question) and email them back. Please mention the preferable date(s) and time for the oral interview (in person/by phone/via Skype)
2. You’ll receive a message confirming the time of your oral interview. In-person interviews are usually on week days, interviews by phone/Skype can be done at weekends as well. You are told during the interview if you have been accepted.
3. Wait for an acceptance letter, Day 1 letter, Trainee’s Guide, Classroom Glossary and Cambridge Pre-course Learning Task (see below) + Key Answers.

Payment

As soon as you are accepted onto the course you should pay your deposit. We cannot reserve a place on the course until the deposit – 30% of the cost – has been received. The balance of the total fees must be paid four weeks prior to the start of the course. See our Early Bird rule in the Application Form.

In the case of cancellation made later than two weeks before the start of the course, requests for refund of fees (excluding deposit) can only be considered if we have been able to fill the place at short notice. Please see below for our cancellation policy.

Pre-course task

The pre-course task which you do together with your application form is not a test – obviously you don’t know all the answers without having to think hard about them and even having to look them up in reference books (which is what teachers do all the time!).
It’s more a test of your attitude and instinctive approach to teaching, your inner resources and, where language is concerned, how you would react if a student asked you this type of question. This gives us a good idea of your skills and qualities and, therefore, of how you will respond to only four weeks of training – whether it will be enough to bring you up to pass standard.

What is the interview procedure like?

For the Skype interview you will need access to the Internet and a telephone/Skype. At the appointed time we will email 5 pre-interview tasks to you. You will have an hour and twenty minutes to do them and email them back.

In 10-15 mins, when your pre-interview tasks have been marked, you will be skyped. The oral interview will take 30 – 40 minutes. Overall, the interview lasts two hours.

An in-person interview lasts two hours and includes written tasks (one hour and 20 mins) and an oral interview (up to 40 mins).

What does the interview itself consist of?

This usually lasts 30-40 minutes. We ask some questions about you and the tasks you have done. We also tell you about the course and you can ask any questions you may have too.

What are the deadlines for registration for the course?

The real deadline is when the course is full. There is a maximum of 18 places on any course. To be sure of a place, we recommend fees are paid not later than four weeks before the start date or as soon as you have been interviewed.

What level of English grammar is expected prior to enrolment?

Rather than “level”, we prefer to look at it as “instinct”. Our pre-course task helps us to see whether you can instinctively analyse grammar, i.e. whether you have a “feeling” for language so you can help students with their problems.
Your learning of the grammar really takes place when you teach it, because you have to research it when planning a language lesson. But we also include some input sessions on the course to help you develop this area.

What is the Cambridge Pre-course Learning Task?

How much time and preparation is involved? The pre-course task involves about 12-15 hours of work. Although it isn’t assessed or marked, it’s very useful as initial preparation for the course, especially the sections on Language Awareness and Phonology. We’ll send it to you as soon as you’ve confirmed your place with payment. It is a self-study pack that will provide you with some useful background knowledge and invaluable preparation for the course. Work through the task and check your answers in the key. We do not collect the task, but you will find the course reflect the ideas and principles in the task.

How much money should I have with me for my four-week stay in Ukraine?

You’ll need to bring money with you to pay for accommodation (see above).
Some other indications of the cost of living:

• Food and drinks: quite reasonable prices; lunch, for example, costs around $5.
• Transport: The metro and bus system (if you need to use it) is very cheap – $ 0.25 for a trip.
• Other expenses: Allow around $20 a day average, or around $550 for the month doing the course, which is what past trainees say they spend during the course.

After the course

Am I guaranteed a teaching position if I complete the course?

We can never guarantee that a course participant will get a job. We provide training, not employment. But you are much more likely to find a position within in the TEFL community if you have done the course.

Does your school help with job guidance and placement inside Ukraine?

We do our best to give you as much help as we can. The course includes a session about finding work and we have information about IH schools vacancies around the world.
There is, however, no rock-solid guarantee of finding work. It depends, ultimately, on you and how well you do on the course as well as your motivation after completion to look for work in this field.

What would be my chances of finding employment?

This depends firstly on the local context where you have chosen to work.
Most schools run an “academic year” of three (or two) terms: in the northern hemisphere this is from September/October to June, (and in the southern hemisphere from March/April to December). Consequently, in Ukraine, schools are looking for their new teachers both around April/May to replace teachers that are leaving, and / or in the week or so before the first term of the academic year begins, i.e. late September, when they are adjusting timetables due to fluctuations in student numbers.

Many last-minute vacancies are filled in September and October. Some vacancies can occur in January, when new courses begin. At other times of the year work crops up regularly as new classes and in-company contracts can start, and most trainees who are persistent will find they have more than they can handle.

Roughly how much can a CELTA qualified teacher in Kiev expect to earn?

Pay and conditions vary a great deal. In Kiev you can expect between $800 and 1200 per month for 20 to 25 hours a week contact time. This will allow a reasonable standard of living and possibility to save.

Is there any form of dress code in teaching in Ukraine?

There is no special dress code for teachers in Ukrainian schools. Your clothes needs to be clean and neat (no torn jeans, for example, or shorts). However, in some business English teaching contexts and in teaching in some universities, men may be expected to wear a jacket and tie.
Smart but casual is the general rule for most teaching jobs in Ukraine.

Late applications

We will accept late applications if there are still places on the course.
Please note that wherever possible, correspondence with prospective course candidates is carried out by email.
We have a reputation for excellent response to applications, so if you do not hear from us within 48 hours of emailing us, please telephone + 38 044 2389796 to check the progress of your application.

Cancellations

In the case of cancellation four weeks or more before the course starting date, 30% of the total fee will be retained. With less than four weeks’ notice, 50% of our total fee will be retained. If cancellation occurs in the final ten days before the starting date, the total fee will be retained.

However, in certain exceptional circumstances we will consider transferring the fees to a later course.

No transfer is made if notice is insufficient to allow for the finding of a substitute candidate. In the event of a course being cancelled all fees will be refunded.

Email your questions to ttraining@ih.kiev.ua