How is the Diploma in Language Teaching Practice different from CELTA?

CELTA is a four-week intensive certificate. The Diploma in Language Teaching Practice runs over nine to twelve months with deeper pedagogy, more observed practice and a substantial materials-writing component. Many practising teachers take it as the next step after CELTA.

Do I need teaching experience to enrol in the Diploma in Language Teaching Practice?

Helpful but not required. The course accommodates both practising teachers and career-changers entering the field. Practising teachers complete supervised practice in their existing classrooms; career-changers complete it in partner-school or simulated environments.

Can I study the Diploma in Language Teaching Practice online?

Yes. The online route runs synchronous peer-teaching practice with structured feedback, asynchronous methodology modules and tutor-supervised materials writing. Distance students arrange local teaching observation with a partner school under our protocols.

Does the Diploma in Language Teaching Practice cover online teaching?

Yes. A dedicated module covers online and blended teaching — platform craft, video lesson design, learner autonomy, asynchronous tasks. Online teaching is now a primary employment route and the course treats it that way.

What does the final teaching portfolio on the Diploma in Language Teaching Practice include?

Observed lesson plans and recordings, written reflections, a short-course materials portfolio and a course-design proposal. It is built to support job applications, promotion cases and onward study in TESOL.

Diploma in Language Teaching Practice | LSJHML London | Harold International College of London

Course Overview

The Diploma in Language Teaching Practice at the London School of Journalism, Humanities & Modern Languages (LSJHML) is a nine-to-twelve-month UK qualification for practising and aspiring language teachers who want a substantial, classroom-grounded credential. You will combine applied pedagogy, supervised teaching practice and materials-writing across the course, with observed teaching against IATEFL professional standards and a final teaching portfolio.

This Diploma sits firmly in the practice tradition — it is built for the teacher whose next step is to teach better, not just to study teaching. By the end of the Diploma in Language Teaching Practice you can plan, deliver and assess at a working teacher standard, write your own materials, and reflect on your practice using current professional vocabulary.

Key Features

Supervised teaching practice in real or simulated classrooms, observed against IATEFL standards.
Applied pedagogy core — methodology, lesson planning, scaffolding, assessment for learning.
Materials-writing workshop — produce a graded lesson sequence and short-course materials.
Classroom management module for mixed-level, multilingual and online classrooms.
Three study modes — on-campus in central London, fully online with peer-teaching practice, or distance learning with structured deadlines.
Final teaching portfolio — observed lessons, materials, reflective journal, course design proposal.

What You Will Learn

The Diploma in Language Teaching Practice is structured around the working week of a serious teacher — plan, deliver, assess, reflect, develop. You graduate able to teach across levels with discipline, write effective materials, and continue developing as a professional.

Applied pedagogy — communicative, task-based, lexical and content-and-language integrated approaches.
Lesson planning — staging, scaffolding, formative assessment, differentiation.
Classroom management — engagement, mixed-level groups, online learners, learner autonomy.
Assessment for learning — formative, summative, washback, CEFR alignment.
Materials writing — graded text, task design, authentic-text adaptation.
Online and blended teaching — platform craft, synchronous and asynchronous design.
Observation and feedback — observation cycles, peer observation, mentor feedback.
Professional development — action research, IATEFL and TESOL engagement.

Who This Diploma Is For

Practising EFL/ESOL teachers wanting a substantial classroom-grounded credential beyond CELTA.
Career-changers entering language teaching from other fields.
International school and university EFL teachers seeking a structured pedagogical Diploma.
Students planning to top up to a BA in TESOL and Language Education.

Career Pathways

Graduates of the Diploma in Language Teaching Practice move into more senior teaching roles and onward into materials-writing and academic-management routes. Typical first or next roles include:

EFL Teacher (UK private language school, university EFL centre, international school)
Senior Teacher (with experience — small-team coordination)
Materials Writer (ELT publisher, edtech platform)
Academic Coordinator (international school, university foundation programme)
Online English Tutor (specialist tutoring platform, premium tutoring service)
Teacher Trainer (entry route, with mentor supervision)

The Diploma is the natural prerequisite for our Advanced Diploma in TESOL or a BA in TESOL and Language Education.

Entry Requirements

Completion of secondary school (A-Levels, BTEC, or international equivalent).
IELTS 5.5 overall (no band below 5.0) for non-native English speakers.
Personal statement.
Mature applicants (21+) may apply with two years of relevant work experience.

Why Study at LSJHML

The London School of Journalism, Humanities & Modern Languages is a specialist higher-education provider based in central London. Our programmes are designed in dialogue with working professionals — journalists, translators, civil servants, academics, broadcasters, editors, publishers and policy researchers — so what you learn in seminar on Monday is what your future employer is using on Tuesday. We deliberately keep cohorts small, give every student named tutor support, and treat employability as a structural part of every programme rather than an optional add-on.

London is the work — politics, courts, capital markets, theatre, broadcasting, publishing, public service, the global press. Your studies are taught in the same square mile where the stories you read about happen. Whether you join us on-campus, online or by distance learning, the city is your classroom and our industry network is your launchpad.