SGI Teacher Training Newsletter: New Post-Certificate Courses

Dear Student,

First of all, I would like to wish you all a very belated Happy New Year and all the best for 2010!

Here is the first of our newsletters updating our graduates on developments in teacher training at SGI. 2009 was certainly a busy year here: all of our Certificate courses were full to bursting, so much so that we put on double courses for the October and November full-time courses and have recently taken on three new trainers.

Our Diploma course also goes from strength to strength - our 300th successful candidate recently completed the course. We have also recently launched our online English UK/Trinity College London Cert IBET, which will soon become a must-have qualification for aspiring or practising Business English teachers. Finally we are in the process of preparing a new course which is an on-line Certificate add-on known as PTLLS. This qualification enables you to teach in the UK further education sector.  

So if you are still teaching, you may have reached a point in your career when you are considering attaining a further qualification, so please read below to see if the Diploma, the Cert IBET or PTLLS may be the logical next step for you.

On a personal level, 2009 was an extremely busy year too, as in July I became a father to a daughter, Daniela Melissa, so I'm now juggling watching TP with nappy-changing duties.

Yours Sincerely
Stephen Bell PhD, Dip TESOL
TESOL Coordinator

English UK/Trinity College London Cert IBET (Certificate in International Business English Training) by Distance Learning

We launched this new qualification in May this year in an online, distance learning format, and we now have 10 candidates on the course with some candidates nearing completion.

The Cert IBET is the first truly international qualification for practising or aspiring Business English Teachers and presents candidates with the unique opportunity of developing their skills and expertise in the delivery of Business English courses and so improving their employability in the sector and credibility with potential clients.
The course is open to teachers of English with about 1 year's post-Cert experience. If teachers have taught for less than a year but have a strong business background they would also be eligible to do the course.
As a distance learning course, candidates can study from anywhere in the world, at their own pace, and can commence at any time, by means of completing a series of 4 workbooks which are sent out by email which they return once completed to be marked. The final assignment is a 3-4000 word essay which candidates do after completing the workbooks.

We are still offering a 15% discount for former SGI teacher-trainees:

You can find out more about the SGI Cert IBET course on the TESOL Training website, and can apply online.

Please click here to view a selection of sample materials.

The Trinity College London Licentiate Diploma in TESOL by Distance Learning

If you've been teaching for a couple of years or more and now see TESOL as something you would like to do in the long term, then the Licentiate Diploma is an essential qualification in order to obtain a more senior position as well as access a greater range of opportunity within the English language teaching industry. The Trinity Diploma is an advanced qualification for TESOL career teachers, and is recognised by the British Council as a FULL qualification for teaching English as a foreign language.

The Diploma is open to native and non-native teachers of English with a first degree or equivalent and at least 2 years' full-time experience of TESOL prior to a Licentiate Diploma preparation course.

Like the Cert IBET, the bulk of the Diploma is taken by distance learning, with each candidate on a flexible, individual timetable. This means that you can study from anywhere in the world, and have up to two years to complete the course, so you can fit the requirements of the course around your working life. The course culminates in a two-week practical teaching block at our school in London, which is available every month from March to early December. There is also a three-hour written exam, which you do at the end of your course, a coursework portfolio (including a research project) and a phonology interview.

As a former SGI teacher-trainee, you are entitled to a 15% discount on course fees.

You can find out more about the SGI Diploma on the TESOL Training website, and can apply online.

Please click here to view a selection of sample materials.

Trinity College London Cert TESOL add-on PTLLS (Preparing to Teach in the Lifelong Learning Sector)

This certificate is now a must-have qualification for those teachers wishing to teach English within UK Further Education colleges. Our version of the course, available from March 2010, will be an on-line distance learning course, whereby participants complete a workbook that prepares them for a final written assignment that is assessed by us and then moderated by Trinity College London.

The purpose of the course is in essence to introduce teachers to the particular issues that surround those UK residents or prospective residents for whom English is a second language. The course will encompass such issues as learner cultural and educational background and will raise issues of sensitivity to the difficulties that some learners may have in coming to terms with their life in the UK.

If you would like to know more about this course please contact me either by phone (+44 207 2991703) or by e-mail sbell@stgeorges.co.uk and I will give you further details.

Where Are You Now?

We are always keen to hear about the progress of our former trainees, both in the UK and around the world. Maybe you have been in TESOL ever since you qualified and are now a veteran in the industry, or perhaps you only taught for a short time before doing something else, but either way we would be very interested in hearing about your experiences as an English teacher and what you are doing now – good or bad, unusual or ordinary, we're sure you have some stories to tell us.

You can send your news to me by email at sbell@stgeorges.co.uk.

New Teacher Trainers at SGI

In 2009 we expanded our teacher training team by three members to meet the growing demand for courses. Joining the team were Jo Gaweda, Sonia McMullen and Roger Park. Click here to read all about them and our other trainers.  Those of you who have done a course over the past few years will see that your trainers Clare O'Nolan, Barney Sandell and David Charnaud are all still going strong at SGI, and Naz Sienkiewicz remains the guru of the Diploma.

That's it for now. All the best!