Job Discussion Forums

lawsteveunfortunately · Joined: 25 Aug 2005 Posts: 9

I am writing to ask for advice on the DELTA course- I have three years experience in Taiwan, Latvia, and Poland, and I am considering doing the DELTA this Summer. Is it worth it? Does anyone know the chances of getting a British Council job armed with one? What would be the best move for a newly qualified DELTA teacher?

Thankyou so much for any help.

Steve

dmb · Joined: 12 Feb 2003 Posts: 8397

Definitely do it. But if you want to work with the BC, get a job with them and they will pay for you to do the DELTA, if you sign away your life for a couple of years.

kaw · Posted: Sat Apr 08, 2006 5:46 pm Post subject: DELTA

Regarding working for the BC and the DELTA - a lot depends on where you want to work. Most of the more popular places do say that having the Dip is essential - others - it's an advantage. If you get shortlisted they'll usually choose someone with it over someone that hasn't.
I've been with the BC for just over a year now and didn't have the dip. I went off to IH Seville to do it in September. As far as dmb's comments go about the BC paying for it - it's partly correct. The individual centre has a certain amount in the training budget and help may also be availble from London however this won't cover all your costs - I got a bit over �1000 for mine - which after paying for flights etc didn't go very far.
You don't have to sign your life away either. I have the choice either to work for another year with the BC (any centre) or repay it if I leave earlier.

Hope that helps

dmb · Joined: 12 Feb 2003 Posts: 8397

Good comments from Kaw. I am pro Dip but anti BC. Does that make sense? Probably a regional thing. There are 2 companies that offer the Dip in Istanbul. One of them is the BC and the other isn't. guess which one I don't work for?

But at the end of the day a DELTA from RSA UCLES is DELTA from RSA UCLES

Gregor · Joined: 06 Jan 2005 Posts: 842 Location: Jakarta, Indonesia

Do the Dip. DELTA or Trinity London. Either one. If you are an ESL professional, you will be happy you did the course. Most of us (including the OP, if I read it right) are concerned with job opportunities, and rightly so. But the dip. course had another effect that I didn't think of, in my thoughts of the jobs it might make available to me - It made me a MUCH better teacher, and it made my job a lot easier. It was the best course I have ever done, and the results were almost immediate. I was just amazed.
Just FYI, I did the Trinity College, London course. I'm sure the DELTA is just as good.

lozwich · Joined: 25 May 2003 Posts: 1536

Does anyone have any thoughts on the DELTA vs MA TESOL/Applied Linguistics conundrum?

Cheers,
Lozwich.

snorklequeen

i'm curious, guys, being a newbie -- do the CELTA and the DELTA have different purposes? or is CELTA another option to DELTA? is DELTA available in the US?

tks,

Queenie

Gordon · Joined: 28 Jan 2003 Posts: 5309 Location: Japan

Kent F. Kruhoeffer · Joined: 22 Jan 2003 Posts: 2129 Location: 中国

British Council & International House

offer the DELTA via distance, fyi:

The Distance DELTA

"Designed and delivered by the British Council
and International House and validated by the
Cambridge ESOL."

Thailand teaching and travel resources available here :::: The Master Index Thailand ::::

ls650 · Joined: 10 May 2003 Posts: 3484 Location: British Columbia

nomadykaty · Joined: 03 May 2004 Posts: 60

A DELTA course runs roughly 20 weeks or 6 months. I've never heard of a 3 month DELTA.

snorklequeen · Posted: Sun Apr 09, 2006 6:30 pm Post subject: DELTA / CELTA

thanks, gordon, Kent ls650 and nomadykaty for your answers! Very Happy

you guys answered some other questions, too!

cheers,

Queenie

Stephen Jones · Joined: 21 Feb 2003 Posts: 4124

kaw · Posted: Mon Apr 10, 2006 10:10 am Post subject:

The Dip (full time) lasts between 8-10 weeks on average - depends on the centre. Depending on when you do it - the exam may be a couple of months after which is something to consider. I was lucky. I finished mine end of November and did the exam in December. Colleagues of mine did theirs in the summer then had to wait for the December exam date - the exam's in June & December.
With regards to the Trinty vs Cambridge Dip - the Council (from my expeience) seem to prefer the Cambridge and offer more funding for it as well.
As regards the MA/DELTA - depends on where you want to teach. For Uni jobs in the Middle East - an MA will open many more doors to you and is pretty much essential - I don't know about other parts of the world but am sure there's someone out there who can help. As far as the BC are concerned - an MA won't get you very far - they do prefer teachers to have the Dip (being practical rather than just theory it's understandable I guess). You could always do the Dip and then follow on with an MA - some universities do offer exemptions if you have it.

K

acwilliams · Posted: Tue Apr 11, 2006 6:02 am Post subject:

My distance Dip ended up taking nine months... it would have been six, but I fell ill and had to postpone part of the course and my exam date. Luckily the tutors were very helpful and understanding.

Anyone considering a distance DELTA needs to think long and hard about whether they really have the time and energy to do it well and get the most out of it. I was working full-time while I did mine. I remember feeling very sad and frustrated that I couldn't devote the necessary time to reading more widely and just thinking about all the new ideas.

In the end, I passed, but not with high marks (the marks as such don't matter to me, but I think they are an accurate reflection of how much I absorbed from the course). If I could go back in time and do it again, I'd either do a full-time course, or work only a few hours a week while doing a distance course.

I certainly don't mean to discourage anyone from doing a DELTA. Just be realistic about the workload involved.