Cert IBET: Certificate in International Business English Training

Course Description > Cert IBET

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• THE CertIBET

  The CertIBET (Certificate in International Business English Training) aims to meet the needs of business English trainers to enhance their skills and expertise, to increase their employability prospects in the sector, and improve their ability to deliver a quality product to potential clients. The CertIBET course looks at a range of useful techniques, tools and resources for teaching Business English to learners, in 10 modules.

  We consider a variety of contexts for Business English teaching, and cover issues of course and materials design, needs analysis, and performance-driven learning based on the workplace. We also look at how to teach business skills such as presenting, negotiating, as well as written and spoken business communication skills, and intercultural competence. We consider how new technologies may be integrated into BE teaching. See Course Structure & Syllabus below for the detailed course syllabus.

  The CertIBET provides teachers with an internationally recognized certificate, jointly managed and validated by English UK and Trinity College London. Holding a CertIBET will improve your employment opportunities and increase your chances of attracting new clients.

• Who is the CertIBET for?

  The CertIBET is a qualification for ELT/TESOL Certificate qualified teachers who have already started their ELT teaching careers and wish to further enhance their skills and expertise in the delivery of Business English courses. The Cert IBET is suitable for teachers of Business English (BE) worldwide, whatever their level of experience in BE teaching. It is also aimed at general English teachers who may want to become involved in BE teaching. Whether you teach one2one, in-company, at a Business Studies college or university, or in any other BE context, and whether you are new to BE teaching or not, you will leave this course with a clear idea of what BE teaching entails, and plenty of new ideas, tools, approaches and techniques to use with your own BE learners.

• Course aims & objectives

  The CertIBET aims to equip business English trainers with the essential skills and knowledge in this branch of ESOL teaching and encourage candidates to develop further professionally in this area. The aims and objectives of this qualification are as follows:

  • To build the confidence, knowledge and understanding of teachers seeking to further their career in business English training
  • To understand, identify and respond effectively to the communication and language needs of learners and organisations
  • To develop and deliver programmes that produce effective and measurable outcomes in addressing the communication and language needs of learners and organisations
  • To select, employ and evaluate a range of methods, approaches, materials, resources and techniques appropriate to varied business English contexts
  • To deepen understanding of the changing nature of international communication and enhance their opportunity to participate effectively in the global workplace
  • To develop familiarity with the concepts, skills, lexis and discourse of business and professional English

• Course structure & syllabus

  The online CertIBET consists of 10 modules, delivered entirely online over 10 weeks in Moodle, with total of approximately 70 hours work for participants (excluding the post-course assignment). Each module takes a minimum of 7 hours to complete. There is a one week break timetabled between Modules 5 and 6.

  • Module 01: Introduction to Business English Teaching
    Introduction to the course;definitions of business english (BE); be settings & contexts; be trends; be learners’ needs, motivation, characteristics & expectations; business technologie
  • Module 02: Business English Needs Analysis, Research & Negotiation
    Learner needs analyses ; Company needs analyses; Content negotiation; Research techniques; ESP
  • Module 03: Business English Course & Syllabus Design
    Setting learning goals; Performance-based learning; Course & Syllabus design; Developing schemes of work; Lesson planning & timetabling; [Optional] Common European Framework
  • Module 04: Business English Course Delivery
    Delivery modes; Blended approaches; Technology in course delivery
  • Module 05: Business English Teaching Approaches & Techniques
    BE course types; Lexical, discovery & task-based approaches

  ONE WEEK BREAK

  • Module 06: Business English Course Materials
    Using course books & published materials; Adapting and creating authentic & supplementary materials; Using Web-based materials; Using the learner as a resource; Copyright Issues
  • Module 07: Business English & Globalisation
    Globalisation; English as a Lingua Franca; Local contexts, needs & learning styles
  • Module 08: Business English & Culture
    Understanding culture ; Cross-cultural awareness & training; Simulations, role plays & case studies
  • Module 09: Evaluation & Assessment
    Assessment types; Evaluating and measuring course objectives; Learner feedback; HR & company feedback; BE public exams
  • Module 10: Business English & New Technologies
    ICT tools for BE teachers; Web 2.0; BE teacher development online
    Course review

  Click here to download the Cert IBET Course Breakdown including the BE skills covered, and timetabled video conferencing sessions.

  Each course has a maximum of 15 participants. Participants are expected to spend a minimum of 7 hours per week on online individual, pair and collaborative group work, including offline reading and reflection. Deadlines for task completion are weekly, and participants can log on at any point during the week to work on the course. There are no 'fixed' times to be online, apart from regular timetabled online video-conferencing sessions; the dates and times of these are negotiated to suit everyone on the course.

  As the course is structured around weekly deadlines, you are in constant contact with course colleagues and tutor(s) in our course Moodle, for the duration of the course. The course is very highly tutor- supported: groups of 10+ participants have two tutors.

  See here for further information on how our online courses work in practice, and what they look like.

• Key features of the online CertIBET

  The Consultants-E is the first provider to offer an online Cert IBET, jointly validated and managed by English UK and Trinity College London. We are one of the most experienced online providers of online training for ELT teachers and trainers, and our online CertIBET has several unique features which make it exceptional:

  • The CertIBET is run fully online in Moodle. As an online course, you save significantly on the accommodation fees, travel etc. associated with f2f (face to face) courses.
  • You can continue to work while you take the online CertIBET.
  • The online CertIBET takes place over 10 weeks, and you have time to try out new ideas and insights with your own learners in your own contexts, at the same time as taking the course. Learning can be immediately applied to practice, and there is time to reflect on and digest the course content.
  • By taking our online CertIBET, you have an opportunity to experience firsthand online learning in the hugely popular virtual learning environment Moodle.
  • Our course participants come from literally all over the world. Working closely with your course colleagues online, you meet and work with Business English trainers and teachers from a wide range of contexts. See our past participant map
  • Groups of more than 10 participants have two tutors. Our courses have one of the highest participant to tutor ratios of any online course available. Maximum group size is 15, so you are assured of individualised and constant tutor support.
  • Our tutors are highly qualified and experienced Business English teachers and trainers themselves, and they also have years of experience (and are fully qualified in) online moderating. See here for more information about our tutors.
  • We are experienced online BE training providers, having run our online ‘Teaching Business English’ course for several years – this course has been replaced by more comprehensive CertIBET.
  • Our online CertIBET looks at new technologies such as wikis, podcasts, blogs etc, and how these can be applied to Business English teaching. Special emphasis is placed on new technologies and blended learning for the Business English teacher /trainer, key areas for today’s Business English market.

• Entry requirements

  Candidates for the CertIBET must hold an initial ELT teaching certificate in ELT/TESOL e.g. Trinity Licentiate Cert TESOL, Cambridge RSA CTEFLA/CELTA or an equivalent qualification that can be demonstrated to meet the following criteria: the course will have contained at least 100 hours of ELT/TESOL input, at least six hours of observed teaching practice and have been externally validated by a reputable examining body (normally a university or recognised examination board). Candidates holding this qualification do not need any previous teaching experience.

  Candidates who do NOT hold an initial teaching qualification must have a minimum of three year’s full-time ELT/TESOL practical teaching experience (minimum of 15 hours per week and 32 weeks per year).

  Experience of business or of teaching business English is not essential although familiarity and ease with common business terminology, concepts and skills would be advantageous.

  Candidates must also be able to demonstrate proficiency in English either holding a recognised qualification or demonstrating equivalence to IELTS 7.0, Cambridge Advanced, TOEFL - 627 (paper-based), 263 (computer-based), 107 (internet-based) or CEFR C1.

• Internet skills & technical requirements

  The course is taught entirely online, using the VLE (Virtual Learning Environment) Moodle. You won’t need any prior experience or knowledge of online learning, although basic experience of email and Internet is expected. Technical and pedagogical support is available for the entire duration of the course.

  You will need:

  • An Internet connection, preferably broadband
  • A headset (best is with a USB connection) or stand-alone microphone and speakers
  • A webcam is optional
  • An up-to-date browser
  • Adobe Acrobat Reader
  • An up-to-date media player (e.g. Windows Media Player or similar)
  • A word processing package (e.g. Microsoft Word or similar)

  You will use an online video conferencing platform for chats with course colleague and tutor(s) several times during the course - the exact time for this is negotiated with the group. To take part in a video conferencing session you will need a headset with microphone (headsets with a USB plug are the best option). If you have a webcam, you may want to connect that during the video conferencing session, but this is optional—you will be able to see and hear your tutor even if you only have a headset. Video conferencing sessions are always recorded which means that even if you can’t attend, you will be able to watch the recording later online, in your own time. Our video conferencing platform is accessed via a web page—you do not need to download or install anything to use it during the course.

• Assessment procedures

  Participants need to complete a minimum of 80% of their online course work to an acceptable standard, but the Cert IBET is assessed by a post-course written assignment of 3,000 - 4,000 words. Participants can choose from a number of assignment titles, which are published each year by English UK. The assignment titles for 2011 are available here. Assignments must be submitted for moderation by English UK and Trinity no later than 12 weeks after the end of the course. The assignments are externally moderated by Trinity/English UK, and a Pass or Fail grade is awarded. In some cases a candidate’s course work may be taken into account in the assigning of grades by the external moderator.

  Participants who do not complete all the course work within the stipulated course dates, or submit an assignment, may still complete the course. However, they will not be awarded an English UK / Trinity CertIBET Certificate, regardless of whether they have paid the external moderator fee.

• Enrolment procedures & fees

  First ensure you fulfill the admission requirements by filling in the Cert IBET online enrolment form. You can then pay the course fee of 795 € online via PayPal. The course fee covers all course content and documentation, video conferencing sessions, tutor support and ongoing feedback. If you would like to be awarded the Cert IBET, you will also need to pay the separate English UK / Trinity moderation fee of 165 €, before the course start date. Once you have enrolled and paid the course fee, you can pay the moderation fee here via PayPal.

  We use PayPal  as our secure online payment service. PayPal are trusted World-Wide for Internet transactions. We do not store your credit card details in any way. This increases your privacy and makes your purchase more secure.

  Under European Union legislation, you have the right to cancel within seven days of our contract with you. If you cancel your enrolment you will have your payment returned. To be refunded please provide full details of your enrolment including all reference numbers and PayPal correspondence to enrolments@theconsultants-e.com.

  Note: We are occasionally obliged to cancel a planned course if we do not have the minimum required number of participants (six). Cancellation will normally occur two- three days in advance of the course start date. In the event of a course cancellation you will be offered the opportunity to have a full refund, roll your enrolment over to the next course date, or transfer to another course with a discount.

• Appeals & complaints procedures

  Appeals: In cases where a candidate is compelled to challenge their final grade they should appeal through the course provider to English UK in writing. English UK will then contact the Chief Examiner of Trinity who will review the assignment and the moderation procedure. Only one appeal is permitted and the candidate’s claim will either be upheld or rejected. There is no fee for this process and the Chief Examiners decision is final.

  Complaints: Complaints will initially be dealt with by The Consultants-E, but in the case of a serious complaint, the complainant is invited to submit the complaint in writing to English UK and/or to Trinity College London.

• Deferrals

  If during your course you find that you need to defer due to special unforeseen circumstances such as bereavement, illness, or relocation, you may apply for a deferral on your course. This will mean joining a later course, and having the work you have already done validated. Note however that a deferral fee of 20% – 50% will apply, depending on how much of your course you have already completed prior to deferral. The Trinity College London moderation fee will also need to be repaid in full in the case of a deferral.
  
  The deferral fee needs to be paid within one month of a deferral being granted. You then have up to one year (12 months) in which to take the Cert IBET course again. If more than 12 months elapse between your deferral and enrolling on the course again, you will need to pay the full course fee, and start the course from the beginning as a new participant. Previous work will not be validated in this case.
  In the case of seeking a deferral, you need to contact your course tutor, and copy in admin@theconsultants-e.com so we can deal with the administrative issues involved in a deferral.
  
  If you need to defer before your course starts, no deferral fees will apply apart from the bank costs incurred by the initial fee payment, whether via PayPal or bank transfer.