Part-time or Full-time course?

You might be wondering whether it’s better for you to take the part-time or full-time Delta Modules 1 & 2 course. Here are some of the main differences:

Part-time course

Full-time course

Practicalities

You need to be living in or near Prague (up to 2.5-hours’ journey away)

You need to be able to attend an initial intensive week (in 2017 2nd – 6th Oct) from 9.00-15.00 each day

You need to be free on Fridays from 9-17:30 throughout the year to attend teaching practice and input sessions

You can work, and earn a salary, at the same time. However, you might want to limit your working hours – teaching c. 26 teaching hours while doing the Delta is tough, teaching c. 30-40 teaching hours at the same time is near impossible and something will suffer, probably you.

Practicalities

You need to be completely free for the 8 weeks of the course.

You need to be able to come to Prague for the 8 weeks of the course.

You should take the cost-of-living for the duration of the course into account as you won’t be working at the time.

Study-style preferences

You have more time to work on assignments, for instance you might be working on an essay over 3 weeks, and you have more time to assimilate information. It’s possible to submit draft essays for the first 2 teaching assignments.

On the other hand, it’s all too easy to put off starting assignments and you need to be self-disciplined not to leave it to the last moment.

You can try out new ideas with classes you’re teaching unobserved.

Study-style preferences

You have a short time to write assignments, for instance essays are usually written over a weekend, so you need to work on them intensively and there is no time to submit drafts.

On the other hand, here is very little scope for procrastination, a close deadline can concentrate the mind wonderfully.

There are some opportunities to teach unobserved lessons but they are more limited

Juggling course work with your job

Candidates on the part-time course are usually working, usually full-time, so they have to fit study around their lessons and family or social lives. Sometimes other demands make it difficult to get down to study.

Juggling course work with your job

You don’t have to! Full-time candidates are not working at the same time and are often away from their family and social lives too, which makes it easier to concentrate.

Group dynamic

Candidates come together just once a week for input sessions and otherwise they are working alone. It can feel lonely out there, when you’re working on your essay at 1am. Though this might suit your personal learning style.

However, you can start a facebook (or other social media) group to contact and support each other virtually.

Group dynamic

You are in constant contact with your coursemates, seeing them daily in input sessions, observing each other teaching, collaborating on teaching practice classes. There’s more of a group feeling and there’s more mutual support. This might suit more social learners better.