I did CELTA in 2016 at Language Link Rostov, Russia. There has never been a day I regretted. Every single bit of the course was highly professional and enjoyable. The tutors were always ready to give a helping hand. We were packed with tons of useful materials. Trainee folders contained a range of articles, tutorials and samples.

I had known little about the course before I enrolled. After having done the pre-course task and all the interviews, I got an email with some materials and a reading list. Probably, it was all covered, but just two books were revisited every day during the course.

Scrivener, J. Learning Teaching, MacMillan Books for Teachers

This is a Holy Bible of teaching. I wish I had read this book when I was struggling with my first lessons ever. It will help you understand every aspect of what’s going on in the classroom. Not least, it’s packed with practical – and immediately useable – activities. I have lots of takeaways which I keep using: needs analysis templates, ideas on how to write down new vocabulary, classroom management tips and what not.

Harmer, J. The Practice of English Language Teaching, Longman

One more essential guide for English teachers. After reading this, you will have a deeper understanding of language theories, methods and techniques. There are chapters on learners and teaches, teaching receptive and productive skills, and – my favourite – problem behaviour and what to do about it.

These two books, in my opinion, are basics of the basics. You will need them to be more aware of what your tutors are talking about during input sessions. Also, you will refer to Scrivener and Harmer a lot while writing CELTA assignments.

During the course and later after that I added many more resources to the list.

Harmer, J. Essential Teacher Knowledge, Pearson

A great book for teachers who are just starting out. More experienced ones will find something to take away too. It combines essential theory, practical teaching advice and classroom ideas.I personally loved the chapters Managing Learning and Teaching and Planning, Resources and Assessment. It will also introduce you to CLIL (aka Content and Language Integrated Learning) and share some ideas on teaching young learners.

Thornbury, S., Watkins, P. The CELTA Course Trainee Book, CUP

Not the main book of the course, as it seems to me, but can be used for reference and preparation. The course consists of 40 units covering the most general topics, and extensive supplementary material. You will also get a resource file with a glossary and some recommendations on further reading.

Swan, M., Smith, B. Learner English, CUP

This book describes the typical problems and error-patterns of a wide range of learners of English from particular language backgrounds. One of 4 assignments on CELTA course is about a learner. You will have to write a profile about one particular student and analyse their strengths, weaknesses and mistakes. The above-mentioned book will be of great use here.

Parrott, M. Grammar for English Language Teachers, CUP

This book is designed to help practising and trainee teachers to develop their knowledge of English grammar systems. It will answer all the questions you have about grammar. Use it for reference while doing Language Analysis for your lesson plans or assignments.

Underhill, A. Sound Foundations, MacMillan Books for Teachers

This one is an ideal introduction to the English phonological system. The first half of the book is a description of the system. It will help you categorize the sounds better. The second half consists of creative and practical activities which you can use to help your students improve their pronunciation. I used it a lot for the pronunciation part of language analyses.

Hewings, M. English Pronunciation in Use series, CUP

This series is perfect for self-study and classroom activities. As English pronunciation has never been my strong suit, I struggled a lot during the course. The book by Underhill combined with Pronunciation in Use helped me a great deal. It will give you a clear idea of all areas of English pronunciation, including individual sounds, word stress, connected speech and intonation.

Apart from these books, there is a smaller selection of CELTA materials which I found useful.

Jo Gakonga She is a CELTA trainer and an assessor who runs an online CELTA preparation course. Her YouTube videos are a real gem and highly useful for trainees to watch.

Sandy Millin She has a great post with the useful links for CELTA. If you are considering the course, tap the link and enjoy the reading. It will shed light on, probably, all the aspects of the course.

Languages International school of New Zealand website When you get to the website, find the Teacher Training section there. It includes the ESOL Teaching Skills Task Book with a huge range of downloadable resources. Some of them were given to us by our tutors as part of the input sessions. The answer keys are provided, so you can use it for self-study as well.

This list or resources should not be considered exhaustive, for sure. However, it has more than enough to offer to someone who is just planning on taking a CELTA course but knows little about it.

Enjoy the reading, and – pass A, everyone!