English. If the written task demonstrates an appropriate level of English and the potential to develop the skills needed to pass the course, the applicant will be invited to an interview. The nature of the interview varies from centre to centre. It may be an individual interview or a group interview and may be conducted face-to-face, on the telephone or on Skype. The interview is an opportunity for centres to provide information to candidates, as well as to assess candidates’ potential to successfully complete the course (i.e. candidates will be asked to show how they think about language and learning/teaching English). The average cost of taking a CELTA course around the world is about USD 2000. Course aims and main features CELTA is an initial teacher training qualification designed to help candidates acquire and improve the skills needed for teaching English, with an emphasis on hands-on teaching practice. The official course aims are as follows. The course enables candidates to: Acquire essential subject knowledge and familiarity with the principles of effective teaching Acquire a range of practical skills for teaching English to adult learners Demonstrate their ability to apply their learning in a real teaching context. CELTA programmes are designed by individual centres using the syllabus and course aims provided by Cambridge English Language Assessment. The syllabus consists of five topic areas: Topic 1 – Learners and teachers, and the teaching and learning context Topic 2 – Language analysis and awareness Topic 3 – Language skills: reading, listening, speaking and writing Topic 4 – Planning and resources for different teaching contexts Topic 5 – Developing teaching skills and professionalism. The exact nature of the programme will vary from centre to centre. Programmes may also vary year on year to reflect changes in technology and teacher training methodology. However, all courses will have a minimum of 120 contact hours and will include the following components: Input Supervised lesson planning Teaching practice (six assessed hours) Feedback on teaching Peer observation Observation of experienced teachers (minimum six hours) Consultation time. Candidates are expected to dedicate an additional 80 hours for required reading, research, pre- and post-session tasks, assignments and lesson preparation. Course syllabus The CELTA syllabus consists of five topic areas, which are each assessed through a combination of teaching practice and written assignments. The following section outlines the main content points covered in each topic – the full Learning Outcomes are available