CELTA advice from Eleanor Spicer-Lundholm

Eleanor Spicer-Lundholm is a CELTA tutor at IH Santiago de Compostela in Spain


How long were you an EFL teacher, and how long have you been a teacher trainer?

I have been a teacher of English since 1980, and a Teacher Trainer since 1986. Originally, I trained as a teacher of Contemporary Dance.

What are your hopes/aspirations for your trainees?

My hope is that my trainees will become excited about language, that they will absorb the methodology we promote, and will put this methodology into practice in their own individual way. 

When you were an EFL teacher what did you like most, and how do you bring that into the classroom for your trainees?

What I enjoy most is noticing those moments when my students or trainees begin to understand or unravel elements of language or methodology which they hadn’t understood before.  

What advice would you give your trainees for successfully completing the course?

The advice I would give to my trainees for successfully completing the course is to ‘organise your time and think about your next lesson more than your last’.  

What advice would you give your trainees for an interesting and rewarding career?

I would encourage trainees to ‘aim at appearing totally committed to each moment you teach and never to give the impression that you would rather be doing something else instead’.