Five Things to Know Before Taking the CELTA in London

If you’re thinking about training as an English teacher, there’s a good chance you’ve already heard about CELTA. It’s the most widely recognised initial teaching qualification for teaching English as a foreign language, awarded by Cambridge. Choosing to take your CELTA in London means joining one of the most vibrant teacher training communities in the world, right in the heart of a city that attracts students and teachers from every corner of the globe.

But what’s it really like to do the CELTA in London? Here are five things you’ll want to know before you apply.

1. CELTA in London is a Globally Recognised Qualification

CELTA (Certificate in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages) is awarded by Cambridge Assessment, part of the University of Cambridge. Whether you complete it in London, online, or in another city, the certificate you receive is exactly the same. Employers worldwide will recognise it as proof that you’ve had intensive, hands-on training in how to teach English.

What makes CELTA in London stand out is the training environment. Our courses are run in partnership with St Giles London Central, right beside Russell Square. Trainees get to teach real adult learners of English in a city that’s as international as the qualification itself. It’s a chance to earn a global certificate while experiencing one of the most diverse classrooms you’ll ever step into.

2. CELTA London Courses Come in Different Formats

Not every candidates for a CELTA has the same schedule or needs, so we run CELTA in London in several different formats:

• Full-time, face-to-face (London centre): Runs Monday to Friday, 9:15am–5:30pm. A typical day includes input sessions with tutors, assisted lesson planning, teaching practice with real learners, and detailed feedback on your teaching. It’s intensive! A four-week experience that will completely immerse you in teaching.

• Full-time, online (Zoom): Runs Monday to Friday, 9:00am–5:00pm. The structure is very similar to the face-to-face timetable, with live online input sessions, collaborative planning, and online teaching practice with real groups of students. You’ll still be working with Cambridge-approved tutors and finish with the exact same certificate.

• Part-time, face-to-face (London centre): Designed for people working or studying alongside CELTA. Input sessions run on Saturday mornings (10:00am–1:00pm), and teaching practice plus feedback takes place on Tuesday and Thursday evenings (6:00pm–9:30pm).

• Part-time, online (Zoom): A more flexible option with one long weekly Zoom session (5–6 hours) plus self-study units, which still includes live online teaching practice. Ideal if you can’t commit to regular weekday attendance but still want Cambridge’s gold-standard CELTA.

Whichever option you choose, your CELTA training in London is structured to give you the same certificate, the same number of teaching practice hours, and the same internationally recognised qualification.

3. Living and Studying in London

One of the biggest practical questions trainees have is what it’s like to study CELTA in London. The short answer: it’s very manageable.

Most of our trainees already live in London or nearby, so commuting is the norm. The training centre is next to Russell Square station on the Piccadilly Line, making it easy to reach from across the city. It’s also within walking distance of major stations like King’s Cross, St Pancras and Euston, ideal if you’re coming in from outside London.

If you’re moving to London just for the course, short-term accommodation is easy to find on platforms like Airbnb and Booking.com. If you wish, we can also help you arrange homestay accommodation with London families. This can be a good way to keep costs down and have a base during your CELTA training.

Of course, London is one of the world’s most vibrant cities, and studying here means you’ll be surrounded by culture, history and entertainment. But during the CELTA, most trainees discover that evenings and weekends are best spent preparing lesson plans or resting. It’s an intensive course!

4. CELTA Tutors and Training in London

A key strength of our London CELTA courses is the tutor team. The team is made up of Jo, Phil, Neil, Elaine and Rebecca, all Cambridge-approved trainers with decades of combined experience in English language teaching and teacher training, who regularly receive outstanding feedback from both Cambridge assessors and trainees.

What does that mean for you? It means every input session, every piece of feedback, and every piece of advice you get during the course comes from a trainer who knows the CELTA inside out and has guided hundreds of teachers before you.

It also means you’ll be part of a truly international classroom. London attracts learners from across the globe, so your teaching practice students might be from Spain, Brazil, China, Turkey or Poland, often all in the same group. That diversity makes CELTA in London uniquely rewarding: you’re not just learning to teach English, you’re learning to connect with people from many different cultures.

5. What to Expect Day-to-Day on a London CELTA Course

The CELTA in London is full-on, and that’s exactly why it works. Here’s how the full-time face-to-face timetable is structured:

• Morning input sessions (9:15–12:30): Workshops led by your tutors on teaching techniques, language analysis, classroom management and more.

• Assisted lesson planning: You’ll work with tutors and peers to plan your upcoming teaching practice lessons.

• Teaching practice (afternoons): You’ll teach real adult learners of English, observed by tutors and peers. Each trainee delivers 6 hours of assessed teaching across the course.

• Feedback sessions: After teaching, you’ll reflect with your group and tutors, receiving practical advice on what worked and what to improve.

The online full-time timetable is almost identical, but is flipped the other way round, with teaching practice in the morning and input sessions in the afternoon. The part-time formats spread the same components across evenings or weekends, allowing you to fit CELTA training around other commitments.

Whichever timetable you choose, you’ll be challenged, supported, and constantly learning. By the end, most trainees are amazed at how much progress they’ve made in just a few weeks.

How to Apply for a CELTA in London

Applying for a CELTA course in London is a three-step process. The first step is to fill in our online application form. You’ll then be asked to complete a written pre-interview task, followed by an interview with one of our tutors.

You can view all upcoming CELTA London course dates and fees on our dedicated course page. From there, you can apply directly for the course that suits your schedule.

Final Thoughts

Taking the CELTA in London is an investment in your future as an English teacher. You’ll gain a qualification recognised worldwide, train with some of the most experienced tutors in the field, and join a community of teachers and learners at the heart of one of the world’s most dynamic cities.

Whether you choose the full-time face-to-face course, the flexible part-time option, or the online CELTA with London tutors, you’ll leave with the same Cambridge certificate, and the skills to teach English anywhere in the world.

Ready to take the next step? Explore our CELTA London course dates and fees here.