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Faculty of Education, Bundoora

Prospective Students - Qualifying to be a Teacher

English Language Requirements

International and Australian-resident Applicants for all Graduate Diploma in Education programs must meet the requirements and follow the procedures relevant to the candidate's mode of application.

International Students

All International applicants for the Graduate Diploma in Education programs must apply through the International Programs Office of the University http://www.latrobe.edu.au/international/apply/courses and must meet the English language proficiency requirements indicated in the International Prospectus and Application Form. Successful international applicants for the Graduate Diploma will be given an offer of a place that is conditional on satisfactory completion of a further interview to assess their skills in using spoken English in the Graduate Diploma of Education course, including teaching practice.

Australian resident applicants applying through VTAC

Local applicants who do not have a satisfactory result in any standard year 12 English subject in Australia (including applicants with overseas qualifications) are required to have a score in the International English Language Testing System (IELTS) of at least 7.0 overall, with no individual band (Listening, Speaking, Reading and Writing) of less than 6.5.

Failure to obtain either a suitable IELTS result, or an exemption from the IELTS test, will mean that an application will not be considered, if the applicant does not have the required pass in year 12 English from an Australian state.

IELTS Test Information and Application Processes

Details about the IELTS test and IELTS testing centres can be obtained from http:www.ielts.org, including the contact details for testing centres in Melbourne and in other places in Australia and overseas. These centres are independent of La Trobe University.

Students with a satisfactory IELTS result must provide the School of Educational Studies with their VTAC ID number and contact details when they supply evidence of their IELTS score. These applicants will be required to complete an interview to assess their capacities in using spoken English in the Graduate Diploma in Education course, including in teaching practice placements.

IELTS testing centres in Melbourne charge a fee of about AU$240 for administration of tests and provision of a results certificate. TEsts are conducted on a number of dates prior to December 16. Applicants who are required to sit IELTS tests are advised to do so before mid November, as results take some weeks to process. There is no guarantee that test results will be available when selection for courses is made if the test is completed in late November or December. Bookings for test places at that time of year can be in high demand, so applicants are advised to make the necessary arrangements as early as possible. Failure to obtain an IELTS result in time for selection in Mid December will mean that the application WILL NOT BE CONSIDERED.

Application for Exemption

In certain circumstances, applicants may apply for an exemption from the requirement to have a suitable IELTS result (for example, an applicant without a pass in year 12 English who gained university entrance through special entry provisions, or who completed a year 12 English subject in an English-dominate country such as New Zealand or the United Kingdom). Applicants for exemption need to provide documentation that verifies the basis of their claim for an exemption, but may still be required to attend an interview to establish spoken English proficiency.

Applicants applying for an exemption, and who have listed a La Trobe Graduate Diploma in Education program as their first preference, should make a formal application for an exemption to :

The Administrator, Graduate Diploma in Education, School of Educational Studies, La Trobe University, Bundoora 3086.

Requests for exemption must include the applicant's VTAC ID number, contact details, a statement of the grounds on which exemption is sought, and certified copies of relevant documents. Requests for exemption must be submitted to the School of Educational Studies by the first Monday in November. Applicants requesting an exemption should be aware of the need to allow plenty of time in lodging their requests and the possibility that they will need to make a booking for an IELTS test, so that a test result is available in time for selection, should a request for an exemption be rejected.

Applicants who place a Graduate Diploma in Education course at La Trobe, Bundoora, as a lower preference (second, third or fourth), and who have obtained an exemption from the requirement to sit IELTS from the University they listed as their first preference, must send a certified copy of the letter of exemption they receive from that university with their VTAC ID number, to the Graduate Diploma in Education Administrator by the first Monday in December. Failure to do this will lead to an application not being considered.