The Teaching House Delta

The Teaching House Delta

Take your learning to the next level with the Delta course

Our Delta course is available to English language teachers who have completed a Cambridge CELTA course with around two years of teaching experience. So if you're looking to advance your teaching career by becoming a senior teacher, Director of Studies, teacher trainer or manager, here at Teaching House we can help you gain the qualifications needed.


Understanding our Delta Cambridge teaching course

The Delta is an advanced University of Cambridge English Language Assessment qualification that advances English language teachers’ careers by expanding their understanding of the principles and practices of ELT methodology while applying them to their own professional experiences. The Delta qualification was previously known as the DELTA (Diploma in English Language Teaching to Adults). But since it now qualifies English language teachers of young learners as well, the full name has been modified to Diploma in English Language Teaching to Speakers of Other Languages. However, it is still referred to as the Delta qualification, even if the acronym no longer fits. The Delta English course is designed to deepen the knowledge and understanding of English language teaching (ELT) for experienced teachers with at least one year of full-time post-CELTA employment in the ELT field. The Delta English course is designed to deepen the knowledge and understanding of English language teaching (ELT) for experienced teachers with at least one year of full-time post-CELTA employment in the ELT field. 


The Cambridge Delta is a modular course consisting of three sections:

  • Module 1, “Understanding Language, Methodology and Resources for Teaching”, covers ESL education, studying theory, methodology, approaches to learning, and specific linguistic and language issues, as well as key concepts and terminology.


  • Module 2, “Developing Professional Practice”, explores the developmental assessment of teaching and requires observation and evaluation between teacher trainers and trainees. This five-week course assessment aims to help trainees develop and understand specific teaching roles and principles.


  • Module 3, “Extending Practice and ELT Specialism”, involves candidates researching a particular learning context, designing a needs analysis based upon a specialty group they’ve chosen to work with, creating a course plan and integrating assessment based on testing principles. This module requires an assessment of the particular group’s needs and proper construction of a course plan that helps the students learn English within a particular context.

Find the perfect job after completing the Delta English course

Many of our past CELTA graduates return to Teaching House to advance their studies in order to secure a more senior job. Once you have completed your Delta course, we are committed to helping you find the perfect role to further your career. We have a number of helpful resources in our TEFL Job Centre, including a job database, example resumes, interview tips, a Nomad Blog and access to a community of previous graduates. At Teaching House, our aim is to provide you with a world-class education before helping you find your dream job.


Further your career with Teaching House today

Take the next step in your English teaching career by signing up for our Delta Cambridge teaching course today. If you’d like to learn more about our Delta English courses, be sure to read on below and explore our FAQs section. For any further questions, be sure to get in contact with someone from our friendly Teaching House team, who will be able to provide you with additional assistance.



Why should I undertake the Blended Delta?

The Delta provides a broad theoretical foundation of effective methods to teach language skills, grammar and vocabulary, as well as innovative methods for adapting course book materials and using authentic materials in the classroom. As you build that foundation, your Delta trainer will guide you in developing your techniques in the classroom during the teaching practice component.


You will also study discourse analysis, student motivation, innovative teaching techniques and a wide variety of TESOL methodologies in-depth. The goal being to provide solid, hands-on training in the English Language classroom, as well as a strong foundation in language analysis, second-language acquisition theory and identifying and analyzing student errors.



On the career front, the Delta provides teachers with the qualifications to be able to pursue better jobs with higher salaries and benefits and move up into educational management or teacher training.

Are there any prerequisites for applying for the DELTA course?

To apply for the Blended Delta course, you must have: • successfully completed the Cambridge University CELTA program or equivalent • at least 2 years post-CELTA English Language teaching experience • if you are a non-native speaker of English, you must have a level of English equivalent to C1. This is equal to CAE or a comparable score on the IELTS or TOEFL.



If you have not completed the CELTA course or would like more information about the course, please go to our CELTA page.

What is the format of the Delta course?

Teaching House offers a face-to-face Delta Module Two course at our New York and London locations and a “blended” option available online for modules one and three. This flexibility and the modular format allows you to take the Delta in your own time and in your own way that best suits your personal situation. Please contact us if you’d like help finding out which combination might be best for you.



The Blended Delta combines both online and contact learning to allow for maximum flexibility in how you do your course and minimal time spent away from earning an income. Because, let’s face it, not everyone can afford to take unlimited time off work.



The Delta is split into 3 separate courses (modules) that make up the Delta qualification in its entirety.

Module One:


• Module 1 is a theoretical course leading up to the Delta Module One Exam. It is completed through online study, interactive quizzes and questionnaires as well as discussion forums and discussion with your trainers on exam task assignments.

Discover more about the Delta Module One here.

Module Two:


• Module 2 is a combination of theory and practice. It involves teaching practice on location (full-time in New York or part-time in London) with the guidance of a qualified experienced teacher trainer. It also involves research assignments and background study to support your lesson plans and teaching techniques. In London, Delta Module 2 takes place part time over 10 weeks. In New York, Delta Module 2 takes place full time with three weeks online preparation (in which we assume you are teaching or have access to a class) and five weeks in person.

Discover more about the Delta Module Two here.


Module Three:


• Module 3 is a project-based component allowing you to specialize in a professional area of your choice. You will be teaching in your own classroom during Module 3 while doing action research and corresponding with your designated teacher trainer for guidance. Tutorials are available face-to-face at our London location only. The Delta is offered at various centers around the world, but only Teaching House provides the Blended Delta – a unique blend of face-to-face and distance learning, combining the best of both modes of education while reducing the overall course expense.

Discover more about the Delta Module Three here.



Working with a Delta trainer online minimizes the amount of time spent on-location at Teaching House, which reduces your time away from earning an income. Also, once you have built a solid theoretical foundation through your online and distance study, you are more capable of benefiting from the teaching practice component, which is essential to developing your skills as a teacher.



With the online Delta courses out there, which are not the Blended Delta, the teachers working with you may or may not have had any experience in teacher education. On Teaching House’s Blended Delta, however, you are guaranteed to work with one of our senior Teacher Trainers; not just a local teacher. And the expertise you will develop by working directly with a professional and experienced teacher trainer who gives extremely effective, individualized feedback, can’t compare to working with a teaching mentor who may or may not have more teaching experience than you.


In short, the Blended Delta is the ideal way to gain the highest Cambridge English Language Assessment qualification available. You get the benefits of a face-to-face contact course, classroom teaching practice, guidance and training from highly qualified and certified teacher trainers, as well as control over the pace in which you study for the Delta. And the relatively small amount of time you’re required to be on-location to complete the Delta means you’ll decrease your course cost by minimizing the time you spend away from earning an income.

Who is the Delta for?

"The Delta is for English Language teachers who have already obtained their Cambridge CELTA (Certificate of English Language Teaching for Adults) or equivalent and have generally a minimum of two years (1,200 hours) of post-CELTA teaching experience.


Teachers who do the Delta are looking to gain more expertise in English Language teaching and become qualified for better teaching positions, educational management positions, teacher training and publishing positions. Quality language schools, for example, promote Delta-qualified teachers to positions with more responsibility, like Senior Teacher, Academic Manager or Director of Studies (DoS). The Delta also qualifies teachers to be accepted by Cambridge to train-up as teacher trainers on courses such as the Cambridge CELTA or Teaching Knowledge Test (TKT).



In short, teachers do the Delta because they want the best English Language Teaching qualification available, and one that will advance their career in the area of TESOL. In many contexts, it is a viable alternative to a Master’s degree and is the same level (level 7 – just below a Doctorate) on the UK national qualifications framework (NQF)."

What should you do now?

You should read more about the details of the Delta course modules below and evaluate whether the Delta is the right course for you.

Learn more about Module One

Learn more about Module Two

Learn more about Module Three

Alternatively, you can apply for the different modules by visiting our apply now page.



Or if you have any unanswered questions, you should email delta@teachinghouse.group.

We look forward to seeing you on the next Blended Delta course at Teaching House!

Blended Delta Testimonials

Delta makes a difference!

Read personal accounts from alumni who have completed the Blended Delta and have plenty of experiences to share.

After I finished my Delta, I worked for 4 months as an Assistant Academic Manager at ILA Vietnam and was then promoted to Academic Manager of two of their mid-sized centers, a position which I held for a year.  During this year, I also became standardized as a CELTA YL Extension Trainer and trained on two courses as assistant course tutor.  At the end of my contract as AM, I moved to New York to work at Teaching House, where I worked as a CELTA tutor for over a year. I’m now a freelance CELTA tutor and run courses all over the world!

- Amir



After I’d finished my Delta, I stayed at a language school in New York, but I started to go in a more administrative direction, taking over responsibility for the Cambridge exams at our center, standing in for the DoS when necessary, and working on updating our center’s test banks.  I’ve also run several PD sessions for our teachers.  I am currently being trained as a teacher trainer, and will be running CELTA courses this summer! I love the variety that Delta has given me.

- Theo



When I finished my Delta in 2006, I moved to the UK, where I worked as a Director of Studies at a Summer Camp and then worked as an EAP (English for Academic Purposes) teacher at the University of Southampton.  Then I went to London to work as a Business English teacher and teacher trainer. My teaching was noticeably better! I continued as a teacher, teacher trainer and academic manager in the UK, China and the US over the next 4 years before settling in Cambridge, UK, where I currently work in center management and marketing.

- David



After I finished my DELTA I was promoted to Assistant Director of Studies at the school I was teaching at in South Africa. I got the opportunity to cover for the Director of Studies and when she moved into training a few months later, I was again promoted to Director of Studies. I stayed at that center for over 6 years and during my time there I trained up as a CELTA trainer and then also worked to help set up an IELTS testing center for the school. From South Africa I moved to Bogota, Colombia where I headed the Teacher Training Department and ran CELTAs for a year until I got married and decided to head back to the States for a while. After CELTA training and managing the Teaching House, Chicago branch for a few years, I am now in Australia and continuing my adventure into the wonderful world of ELT assessment and publishing.

- Heather



After I finished my part-time DELTA in Prague, I worked as one of the heads of the In Company section at a large school in Prague where I dealt with corporate clients for our blended learning program and managed a team of 25 to 30 teachers throughout the year.  After that, I was asked to apply for a position at a smaller school, so I ended up working as the Academic Director of the school there for a year.  When I left Prague, I made a brief stop to teach in Sri Lanka for the summer before moving to New York, where I was for over four years.  I spent the first few years working as a CELTA trainer and now I work as the Director of Studies of a language school. Delta was just the beginning!

- Christina



Since doing my Delta I worked in the UK as a teacher of general and academic English at a college of further and higher education.  I then moved to Madrid where I was Assistant Director of Studies for the Younger Learners department of a great language school with tons of opportunities for professional development. That’s where I trained to be a teacher trainer and before long I was head of the teacher training department as well as ADoS!  I was busy but it was a really rewarding time.  Then I moved to New York where I was a CELTA and Delta trainer for over 8 years. Time flies!! I’m now in London and still living the CELTA and Delta training dream. I’m truly grateful for all the doors Delta has opened up for me.

- Lizzy



After I finished my DELTA, I worked at the British Council in Sri Lanka for another year then took a year off to travel  I then worked as a teacher and a teacher trainer in Macau, China for 2 years. I’ve been working as a CELTA trainer for over five years – and I’m also an assessor for Cambridge! It’s amazing what the Delta can do for you.

- Sharon



After I’d finished my Delta, I worked as an EAP tutor at Southampton University then applied for a position to be trained as a CELTA trainer in London, got it and have been working as a trainer since in London, China, Switzerland and the United States.

- Sophie



New York, JFK Airport: I had just boarded the plane back home and caught a glimpse of the New York skyline when we took off. My thoughts went back to the past five weeks I had spent in that multicultural vibrant city. Two years I complete the CELTA at Teaching House and I was sure I would have been back for the DELTA. Having a high school teaching degree for economics and eight years of experience. I just wanted to get to know the basics of language teaching before I started teaching CLIL (content and language integrated marketing) Teaching House CELTA and Delta gave me much more. The courses opened my eyes to a complete new world of teaching and gave me the (classroom) teaching methodology I had been looking for so long.
I became friends with the other trainees on the course and developed my teaching with the help of experienced, supportive, and enthusiastic tutors. But most important of all: I became familiar with many new approaches of teaching acquired ideas and methods to improve my lessons and helped the students of our training class- who were incredibly motivated and interested- to learn English.

Switzerland, back at my school: From the first day on I implemented the new methodology in my classes. The enthusiasm, visible fun and the smiling faces of my teenage students showed me that they enjoyed the lessons, learned actively and that everything I learned and that everything I learned really works. I have taken a lot of teacher development courses, but none of them has given me as many practical instruments for immediate use.

Barcelona, 3 months later: I leave the plane and the sun welcomes me. An exciting week is ahead of me. I am about to start my first week as a teacher trainer. For the first time I am going to be on the other side. I am going to help trainees in their first steps as teachers. Although this time I will mostly support the permanent teacher trainers. I feel excited. I’ll have the opportunity to give model classes, observe first lesson and give trainees some feedback. I am also going to give an input session that was so valuable to me when I was a trainee. I am thrilled to pass my experience and knowledge on and help teachers learn and improve.

Where will the place take me next? I don’t know yet. But I know the DELTA opens up a whole new world for me. Teacher trainer around the globe? Going on with a MA? Director of studies? Or just a passionate teacher? There are so many opportunities now and I am excited for the things to come. Wherever in the world it will be.

- Christina Meier: A Whole World of New Opportunities- Teaching House Delta



After two years of teaching English as a second language to adults, both in my home country of the United States and in Russia
I became stuck in a rut. Lessons were overly predictable and my knowledge of language ceased to expand. In 2010 I began working for International House/Teaching House New York, which coincidentally was beginning to offer the Blended Delta program that same year. It was the perfect opportunity for me to pull myself out of that rut and learn more about language, methodology and curriculum design.

The Blended Delta is composed of three separate components: a written exam, a two-month face-to-face course, and a written thesis. Although it is possible to do these components in any order, its highly recommended that candidates complete the modules separately and in sequence so that they can get recommended that candidates complete the modules separately and in sequence so that they can get the full benefit and devote the time necessary to each task, The Blended Delta program at Teaching House treats the first and third modules as distance courses and the second module as an on-site intensive course. This allows a lot of flexibility for candidates, who can participate all over the world.

Although thoroughly challenging and, at times, extremely stressful, the Delta was an invaluable experience. After completing the Delta program I have a better understanding of the teacher’s role in the classroom and the beliefs that underlie every word and action spoken during a class. I am also more confident experimenting with different methodologies and techniques, as I am able to evaluate them critically and predict how they might work with my group of learners.

Furthermore, the Delta has opened up other avenues in ELT besides classroom teaching, such a publishing materials and teacher training. For anyone who wants to pursue a long-term career in the ELT industry, the Delta is a worthwhile investment.

- Erica Lederman: The Blended Delta Program



Explore Module 1 “Understanding Language, Methodology and Resources for Teaching"

Module 1 “Understanding Language, Methodology and Resources for Teaching

This module covers ESL education, studying theory, methodology, approaches to learning, and specific linguistic and language issues, as well as key concepts and terminology.

Explore the module in detail by clicking here.

Expore Module 2 “Developing Professional Practice"

Module Two “Developing Professional Practice"

Delta Module Two explores the developmental assessment of teaching and requires observation and evaluation between teacher trainers and trainees. This thirteen-week course assessment aims to help trainees develop and understand specific teaching roles and principles.

Explore the module in detail by clicking here.

Explore Module 3 “Extending Practice and ELT Specialism”

Module 3 “Extending Practice and ELT Specialism”

Module 3 involves candidates researching a particular learning context, designing a needs analysis based upon a specialty group they’ve chosen to work with, creating a course plan and integrating assessment based on testing principles. This module requires an assessment of the particular group’s needs and proper construction of a course plan that helps the students learn English within a particular context.

Explore the module in detail by clicking here.

Delta Module One Course Fees

Module One Course Fees

USA and Online


  • Course fee: $645 USD
  • Cambridge Assessment fee (if taking the exam in Boston or New York): $445 USD
  • Additional Mock Exam with tutor Feedback: $195 USD
  • Deferral fee: $95 USD

NB – If you are not based in Boston, New York or London, please contact your local center directly for details of their exam fees

UK and online

  • Course fee: £545 GBP
  • Cambridge Assessment fee (if taking the exam in London): £195 GBP
  • Registration fee (additional – payable once only): £60 GBP
  • Additional Mock Exam with tutor Feedback: £150 GBP
  • Deferral fee: £75 GBP

NB – If you are not based in Boston, New York or London, please contact your local centre directly for details of their exam fees

Delta Module Two Course Fees

USA

  • Delta Module Two: $2195 USD
  • Cambridge Assessment Fee (additional): $495 USD
  • Report Request Fee (optional): $95* USD
  • Referral fee - if you need to retake the Module Two external assessment: $595 USD**
  • Additional 30-minute tutorial: $150 USD***

UK


  • Delta Module Two: £1,595 GBP
  • Cambridge assessment fee (additional): £173 GBP
  • Report Request Fee (optional): £55* GBP
  • Referral fee - if you need to retake the Module Two external assessment: £275 GBP**
  • Additional 30-minute tutorial: £100 GBP***
  • Registration fee (additional – payable once only): £60 GBP

*Reports are only available up to five weeks after the issue of results

**If you are referred you have two attempts within twelve months of the original submission to retake your external assessment without having to retake the whole course. The referral fee includes the Cambridge assessment fee and an administration fee.

*** Additional tutorials are for referred candidates only. Each tutorial is for one element of the LSA only (background essay or lesson plan). If the candidates require support with both elements, they would need to pay for two tutorials.

Module Three Course Fees

USA



Delta Module Three: Online (anywhere)

  • Online: $645 USD
  • Cambridge Assessment Fee (additional): $295 USD
  • Late fee (between six and two weeks before the submission date): $130 USD
  • Additional 30 minute tutorials: $150 USD**
  • Report Request Fee (optional): $95* USD *
  • Deferral Fee - if you defer your course to the next submission date: $95***

UK

Delta Module Three: Online (anywhere)

  • Online Course fee: £445 GBP
  • Cambridge Assessment Fee (additional): £125 GBP
  • Report Request Fee (optional): £55* GBP
  • Additional 30 minute tutorials: £100 GBP**
  • Deferral Fee - if you defer your course to the next submission date: £75***

*Reports are only available up to five weeks after the issue of results

**Additional 30-minute tutorials include a tutor draft review (one hour)

*** Cambridge fees are non-refundable if you defer less than six weeks prior to the submission date

Delta Module One Course Dates

Module One online can be started at any time. On starting you will be invited to choose one of the next two exam dates as your target course completion date.

Upcoming exam dates:

London:

  • 7th June 2023
  • 6th December 2023
  • 6th June 2024
  • 5th December 2024

New York:

  • 7th June 2023
  • 6th December 2023
  • 6th June 2024
  • 5th December 2024

Boston:

  • 7th June 2023
  • 6th December 2023
  • 6th June 2024
  • 5th December 2024

Please note your exam registration form must be received at least 6 weeks before the date of your chosen exam.

Please contact us here or email us for specific start dates at delta@teachinghouse.group

Delta Module Two Course Dates

We are currently  running Delta Module Two 100% online (live on Zoom)

The next upcoming intakes are

  • 5th February - 3rd May *2024
  • 5th August - 7th November* 2024

*Please note that Delta Module 2 external assessments take place for two weeks after course completion

Please email us at info@teachinghouse.group or contact us here for the most up to date information regarding Delta Module Two course dates.

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