Once you have registered with an Authorised Teaching Awards Centre, you will be asked to undertake some preparation. Your centre will send you a pack of materials which includes a little bit of reading and some questions for reflection.

Self Study Pack

It is a Cambridge regulation that you should complete all the tasks in this material in writing and take it to your chosen centre on the first day of your course. Your tutor only needs to check that you have done it and will give you an Answer Key to check whether your responses were acceptable. You will not be graded for your answers but the preparation will help you a lot during your course, especially if you are following an intensive one with little time for extensive reading.

Books

Free reading online

• Success on your Certificate Course in English Language Teaching This a book which you view almost in its entirety on Google Books and covers a lot of areas, not just the course. Worth a read. 

• Grammar for Teachers You can read this book freely on Google books. This is not a grammar for learners but it is addressed to people who are teaching or will be teaching the English Language.

Books you can buy

• Learning Teaching by Jim Scrivener - all you need to know about teaching during your CELTA and excellent pre-course reading.

• The Practice of English Language Teaching by Jeremy Harmer as an alternative to the one above.

• Teaching Tenses by Rosemary Aitken - great for lesson preparation.

Preparing for the CELTA - 15 Practical Suggestions, by Alex Case of TEFL.net