Job Discussion Forums

[mibo]

I HAVE BEEN THINKING ABOUT THE DISTANCE DELTA, AND HAVE BEEN LEANING TOWARDS THE TRINITY VERSION. HAS ANYONE DONE IT, ANY COMMENTS, RECOMMEND A SCHOOL, WHAT ARE THE COSTS AFTER EVERYTHING...CHEERS

[Stephen Jones]

Go to Sheffield Hallam's web site. The credits count towards an MA

[Chris_Crossley]

Sheffield Hallam's Trinity Diploma course is, I find, somewhat expensive, even if it does count towards an MA degree in TEFL.

Two alternatives I think are more cost-effective are those provided by St George's International (SGI) in London and by Inlingua in Cheltenham, both in England. Each of them is a distance learning course which also involves a full-time teaching practice period in the UK itself. Details can be found at the following URL addresses:

For SGI: http://www.tesoltraining.co.uk

For Inlingua Cheltenham: http://www.inlingua-cheltenham.co.uk

The University of Dundee (Scotland) has a distance-learning MA in Teaching Modern Languages to Adults (TMLA). The last time I looked at the site, it said that the Trinity Diploma (or DELTA) could count towards the equivalent of the first-year, so direct second-year entry was possible for those who already had the Diploma. Further details can be found at http://www.dundee.ac.uk/languagestudies/teachers/Structure/Over-Structure.htm

Last academic year, the distance learning fee for those studying outside the UK was 1,500 GBP per module, though it may have increased for this year. I do not believe that attendance is required for the Dundee degree, though I believe that there may be an optional induction weekend at the start for those who can get to the university.

[James Stunell]

I did mine at inlingua Cheltenham and can thoroughly recommend it. What particularly impressed me was the way that I never felt isolated while working from abroad, as we all kept in touch via chatroom. They were brutally honest too - if I produced something that was crap, then they made sure I knew it was crap. It felt a little brutal at times but they got me through it first time, with no re-takes, so I'm not complaining. Be aware, though, that the diploma is no walk in the park. I'd been teaching for 12 years before I took mine and quite arrogantly thought it was something like a mere formality for someone of my experience. It was not, believe me. Nothing could have prepared me for how tough it was going to be in terms of workload and in terms of the level of teaching perfection required. For a respectable 36 year-old man, I came ridiculously close to crying at times, I can tell you.