Hungarian EFL Teachers’ Experiences of CELTA

The Certificate in English Language Teaching to Adults (CELTA) is widely recognized as the most prominent English language teaching qualification. Although originally aimed at Native Speakers (NS), CELTA has become popular amongst non-native speaker (NNS) teachers in recent years due to its worldwide reputation. There is limited research focusing on NNS teachers’ CELTA experiences, which is why this study explored the CELTA experiences of Hungarian English as a Foreign Language teachers. This qualitative study involved reflective narratives and semi structured interviews with three teachers, which were analysed using thematic analysis. The obtained data revealed that participants had similar perceptions of CELTA to teachers from other parts of the world (Anderson, 2016, 2018, 2020; Aydin et al., 2016; Tang, 2020). For instance, they found CELTA useful for enhancing their teaching skills and improving job prospects. Additionally, this study helped identify new reasons for enrolment, such as seeking a challenge and new inspiration. It also had implications for CELTA trainers and training providers by highlighting the challenges and experiences of non-native teachers.