Comments on: Grade Education Centre

By: Serhii

Serhii — Thu, 13 Sep 2018 21:09:00 +0000

Doing CELTA was something I looked forward to for almost a year. I felt that I needed it and the course definitely met my expectations.

I knew that it is quite challenging and it was, and I am happy I managed to enjoy the ride.

I really appreciate all the input the tutors gave and all the feedback I received, especially the fact that it was very timely and to the point. Practical advice on how to improve the “mechanics” of my teaching as well as planning lessons and developing courses is something I already make active use of, and I see that it radically improves my professional performance.

The staff of GRADE is very helpful and friendly and every time there was a request adressed to them they did a perfect job at making sure everything was being taken care of as quickly as possible. Access to the facilities is really unique and any necessary resourses for doing the course were provided, so GRADE does an excellent job of that. Thank you!

To sum it up, I really had the time of my life in July of 2018, and I will definitely recommend doing CELTA at GRADE to my colleagues.

By: Sedrick

Sedrick — Wed, 05 Sep 2018 17:35:09 +0000

My experience of the CELTA course was completely positive. It was really rewarding and informative. I have had high-quality training from experienced tutors, really helpful, friendly and very supportive and the center had a warm and welcoming atmosphere. I would highly recommend the course to anyone looking to pursue teaching English.

By: Daria G.

Daria G. — Thu, 05 Jul 2018 08:44:49 +0000

The course was challenging; I was on the verge of my physical capacity most of the time. It will be a big-time challenge if you set out to dilligently do everything required of you, not just dash through it, barely meeting minimum requirements to get a pass. Some tutor inputs were super helpful, while others were totally out of place and required an extra effort to stay awake after reduced sleeping hours due to the overall workload.

Ben Hammond surely was a valuable asset to the course. His inputs were most interesting; his TP feedback was thoroughly practical and up to the point. Ben always knew what could be improved about your lesson, and was insightful.

All in all, once you have completed your CELTA course, you will never be the same again. But you will surely not regret it.

By: Alla Klimchuk

Alla Klimchuk — Thu, 05 Jul 2018 08:32:36 +0000

I completed CELTA course in June 2018. I have a considerable teaching experience, however, I found the course really useful: it helped me to bring the skills I have to a solid structure and to develop some new teaching skills. I enjoyed most inputs, as they were interactive and informative; the general atmosphere was very friendly despite some pressure of the deadlines; the tutors were supportive. I would recommend this course to anybody who wants to improve their teaching.

By: Galyna Richter

Galyna Richter — Thu, 05 Jul 2018 08:29:18 +0000

Doing CELTA is definitely one of the best teacher’s decisions. During the course I’ve reconsidered a lot . Even seemingly obvious things became brighter and even though I used to read a lot about teaching, CELTA has sufficiently reinforced the knowledge I had and made it more practical. The tutors and the administrators in Grade Education Centre are very helpful and supportive, which makes your survival easier. Dear future candidate, please don’t hesitate and apply for the course as soon as you can. Many teachers say it’s very hard and it frightens you? Hmmm…. It depends. Just keep calm and write your lesson plans and assignments! I did it, I survived, I’m thankful. Good luck!

By: Olha

Olha — Wed, 04 Oct 2017 09:00:32 +0000

Don’t believe anyone who tells you that the course is challenging. On the contrary, it is enjoyable and only your attitude makes it difficult or easy for you:) This course makes you step out of your comfort zone, reevaluate your teaching practice and improve your time management skills. Are you ready for this?:)

By: John M.

John M. — Mon, 02 Oct 2017 13:43:39 +0000

I learned more and worked harder for my Pass B than I have ever worked for a course. The tutors and my colleagues were extremely friendly and accommodating. Americans don’t really learn the grammar rules and names anymore, so I was a bit behind the rest of my cohort, but everyone was so helpful and considerate that I still did well.

I recommend that anyone looking for cheap accommodation simply google “kiev apartment rental” and find an apartment near the school and public transport. Uber is cheap if you’re in a pinch.

As a foreigner, I never felt unsafe in Kiev, though I wish I had studied a bit of Russian to help make grocery shopping easier.

As far as the course, it was a great experience, but there was much more work than I expected. I assumed, incorrectly, that having experience teaching ESL and being a graduate student that it would require little time outside of the course. Plan to only work on this course while taking it. I had time to go out some Fridays and meet new friends but the majority of my time was spent on the coursework. It is advisable to buddy up with your colleagues early, and to get ahead on the assignments so that you can get feedback.

It is warm and humid in the summer in Kiev, so light business casual is recommended. I can’t speak to the climate any other time of the year.

I was able to buy a simcard for incredibly cheap and a bus card was also very cheap.

You will be given a lot of paper with your lessons, but Europe does not use the same 3-ring notebooks or hole punches as America, so I’d recommend either bringing your own or planning to purchase those things there. Both items are considerably bulkier and more expensive, so it may be best to make room in your bags for at least a 3-inch binder and a slim hole punch. Also be sure to bring plenty of notebook paper.

The tutors are great. Anastasia and Andrew are very knowledgeable.

By: Maria

Maria — Sat, 02 Jul 2016 04:25:46 +0000

When I enrolled for the course I didn’t have high expectations about studying in Ukraine, BUT CELTA in ‘Grade’ turned out to be the best experience in my life! The tutors are very knowledgeable, supportive and professional!

By: Lyubov Doronina

Lyubov Doronina — Thu, 06 Aug 2015 16:43:58 +0000

I’ve recently completed my CELTA course in Grade education center (June 29 – July 24). It was a marvelous and outstanding experience for me. Every day we learned something new from our tutors and from each other.

Our tutors (Svitlana and Aysel) were extremely supportive and treated us like their friends. All our questions were addressed and everything was explained in detail.

What I liked most of all is that we didn’t have university lectures – our tutors did their best to help us try everything ourselves (I’ll never forget learning Thai at our imput session with Zo Zo).

CELTA helped me to identify my strong and action points, so now I know what I should work on. I think this is very important for professional development.

I really loved the environment we worked in: everyone was happy to assist, advise and support. It was really hard to say goodbye to each other on the last day of the course.

I highly recommend CELTA for everyone who wants professional development. I enjoyed every day of this course.

By: Oksana Nazarchuk

Oksana Nazarchuk — Sun, 19 Apr 2015 11:01:00 +0000

I have just finished a part-time CELTA course at Grade education Centre which was a very valuable experience for me as a teacher. The course was well organised with the workload evenly distributed over the course of two months. The course tutors were very professional and conducted extremely useful input sessions as well as offered really helpful feedback after practice teaching. The best outcome of the course for me is that my students really enjoy the way my teaching has changed and that I myself started enjoying my work even more. Thank you, Grade!