Job Discussion Forums

[yaramaz]

Am contemplating doing my DELTA sometime in the next year, just to move me up a notch in the drudge work jobs I'm so-far qualified for. Has anyone out there done theirs and regretted it or rejoiced in it? Is it worth the cash and time? Or should I just buckle down and go for the 2 year plus thesis brutal commitment of a more ego-tickling masters? I hope to move on to the Universities here in Ataturkia, so a trying to figure out what the next step is...

[dmb]

Do the Dip. you won't regret it. I can give you the contact details of ITI in Istanbul

[yaramaz]

Spanks, dmb. I looked around for info but it's confusing. Do I need a CELTA first? I have a 240 hr TESL/TEFL which is recognised by the Canadian TESOL organisation and is pretty much the same thing but under a different name. Also, one website said I must have at least 3 years experience teaching adults. Ooops. Maybe I shouldnt have worked in the primary school last year... Are they flexible in this regard? Technically I've been teaching in one way or another since early 2001, certified a year later.

Maybe I should have been a plumber...

[dmb]

They are a bit flexible. It depends on how you do in the interview stage.

[ghost]

Doing the DELTA course would be good from the standpoint of having a better resume/cv....but once you are employed somewhere, there is little difference between you and 'Jo Schmo' who has a one week TESL 'Diploma'....

Case in point...this poster has B.A., B.Ed., M.A., and a Post Grad. in TESL, but in language schools in Turkey was treated the same (and paid the same) as people with dubious TESL Certificates from anywhere TESL factories.

The Director of studies at one dubious school in Eskisehir, does not even have a High School Diploma....

Koleji - in Turkey who stipulate that their native English speakers have B.Ed.'s do not apply the rule...and the majority do not possess the coveted Diploma in Pedagogy.

The DELTA will get your foot in the door...but after that....not sure..

[yaramaz]

Any opinions from anyone inside Turkey who has actually done it and noticed a difference? ?I've had a few positive responses so I'm curious to know if ghost's assertion is true or if he was just looking in all the wrong places. I can't help thinking that DELTA is not seen in the same light as TEFLs in respectable places...

Either way I plan to buckle down and do a DELTA or an MA. Am trying to get out of the k12 system as it's destroying my sanity and ability to speak English...

[vre]

I think you should go for the DELTA. I did it and it is VERY hard work but it has made me a much better teacher in all respects. I learned so much and it was interesting and enjoyable- but HARD work.

Regarding employment, many places (besides N America it seems) are keen to take people with DELTA or MA. Your chances of getting a better position and be on a better pay scale are much greater. It just depends what you apply for and where. That's your responsibility. I recently applied for very good jobs and was pleasantly surprised by the responses, one of which I accepted.

If you want the practice AND the theory, do DELTA. If you want theory (mostly), do an MA TEFL.

Regarding Unis here, many accept people with DELTA or MA, others accept just BA and CELTA (or equiv.)

I agree with dmb, you won't regret it.

[ghost]

Doing the DELTA means you have to put up with the stress of time constraints and subjective evaluations from Teacher Trainers and peers...and not everyone enjoys that.

Some students fail the DELTA, and that is often a reflection of the course content, rather than the intrinsic ability (or lack thereof) of the student teacher. It is a 'cramming' type Diploma, and that is not for everyone.

Knowing Yaramaz, and the type of person she is, not sure that the DELTA would be the best course for her.

Yaramaz would, in this poster's opinion, do better in an M.A. course, largely theory and writing based, with some practicums thrown in.

In an M.A. course, Yaramaz could work more at her native pace, and choose electives which suit her interests. Some of the Turkish Universities do M.A. courses in English language.

There are also some M.A. courses from reputable Universities online, which you can do at your own pace. Sometimes they come under the umbrella of 'linguistics' and related fields. Check out: www.gradschools.com.

Doing the M.A. -Yaramaz would have several years to complete it, or complete it fast in about one and a half years of study.

[yaramaz]

I really wanted to argue with ghost but he's right, at least about my temperament. Dang it.

[ghost]

Correction - the stress aspect of the course applies mainly to those doing it on a full time basis.

You can also do DELTA part time, and that would probably be a better option for Yaramaz.

The course is no piece of cake, and those earning the Diploma will have jumped through a lot of hoops.

[lucy k]

Several teachers at my school have been working on the DELTA this year and have very good things to say about it. According to them it was well worth the time and effort (and from what I understand it was alot of effort!). At least at my school the DELTA is very valuable. It seems to me that the advantage of the DELTA is that it only takes one year and can be completed while teaching at the same time, rather than taking two years off for an M.A. I'm not sure how useful the DELTA is in North America. Any ideas about that? I had never heard of it until I came here.

It's a tough choice... good luck!

[FGT]

From the experience of people I've worked with over the years, I would suggest that the DELTA is definitely worthwhile - it's stimulating in itself, it's a measure of teachers who can really teach, in the right environment it will be rewarded.
The only reason I haven't done it is that it's been some years since there's been a DELTA course in Izmir, all that is about to change, apparently.
Anyone who wants to be put in contact with the tutor in Izmir should send me a P.M., I will pass on the tutor's phone number. The more candidates, the cheaper the price. (And I know he's good - he's had a very good success rate in the past).

[vre]

Well, 4/5 say DELTA. 1/5 namely Ghost says MA.

What do you think? maybe we should set up a vote?

[Faustino]

This artlce has recently appeared on the Guardian's website

http://education.guardian.co.uk/tefl/courses/story/0,15084,1369120,00.html

Delta shock

Mathew Brigham on what you might not know about the highest ELT teaching qualification in the world

Wednesday December 8, 2004

It may well be a myth, but the Delta - or diploma in English language teaching to adults, to give it its full title - is still regarded as the highest practical ELT teaching qualification out there. Having recently completed one, I feel it is time to examine this claim a little more closely.

I took the Cambridge Delta, which is taken by the majority of teachers and is, rightly or wrongly, generally regarded by employers as being superior to the Trinity diploma.

To begin with, let's look at the exam that has to be sat as part of the qualification. It lasts three and a half hours. Yes, you did read correctly - three and a half hours. How many teacher training courses do you know that examine teachers in this way nowadays?

In the exam, teachers are assessed on their abilities to evaluate a student text, an authentic text and a piece of ELT coursebook material against the clock. Teachers have to complete nine tasks, which include three lesson plans. How can this possibly be a reliable measure of whether the teacher can do these things in real life? In the real world we are encouraged to spend time assessing students' work, analysing authentic texts we might use in the classroom, as well as lesson planning. Restricting time to do these tasks seems to serve no purpose other than seeing how teachers react under pressure - although you could argue this is a fair thing to measure when you consider how hard ELT teachers have to work.

But to set such tasks in an exam implies that teaching is a solo effort. Teaching is never a solo effort. In the classroom we can have notes, a lesson plan, a reference book and whatever else we might need to help us. We can even use the students in front of us to negotiate meaning and discuss language points. Outside the classroom we can consult our colleagues and exchange ideas. While language awareness and teaching skills should be assessed, this way of doing it falls far short of what the exam claims to test.

And after you've taken the exam you have to wait up to three months for your results. If you fail(and some centres have a 50% failure rate) you have to wait another three months before you can have another crack at it. Pass or fail, neither way sits too comfortably with the mobile and transitory existence of the intrepid ELT teacher. Having to wait so long for your results may mean missing out on a plumb job. It may also mean that months after taking the exam you find yourself in another country teaching in a completely different context, with the exam becoming nothing but a distant memory.

So, what are the solutions? Scrap the exam? Yes. There are rumours that the exam will, eventually, be scrapped, but in the meantime why not simply make the exam an open book test, ie let candidates take reference books into the exam? This would better reflect the day-to-day reality of using other resources to help us teach. Or Cambridge could make the exam a one-day assessment where the candidates can have more time, and can talk and help each other with the various questions. This would be even better as the pressure would be off and, again, it would reflect what we do on a daily basis.

Delta recognition
According to the Cambridge website: "Cambridge Esol also works with international ELT organisations to ensure the acceptance of Delta globally." What this means in practice I don't know, but I do know the following ...

A Delta may open the necessary doors of the British Council, some universities and private language schools, but you are certainly unlikely to be rewarded financially for your efforts. In many private language schools sometimes the difference between having the qualification or not is as little as 50p per hour, which would mean three years until you have paid off your course fees. I don't think you need reminding about the low salaries paid in language schools, even in English speaking countries.

As for overseas universities, a Delta may make little difference as these institutions often follow the American system, favouring an MA in Tesol. This is despite the fact that these universities will often be employing people for the sole purpose of teaching, not any higher level work. It's true that many masters degrees do now include a teaching component, but the lack of standardisation means they can vary enormously. More alarmingly, many MAs don't actually include any practical teaching component at all.

So what can we do? Not a lot really, at least not in the next few years. But I hope in some way I have shed a little light on what fate may await any future Delta candidates, and, if not, at least writing this article passed the time while I wait three months before being able to apply for a job.

[dmb]

The writer is a bit selective in his article. The final exam is I think fairly easy as candidates 'know' the questions before they sit it. Ask anyone who has done it but far more difficult and stressful is the extended assignment and of course the observations, especially the external one.