I was still on cloud nine after getting my CELTA, I was seriously considering changing careers to become a full-time English teacher. Just as a reminder, I had never taught before.

But I was quickly confronted with a reality: There was a world of difference between getting a CELTA and actually landing a first teaching job. The major thing working against me was: My complete and utter lack of teaching experience.

Then an email arrived from the language centre where I’d trained. There were four part-time teaching positions available. I applied and, less than a month after finishing the course, I was hired. Suddenly I had real classes, real students (aged between 11 to 50 years old) and a timetable of 15 teaching hours per week. During the CELTA, our adult students knew we were trainees. My new students weren’t necessarily going to be quite so understanding.

We’d been told to expect levels from elementary to intermediate. My timetable included upper-intermediate and advanced classes. A single 90-minute lesson could take me seven or eight hours to plan. Welcome to the world of teaching!

Teachers support teachers!

Luckily, I wasn’t completely on my own. Our new-teacher induction included a buddy system: each of us was paired with an experienced colleague who helped with planning, paperwork and all the little procedures nobody thinks to explain. I still think a good teaching buddy is one of the best inventions ever.

I also joined an internal programme called Certificate Plus. The newly hired teachers met our line manager for two hours each week to connect teaching theory with what was actually happening in our classrooms. It was like continuing the CELTA, only at a more manageable pace. Those sessions, especially the ones on classroom management, saved me more than once.

Teenagers versus adults

Reminder: the CELTA prepares you to teach adults, not any other age group. Most adults who attend language classes arrive motivated, prepared and full of questions.

Teenagers are a different story. Some are keen to learn; others would rather chat with their friends, sleep or test how far they can push you. Within one class, the differences in confidence, ability and motivation can be huge.

My biggest struggle wasn’t explaining grammar. It was managing 18 or 19 teenagers at once. I had to learn to set routines, handle interruptions and earn respect without shouting or turning into the mean teacher. Getting everyone to open the book to the correct page without repeating myself ten times felt like a major milestone.

And group work? Not everyone welcomes it. Some students insist on working only with friends; others refuse to work with anyone. You learn that even the most straightforward activity needs clear instructions, modelling and patience.

 Classroom teaching is ONLY the tip of the iceberg

Teaching was only the visible part of the job. There was attendance to record, lateness to track, fire drill procedures to learn, diagnostic speaking and writing assessments to complete. I also had to attend several pedagogical meetings, familiarise myself with examination procedures and understand how the end-of-term assessments worked.

Another challenge was learning how to assess students’ levels accurately and make appropriate recommendations. Who needed more time at their current level? Who should repeat a level? And who was ready to skip one and move straight to a higher level? Sometimes I recommended moving a student down, only to be told that the placement couldn’t be changed because they’d been in that class the previous year.

Then came the technology. I’m not exactly an IT expert, and the school computers and digital coursebooks seemed to know it. Learning how to use the different software programs that came with each coursebook took a lot of time. So did figuring out how to use the interactive whiteboards. I arrived early to make sure everything worked. And, of course, the photocopier always chose the worst possible moment to jam, break down or reject my passcode.

And just when you thought you had finally got your head around your regular teaching responsibilities, there was always something else to prepare for. On average, once a term, we had special events or competitions that had to be incorporated into our lessons. For example, for Earth Day, we had to teach a specific lesson, encourage students to participate in an international competition, supervise their work, make sure they completed everything correctly and submit their entries to the administration. All of this had to fit around our usual teaching schedule.

There were also regular Parents’ Days, which sometimes took place on teaching days and meant having to rearrange or miss part of our scheduled classes.

And then there was placement testing, which turned out to be one of the most useful additional responsibilities I had. At first, I had to shadow experienced teachers and observe how they conducted placement tests for new students. These included speaking and writing assessments to determine which level was most suitable for each learner. After observing several teachers and learning the procedures, I gradually started conducting and supervising these tests myself. And I must admit, I learned an incredible amount from the experience. It helped me develop a much better understanding of language levels, students’ abilities and how to assess them, which proved extremely useful in my own classes later on.

Lesson planning all the time

During the CELTA, I planned a maximum of three lessons in a busy week. Now I was teaching five days a week, often several hours a day. I over planned because I was terrified of running out of things to do. I’d spend hours hunting for the perfect worksheet and then insist on using it, even when it didn’t really suit the class.

I was trying to apply everything I’d learned during the CELTA at once. I spent most of my free time preparing lessons, flipcharts, worksheets and activities. You start working at home to prepare for the work you’ll do at work. Then you arrive early to print and cut things out, teach all day, attend meetings, mark students’ work and go home to start again. So much for work-life balance.

I eventually realised that a simple, well-structured lesson is often better than an elaborate one packed with activities students can’t keep up with. And no plan survives every classroom. I’ve had a building-wide power cut, activities that ended far too early, activities that took twice as long and moments when I realised I’d forgotten to print something. You learn to improvise.

Am I good enough?

Observations were another reality check. There were peer observations, surprise visits from senior teachers and formal observations where every decision seemed to be under a microscope. Feedback could feel much harsher than it had during the CELTA, especially when it meant another observation or an urgent change to my teaching.

I compared myself with experienced colleagues, took criticism personally and questioned my abilities after difficult lessons. I sometimes cried alone in my car. When you’re still hoping for a permanent contract, the pressure to prove yourself is enormous. One lesson can make you wonder whether you’ve chosen the wrong career.

But a bad lesson doesn’t make you a bad teacher. It means you had a bad lesson. That’s a distinction I wish I’d understood sooner.

Still, it is worth it!

Then you notice the quiet student who never raised a hand starting to speak. The one who was afraid of making mistakes joins a group activity. A student remembers something you explained weeks ago. Or you finish a lesson on time and, miraculously, everyone understands the instructions the first time. Those moments matter. They remind you why you started.

The CELTA gave me a solid foundation, but having your own students, and being responsible for their progress, is a different experience altogether. For me, it took at least two years of full-time teaching before much of the theory really clicked. The more situations I faced, the more I understood the reasons behind what I’d learned. Teaching gets easier when you stop trying to deliver a perfect plan and start responding to the students in front of you.

DO’S	DON’TS
Ask your colleagues for help, experienced teachers help you navigate your first year; observe them teaching whenever you can.	Don’t follow the coursebook to the letter. Adapt activities to your students’ needs, abilities and interests.
Revisit your CELTA notes and materials regularly.	Don’t overcomplicate your lessons: Less is more.
Listen to your students, their responses tell you a lot about what is and isn’t working in your lessons.	Don’t assume that something is easy just because it seems easy to you.
Check your teaching materials beforehand: Even published materials can contain typos, incorrect answers or unsuitable content.	Don’t ignore your students’ backgrounds and sensitivities. Be mindful of cultural and religious differences. Avoid unnecessarily controversial or inappropriate topics that could make students uncomfortable or create conflict in the classroom.
Get familiar with the technology used in your school.	Don’t rely entirely on technology. Computers freeze, projectors stop working… Always have a Plan B.
Remember that practice makes perfect. The more you teach, the more you learn from your mistakes.