My PTLLS - Blog

What Is PTLLS?

Yousif — Sun, 20 Oct 2013 17:38:11 +0000

PTLLS is abbreviation for Preparing to Teach in the Lifelong Learning Sector, and it is the minimum requirement for teaching in the further education sector in the UK.

PTLLS qualification is gained through completion of theoretical assignments and practical tasks along with reflective journal entries leading to either Level 3 or Level 4.

Although the PTLLS course is offered by many colleges in the UK, it is also offered by the public sector and many approved private organisations through full-time or part-time sessions and through distance learning.

What is PTLLS Qualification?

The qualification is obtained from approved centres of City & Guilds. Either Level 3 or Level 4 qualification is awarded upon achieving 12 credits.

The level award is based on your achievement and the units (assignments) you have chosen. Level 3 units are structured in 3 groups, and Level 4 units are structured in 4 groups. If you want to find out more see page 7 to 10 of this document.

The qualification can also be obtained from approved centres of Edexcel which has a 6 credit version and a revised 12 credit version.

Because of these variations the number of assignments and journals to be submitted for assessment varies between different providers. For example, depending on the intended level and PTLLS version, some require submission of fours assignments and four journals while some require seven of each.

PTLLS Requirements and Assessment

Generally, you should posses at least Level 2 in Maths and English as well as Level 3 or a degree in your specialist subject, i.e. the subject you want to teach. However, the assessment for entry requirements is not the same; some providers require that you attend a pre-assessment session while some require a form to be completed.

Your training centre may ask you before enrolling to describe in writing the role and responsibilities of a teacher. They do so in order to assess your competency in English and to judge your knowledge level of the teaching industry. So I urge you to read Assignment 1 before the pre-assessment day.

Course Duration and Fees

The course duration is not the same. Most centres require attendance for 30 hours over 10 weeks or over 10 days consecutively, while some require attendance for only 3, 4 or 5 days.

While a minimum of 15 minutes ‘observed micro-teaching’ is a requirement, the length varies from centre to centre; some require 15 minutes, some require 20 minutes and some require 30 minutes.

While preparing this article, my research showed that the fees vary from £110 to £750, and most centres in London offered the course for £240 to £250 per person. Make sure you choose the PTLLS provider that meets your budget, aims, and career prospects.

While I tried my best to explain what PTLLS is, the information in this article may not be accurate and up-to-date please suggest corrections or additional useful information in the comments section.

About Yousif Kisha

Yousif Kisha, a Drupal Developer, runs his own web design business, a former trainer in management and leadership. Yousif is on twitter @Hobsite

CIEH Trainers Qualify for PTLLS in Two Days

Yousif — Mon, 23 Sep 2013 16:40:08 +0000

You can get accredited for previous learning and receive exemption if you hold a training qualification from the Chartered Institute of Environmental Health (CIEH).

In order to qualify for the upgrade you must hold either of these certificates:

CIEH Professional Trainer Certificate (PTC)
CIEH Level 3 Award in Training Skills and Practice (TSP)

If you qualify, you will be exempted from part 1 (the micro-teach assignment), i.e. after the two day training you will be required to submit only two written assignments in order to achieve the CIEH Level 3 PTLLS award.

There are many reasons to choose PTLLS near you. To find a place near you offering the conversion programme, you may want to perform a search on Google by entering PTLLS Conversion in MYCITY, and replace MYCITY with the actual your city.

If you live near Buxton and Manchester area you may check out this CIEH to PTLLS page and register for Level 3 Award in Education and Training (EAT).

If you have suggestions or would like to make corrections to this page, then please leave a comment.

About Yousif Kisha

Yousif Kisha, a Drupal Developer, runs his own web design business, a former trainer in management and leadership. Yousif is on twitter @Hobsite

Why I Chose PTLLS

Yousif — Sun, 15 Sep 2013 10:14:31 +0000

When I did my PTLLS I was delivering management and leadership training programmes and at the same time freelancing as a Web Developer. For this reason all my PTLLS assignments were based on two specialist areas, although they focused mostly around training and management.

I worked for a training institution based in LBWF (Waltham Forest) with their headquarters in UAE. Over there they often use the terminology 'Train the Trainer' rather than PTLLS. Surprisingly, when they first recruited me, they didn't ask me for PTLLS or any teaching certification; their main requirements for delivering training programmes to adults were a master's degree in a specialist area, bilingual and UK-based.

Why Did I Choose the PTLLS Course

Initially, a friend of mine who is a career advisor in Waltham Forest advised me to gain a teaching qualification to help me with my job, and eventually I decided to do PTLLS for many reasons:

acquire teaching skills
advance my career in training
meet new people (networking)
wanted to know my obligations as a trainer
ambitious, and
I enjoy writing and researching.

I was delivering lectures to staff from blue-chip companies without having a training qualification and therefore I wanted to equip myself with teaching skills and best practice. In the evenings I occasionally delivered presentations to members of a project funded by Waltham Forest council and I was ambitious PTLLS will help me advance my career and can open doors for me. Being familiar with the training industry and since I was practically delivering lectures the PTLLS course was a piece of cake.

Because I funded myself and also, time-wise I was working, for me PTLLS, as a first step toward DTLLS, was a feasible alternative to PGCE (postgraduate certificate in Education). I did gain a lot from it: it has strengthened my training skills, empowered my confidence, and it has opened doors for me in a different career path. At least, for life, I will remember the legislative requirements and the ground rules in my workplace.

Why Did I Choose PTLLS in Waltham Forest

I was certain PTLLS can be useful as it was, and I got myself enrolled with CLaSS which is a government adult learning provider in Waltham Forest offering non-funded PTLLS courses through their local centres. Beside I wanted to meet local people, the course met my priorities also because:

It is within distance
The dates were flexible - Wednesdays
Gives 12 credits from City & Guilds
Assignment and research based

The course gives twelve credits toward either level-3 or leve-4 Preparing to Teach in the Lifelong Learning Sector, and I chose the one the runs for 10 weeks, three hours every Wednesday. It was what I needed; close to my home, offered the qualification I needed, and gave me the opportunity to meet local people who shared the same interest.

Although PTLLS is offered by local colleges including Waltham Forest College and several other education and private institutions in the borough and also through distant learning, at the time none of the other centres close to where I live offered the course just on a Wednesday.

Every person's circumstances and aims are different, whether you are now doing your PTLLS or have already completed it you can share your reasons for choosing PTLLS in the comments section.

About Yousif Kisha

Yousif Kisha, a Drupal Developer, runs his own web design business, a former trainer in management and leadership. Yousif is on twitter @Hobsite