Free Club Teacher Training and TD Courses
by John Pain

Club Teacher Courses - Free

Bridge teaching remains the best way to ensure a steady flow of new players coming into your club sessions in future years. In order to support affiliated clubs in this regard, the EBU organises free* Club Teacher Training Courses for them. Each club is offered one free* teacher training session in any 24-month period. Second and subsequent teachers may attend the course on payment of £102 per person, subject to available space.

Since the scheme began in September 2010 we have run courses in Richmond Surrey (Sept 2010); Farnham Surrey (Nov 2010); Stowmarket Suffolk (Jan 2011); Oxford (Feb 2011); Brierfield Lancs (April 2011); Taunton (April 2011); Nottingham (April/May 2011); Patcham (May 2011); Torquay (June 2011); Edgware (June 2011); Wetherby (July 2011); Chichester (Oct 2011).

I’m hoping to have the 2012 dates for West Midlands Bridge Club, Solihull and St George’s Bridge Centre, Darlington before too long.

If you would like to host a course in 2012, please contact me john@ebu.co.uk for further details. Courses are usually held on a Saturday and Sunday. Normal start time is 3.30pm on Saturday finishing around 5pm on Sunday.

Course availability and information will be updated as it becomes available to:

* Please note: Any club that takes advantage of our free teacher training has to agree to take all reasonable steps to provide training within one year of the course, use the EBU Bridge for All programme and to produce at least 4 students as Pay to Play members within 2 years of the course. In addition the club will agree to remain affiliated for a full three years after the training course has taken place, otherwise the EBU retains the right to reclaim all or part of the costs involved in providing the course.

Club Tournament Director Courses – buy one get one free

The EBU’s Club Tournament Director Courses continue to prove extremely popular and successful. Affiliated clubs booking a full paying member on a TD course can send a second club member to the same course FREE OF CHARGE. To take advantage of the scheme both the paying member and the free member must be booked at the same time, and the booking must be made by the registered secretary of the club (who will vouch for both participants as club members). Affiliated clubs taking advantage of this scheme must agree to remain affiliated for at least 3 years from the date of the courses (or else the EBU retains the right to seek payment for any free courses taken).

In 2011 we will have held courses in 20 venues up and down the country – Churchdown (Glos), Aylesbury, Welwyn Garden City, Leicester, Darlington, Newark, Isle of Man, Harrogate, Cambridge, Farnham, Exeter, Horsham, Brighton, Wantage, Huddersfield, Sheffield, Tunbridge Wells, Warrington, Basingstoke and York.

For the current list of upcoming courses, please consult:

John Pain
Education Department, EBU