Do you want to be a Top TEFL Teacher ? Here's how you can teach with greater confidence, get experience in teacher training, find a job with more responsibility and even move up into TEFL management: We guarantee you'll get new ideas for your lessons!
•   Diploma Course Aims   •   Diploma Course Content   •   Success on the Course   •   Assessment / Exams   •   Course Programme	•   Practical Details   •   Dates and Prices   •   F A Q's   •   Key Reading List   •   Terms & Conditions   •   Apply Now

Our DIP TESOL is an advanced teaching qualification. If you have 2 years' EFL experience (960 hours classroom teaching), and plan to pursue TEFL as a full-time career, it's the course for you.

We have many years' experience of running this top-level qualification.
We guarantee that our course will extend your repertoire of practical classroom activities - or your money back!
We think that's unique.

Doing a Diploma is a great investment in your future career as a professional TEFL teacher.

That's why we have high expectations and set high standards.

With our course, you'll develop your professional knowledge and expertise so you can teach with confidence in any situation.

We aim to help you build on your existing skills and to increase your understanding of the key factors affecting language learning and teaching.

• You'll be familiar with a huge range of techniques for ensuring your EFL classes promote effective learning time after time.

• You'll know the best TEFL publications on the market, and how to use them to get the most from your students.

• You'll be able to adapt your teaching style to suit your learners.

• On top of that, you'll be a great colleague - able to help novice TEFL teachers with ideas, and ready to give guidance on a range of topics relating to EFL classroom skills.

What's more, you'll probably find that you prepare your classes more effectively and in less time - with practice!

Our course is comprehensive, as you would expect.

We have a research-based method. That means that you will do a lot of reading - both from specialised TEFL magazines and from books to develop your awareness of the issues.
It also gives you the chance to explore in more detail areas that are of particular interest to you.
We'll also encourage you to reflect on your teaching, and your learning, so you can accurately evaluate the appeal and appropriateness of the activities you use in class.

Main areas of study:

• Teaching methodologies in TEFL • Syntax, morphology, semantics and pragmatics of English • Materials evaluation • The Phonology of English, and transcription • Learner strategies and learning preferences • Needs analysis and lesson planning • Historical development of EFL teaching • International Englishes and cultural contexts • Use of resources and technology, including CALL

• Aspects of classroom practice • Games and warmers • Professional development • Discourse analysis • Course and syllabus design • Lexical approaches • Sociolinguistics • Authenticity • Testing and assessment

You'll also become familiar with the contributions to language learning theory and practice of a number of leading figures, including:

• Saussure • Prabhu • Nunan

• Skinner • Krashen • Willis

• Chomsky • Widdowson • Lewis

We'll also help you explore in great detail every aspect of your practical classroom management and EFL teaching, including

• Lesson planning • Error awareness • Using dictionaries • Effective praise

• Monitoring and giving feedback • Using visuals and whiteboard policy • Effective input and output • Classroom research

 The course has been extremely beneficial to me as a practising teacher.....I'm so much more aware of the potential for learning in the classroom. To anyone thinking of taking a Diploma course, I'd advise you to leave your preconceptions at the door. The course is about challenging 'traditional' ideas and exploring new ways and approaches to classroom practice - Danny (passed in December 2002). 

Our course has several special features that make the course different, and prepare you for success

Here are some examples:

• You'll have access to our excellent TEFL resources and several libraries of useful books.

• You'll be part of a small group of motivated TEFL teachers, and receive guaranteed personal attention from our trainers.

• You'll have regular tutorials through the programme to review your progress.

• You'll receive our FREE collection of over 100 EFL teaching activities to help your lessons go with a swing.

• You'll have access to our essay bank of over 200 answers to past Trinity exam questions - excellent guidance for your written work.

• You'll have a detailed overview of every session of the course, complete with reading lists and exam-style questions to guarantee that you are prepared for the written part of the exam.

• You'll have regular practice with timed writings to help you develop the exam skills you need, and to give you a chance to recycle what you've learnt on the course so far.

• You'll get career guidance and practical tips that will help your CV grab the attention of your future employers and stand out from the rest.

• As soon as you register we'll send you our handy 'Top Tips for preparing dips' - 40 practical tips that will help you get ready for the TESOL Diploma so you get the most out of it. Essential reading - and reassuring, too!

And, don't forget - we guarantee that we will develop your range of EFL classroom activities - or we'll give you your money back, no questions asked.

 I'd recommend the Dip to anyone interested in becoming a more resourceful, imaginative and thoughtful teacher - Jan (passed in December 2003). 

Our course will prepare you for success. That's our intention.

Assessment for the Diploma is in 4 parts:

Part 1: One written exam dealing with aspects of language including grammar, lexis and discourse, theory and practice of learning and teaching, and aspects of professional development.

Part 2: Your coursework portfolio, consisting of 3 elements:
• 10 hours of classroom observation
• A developmental record reflecting on 15 hours of teaching at various levels
• An independent research project on an area of particular interest to you
Part 3: Interview in 3 sections, consisting of:
• A presentation of a phonology topic, related to classroom practice.
• Assessment of your knowledge of the characteristics of spoken English and discourse, including phonology, stress and intonation with live transcription of an utterance of 20 lexical items.
• Discussion of your classroom practice regarding strategies for teaching spoken English, and the skills and sub-skills involved in effective listening and speaking.

Part 4: Assessment of teaching, with...
• a minimum of 4 classroom hours assessed by our experienced trainers
•1 hour externally assessed by a Trinity Examiner,
• a teaching journal documenting your teaching practice and self-evaluation.

Of course we'll ensure you are fully prepared for every aspect of the exam.

 The course has been invaluable in showing the link between classroom practice and the thinking behind it.... it's made me more aware of my strengths as a teacher and the areas I need to work on and it's made me consider my aims and methods more carefully - Isobel (passed in March 2003) . 

We offer the Trinity Diploma course in the following formats:

• Full-Time - 10-weeks full-time in one intensive term.
• Part-Time - 30-weeks part-time in three terms of 10 weeks, with classes from 1.30 - 6.00 on Wednesday afternoons, plus observations and teaching practices by arrangement. There is one full-time week usually in January as part of the course.

All sessions take place at our premises in Bristol. Examinations are also held at The Language Project.

Workload:
There is a considerable amount of reading to do - but we make this more manageable by giving you guided reading sessions and a detailed list of activities and books to read for each aspect of the programme.
The workload is heavy but, we hope, rewarding and thought-provoking. Do not take it on unless you feel confident that you can manage.

Our booklet: 'Top Tips for Preparing Dips' will give you dozens of practical tips to help you manage the workload before and during the course.

Group size:
To ensure the best combination of rapid progress and personal attention, groups tend to have a minimum of 8 and a maximum of 12 participants.

Format:
Each programme involves a combination of seminars, mini-lectures, workshops, presentations, and project work.

In addition, there will be observation and teaching practice sessions, and both written and practical assignments.

We are offering the following courses in 2009

Depending on numbers of candidates interested there a strong possibility that we will be running the following courses:

Full-time Diploma course, starting on September 7th and finishing on November 13th with the final exam on November 20th.

Part-time Diploma course, starting on October 7th with a full-time week in January 2010. (The starting date is still subject to change.)

Cost of course is £1,525.00 not including exam entry fees.
Exam fees for 2009 are £287.

Please note: We need minimum numbers to run our Diploma course. Four weeks before the start date of any course we will decide if we are able to run the course. In the event that the course does not go ahead we will give a full refund for any fees that you have paid.

  You've given me a huge bank of ideas to use in my future teaching - Jamie (passed in March 2004). 

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: What is the workload like?
A: There are regular assignments from all areas of the course (usually one main piece per night) as well as the need to prepare for practice lessons. There is also a substantial amount of reading throughout the course. You will have to do the pre-course reading before the course!


Q: How much will I have to teach?
A: On the full-time programme you will have 15 hours a week of teaching in weeks 7 and 8. On the part-time course this is negotiated to suit your existing teaching situation.


Q: How theoretical is the course?
A: Don't be put off by theory! We will look at the 'personal theories' that all TEFL teachers have, whether they are aware of them or not, as well as theories based on research. We will relate the major changes in teaching and learning in the last 100 years to the theories that supported them. We'll also evaluate many of the ideas from major contributors to the development of EFL. Theory is considered mainly in the light of the implications it has on teaching and learning inside the classroom.


Q: How is a Diploma different from a Certificate?
A: Certificate courses tend to focus on getting the basic classroom skills. At Diploma level, we focus more on developing a range of alternatives for basic EFL classroom procedures so you can increase your repertoire. We also examine the justifications for different activity types in different situations.
As part of the Diploma course, you will become aware of current trends and issues in TEFL teaching, you'll be familiar with a range of the latest materials and you'll be able to justify your classroom choices with reference to theories of teaching and learning.
On top of that, you'll also look at various aspects of teacher development and this will help you move into teacher training.


Q: What is the pass rate like?
A: We take great care to ensure that everyone on our course has a realistic chance of passing this important examination. Trinity set no limits on the number of students than can pass from a particular centre. The success rate of our candidates has been hugely impressive, with just one fail since 2001!


Q: Why Trinity not RSA ?
A: We feel that there is a broader range of topics in the syllabus including issues outside the classroom and the historical perspective on methodology. We like the focus on teacher development that is a central part of the Trinity syllabus. It's also good that the Trinity diploma specifically includes working with novice teachers - an important first step into teacher training.

What's more, the Trinity Diploma can be taken several times a year, and, if the worst comes to the worst, you can pay for and retake individual components at the best time for you. We find it a more flexible option, and one that really does allow the participant to follow up on significant areas of personal interest in some detail.

It is impossible to list all the publications which can help develop a TEFL teacher's understanding and awareness of the central aspects of teaching.

The following are key titles of interest to all motivated teachers:

Bygate, M. Speaking - OUP (1987)
Cook, G. Discourse - OUP (1993)
Kenworthy, J. Teaching English Pronunciation - Longman (1987)
Lewis, M. The English Verb - Heinle/LTP (1986)
Lewis, M. Implementing the Lexical Approach - Heinle/LTP (1997)
Nunan, D. Designing Tasks for the Communicative Classroom - CUP (1989)
Richards and Rogers Approaches and Methods in Language Teaching - CUP (1986)
Richards and Renandyna: Methodology in Language Teaching - CUP (2002)
Roach, P. English Phonetics and Phonology - CUP (1991)

These books are essential reading for the course - and for all teachers keen on making progress in the profession - so you are strongly recommended to buy your own copies for future reference.
This list is by no means exhaustive.

You will also need a good learners' dictionary and a reference grammar such as Leech and Svartvik's A Communicative Grammar of English - Longman (1994).

  •   Force Majeure: In the event of the school having to close and/or students having to return home early for reasons of natural disaster such as fire/flooding/infectious diseases or war/terrorism etc., which are beyond the reasonable control of the school, no refunds will be made. In this event, students should be able to claim compensation under their insurance policy. All efforts will be made to keep the school open and running but this may necessitate making some classes larger or changing the timetable to allow staff to cover all scheduled lessons.

To book your place on one of our Dip TESOL courses, follow the link below and go to the first page of the form. The form is divided into five separate pages covering: Personal Details, Course Dates, Accommodation, Additional Information and Payment Preferences. It should take about ten minutes to complete.

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