You may or may not be aware that the call for scholarship applications for IATEFL 2017 has gone out.

There are a whole host of these on offer, so it’s a good idea to check out the List of Scholarships on the IATEFL website. But don’t go away just yet – there are two in particular that we at TDSIG would like to tell you about, and they are the Teacher Development Michael Berman Scholarship and the NATESOL Teacher Development Scholarship. Both of these prizes include goodies such as registration for our TDSIG Pre-Conference Event, registration for the main IATEFL Conference and money towards travel and expenses. Have we got your attention? Good, because…

The deadline for applying for IATEFL Scholarships is 21st July 2016

You don’t want to be late for this one! So open up a new internet window and start your application right now.

But don’t close this one just yet, dear reader. Here is some information about those lovely jubbly teacher development scholarships…

Teacher Development Michael Berman Scholarship

This is our one. A scholarship, funded by us, the IATEFL Teacher Development Special Interest Group. It’s in memory of Michael Berman, an ELT writer, presenter and storyteller, who regularly contributed his stories and teaching ideas to the TD SIG Newsletter until his death in 2013. It is for a teacher to attend the IATEFL Annual Conference and to have the opportunity to be published in the TD SIG Newsletter and its other online platforms, like this here blog. It will be awarded to someone who is interested in exploring her/his own development and is able to write about this engagingly so that others can share in and benefit from these insights.

You have to be a member of IATEFL TD SIG to apply for this scholarship but you do not have to give a conference presentation.

Here are the particulars:

The award consists of:

  • registration for the TD SIG Pre-Conference Event
  • registration for the IATEFL Annual Conference
  • GBP 1000.00 for conference-related expenses

To qualify you must:

  • be a member of the TD SIG
  • be questioning about your teaching and willing to learn
  • be good at articulating your thoughts and arranging them in written form and able to meet deadlines
  • agree, if you win the scholarship, to write three short articles after the conference for possible publication in the TD SIG newsletter, on the TD SIG website, Facebook page or other TD SIG approved media, recording your development as a teacher. You are asked particularly to focus on how your experiences at the conference have furthered your development, and you will work with a member of the TDSIG committee to support you through this process.

Sounds great, right? So what do you have to do to apply… read on!

To be considered you must submit:

  • an article of between 400 and 500 words. You should:
  1. describe briefly your teaching context(s)
  2. outline the developmental high points so far in your career
  3. indicate how attending the conference would further your development

NATESOL Teacher Development Scholarship

This one is not our one, but it is awarded by the UK-based Northern Association of Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages (NATESOL), an Associate of IATEFL. It was offered for the first time in 2015 in recognition of IATEFL’s 50th anniversary and NATESOL’s own 30th anniversary in 2014-15. It is supported by the IATEFL Teacher Development Special Interest Group (TD SIG). The scholarship aims to assist a practitioner working in the North of England and involved significantly in some form of teacher development to attend the 51st IATEFL Conference in Glasgow in April 2017.
It is not necessary to be a member of IATEFL or NATESOL to apply for this scholarship.

The award consists of GBP500 which will cover:

  • registration for the TD SIG pre-conference event (PCE)
  • registration for the IATEFL conference
  • a year’s membership of IATEFL
  • a year’s membership of the TD SIG
  • a year’s membership of NATESOL
  • a contribution towards travel and accommodation costs

 

To qualify you must:

  • be a TESOL practitioner in any area of education, state or private sector, who has incorporated an interesting or innovative form of teacher development into their recent practice
  • be working predominantly in the North of England
  • not have attended the IATEFL Annual International Conference before
  • undertake to write a reflective report on the TD SIG’s PCE and on your experience of the Conference, to be published in the TD SIG newsletter and on the NATESOL website, the report to be original in content and to be submitted by the end of June 2017
    undertake to give a talk on your work to the NATESOL membership at some point after attendance at the IATEFL Conference, most appropriately at the NATESOL Conference in May 2017

 

To be considered you must submit:

  • a 400-500 word summary of your recent work in teacher development, stating why it is of particular interest or significance
  • a passport size photo (for inclusion in the conference programme and on the scholarship poster if you win. Please refer to the Scholarships Overview and FAQs for photo requirements)

 

Now, you may have a few questions, and TDSIG can answer questions relating to the Michael Berman Scholarship, but please check out the Scholarship Overview and Frequently Asked Questions section on the IATEFL website first. Any questions relating to the NATESOL Teacher Development Scholarship should be directed to NATESOL.

Remember…

The deadline to apply is 21st July 2016! Don’t be late!

Apply now as an IATEFL member! Apply now as a non-member! (Note you can only apply as a non-member for the NATESOL Scholarship.

The submission deadline is 21st July. Early submissions are very welcome; late submissions will not be considered.

The winners will be informed by Friday 26th August and other applicants by Monday 5th September 2016. Please do NOT contact the IATEFL office about scholarship decisions; the Scholarship Working Party (SWP) will send everyone the results as soon as they are available.