AMI Montessori Diploma 3-6

• Minimum 90% course attendance
• Montessori material making and practice
• Submission of albums and materials
• Classroom practice and observation
• Practicum evaluation – teaching practice assessment by school’s lead teacher
• Written and oral examinations

Our students come from all over the world and our fees are the same for everyone. We sponsor Student Visas for international students for our 1 year and 2 year daytime courses.

International students on our 2 year blended course option will not require a student visa for the in-person London modules but may require a visitor visa depending which country they are coming from.

Dependents cannot be brought over on a Student Visa for our Diploma courses. Students who are studying with us on a Student Visa are not permitted to work in the UK while on the course. International students who need a Student Visa to study in the UK are required to pay the course fees in one instalment (Early Bird or Discounted Course Fee) before they can apply for a Visa. This is to ensure the Visa application has the best chance of success. Any course fees paid will be refunded in full if the Visa application is unsuccessful.

Please note that international students who need a Student Visa to study at the Maria Montessori Institute are not permitted to work in the UK. Upon graduating, students on the AMI Diploma courses are not eligible to apply for the Graduate Visa as the Maria Montessori Institute is not a licensed sponsor for this.

Please contact us with any visa queries at course@mariamontessori.org

The in-person sessions take place at our Central London training centre at 41 Riding House Street, London, W1W 7BE. On our Blended Course, there are also online sessions. Teaching practice placement locations vary.

1 year full time – Monday-Friday 9.30am-4.30pm

2 years daytime – up to 3 days a week 9.30am-4.30pm

2 years evening – Tuesday, Wednesday & Thursday 6pm – 9pm; four Saturdays per year 9:30am – 5pm

2 years blended – online modules – sessions three times a week, in-person modules Monday-Friday 9.30am-4.30pm

We refer to our Foundation Degree as our “degree route” as those on this course can gain a degree as well as an AMI Diploma 3-6. The degree course is only open to UK students.

The course content is very similar to the AMI Diploma 3-6 course although there are some additional elements. You study the Foundation Degree in the daytime over 2 years. There is an optional third year of study to gain a BA (Hons) degree in Early Childhood. On both the AMI Diploma 3-6 and Foundation Degree courses you will also gain the Early Years Educator qualification.

Our degree route is an attractive option for UK students who haven’t already studied for a degree as they should be able to access UK student loans for the course.

The two-year daytime course offers additional study to help students to deepen their understanding. It is suitable for students who need more time to assimilate information and for those who simply wish to take more time to make a deeper study. Additional teaching practice is also offered.

The two-year evening and blended courses offer different structures to suit the lives of students.

AMI Diploma holders are sought after for employment both in the UK and internationally. We advertise jobs at the Maria Montessori School on our Current Vacancies webpage where you can also find links to AMI and Montessori Society job listings. We share details of school vacancies and other external vacancies with our students.

You need a good level of English to succeed on our courses. All applicants need to demonstrate their ability to understand and express themselves in both written and spoken English. If the highest qualification you hold was not studied in English, you may need to provide an English language qualification/test even if you do not require a student visa.

We do not provide accommodation but we can send you general information about finding student accommodation in London. We will also connect you to other students before the start of the course as students often organise living together.

Applicants are asked to complete our online application form.

You will then be asked to email a number of supporting documents including a personal statement, a fitness to teach health form, references and education certificates.

You may also be asked to have an interview online or by phone with the Course Director. You will be notified during the application process if this is required.

Successful applicants will be offered a course place.

You will need to do the IELTS for UKVI Academic English language test (or equivalent) with an approved SELT test provider for a Student Visa and achieve at least CEFR level B1 in all four components (reading, writing, speaking, and listening). You will find list of approved test providers on the UK Visas and Immigration website.

You are exempt from this test if you are a national of a majority English speaking country, or have completed a degree-level course of study in an English speaking country.

To check whether you need to take this test, please refer to the UK Visas and Immigration website: https://www.gov.uk/student-visa/knowledge-of-english

All applicants pay a non-refundable £99 application fee and a £800 deposit on acceptance of a course place which is offset against the first fee payment. The cost of the AMI Diploma Course examination is £400 and is paid in the January before graduation.

Students wishing to access the Early Bird Fee or the Discounted Fee must pay in one instalment. International Visa students must pay in one instalment which will be refunded if the Visa application is unsuccessful.

The due dates of the instalment fee option are as follows (fees for 2026 to be announced soon):

Two Year Course
1st instalment -(£500 deposit already deducted)
2nd instalment –
3rd instalment –
4th instalment –

One Year Course
1st instalment – (£500 deposit already deducted)
2nd instalment – due
3rd instalment – due
4th instalment – due

The practice placements are arranged by the Maria Montessori Institute. Your location will be taken into account but generally you cannot request a placement at any particular school.

If you are taking our blended course, you can arrange teaching practice at a school local to you including schools outside of the UK but it will need to be a school with an AMI Montessori-trained Lead Teacher and the school will need to be approved as a placement.

The Ellie Kempley Scholarship funds full course fees for one UK student aged under 30 on the one year daytime course.

To apply for the scholarship simply tick that you wish to apply as part of the main application for the course. You will also be asked to provide a personal statement for the scholarship which will need to cover: why you want to apply for the scholarship; a description of what makes you passionate about Montessori with examples from your life experience; a description of your experiences of working with children; and a summary of your short, medium and long-term plans for a career working with children using the Montessori approach.

The two year blended course combines the best of the in-person training experience with the flexibility of online learning, enabling you to study with us if you can’t travel to London for an extended period of time.

The course has exactly the same content as our other AMI Diploma 3-6 courses but is delivered through a mix of short in-person modules in London, on-line modules with live online sessions and support through our Learning Management System and a tutorial system.

The short in-person modules in London will not require a student visa for international students but may require a visitor visa from some countries.