FAQs
Everything you need to know about DTS, life in Rostrevor, and what it looks like to join us here at An Cuan.
About DTS
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A DTS is six months of personally experiencing God and living the adventure of taking His message to the nations. It's an intense, full-time program consisting of two parts - lecture phase and outreach phase.
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The main qualification for studying in a DTS is that you have a relationship with God, want to grow in Him and want to help other people get to know Him. The other qualification is that you are at least 18 years old and/or have completed High School.
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You can check out our DTS page which includes a link to the application process towards the bottom of the page.
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You will need to fill out an application form, health form, personal history form, police history check and ask three people to fill out reference forms for you. All forms can be sent to your references through the application process. We must receive all the forms for us to consider your application.
Once we have received your entire application we will pray and discuss it as staff. We will be conducting phone or Zoom interviews with you at this point. These help us to get to know you better… and help you to get to know us better! We will then let you know whether your application has been successful or not.
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As Christians and YWAMers, we highly value our relationship with the Lord, so all are encouraged to start the day with Quiet Time – taking time on your own to be with God, read His word, worship Him and listen to His voice.
DTS schedules differ from school to school but our mornings usually start with intercession for other nations / ministries and worship, and then continue with lectures. Afternoons are filled with studies, small groups, one-on-ones, work duties and other activities. It is definitely an exciting time!
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During lecture phase, some of the topics you will learn about include:
God’s nature and character
Sin and the cross
Holy Spirit
Bible Study
Discipleship
Missions
Identity
Evangelism
Reconciliation
Kingdom of God -
Come with an attitude of openness to learn. Many things, including ideas and behavioural norms, will probably be different to what you are used to. This will take some adjusting. It is all part of the experience, and if you remain flexible and dependent on God, it will definitely add to your time here and prepare you for a life time of cross-cultural and cross-generational missions.
During the course of the lecture phase you will have a weekly one-on-one meeting with a member of staff with whom you can discuss any concerns you may have.
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Outreach is the field assignment part of the course. It is usually 10-12 weeks in length and a requirement for the successful completion of the DTS course. It is the part of the DTS course where you get to practically apply the things you have learnt in the classroom such as preaching, teaching, evangelising, mercy ministries and more! You will be part of a team of students and staff to go and make God known!
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We usually send outreaches to our focus nations but we are always open to hearing if God wants us somewhere else. Our focus nations are India, China, Israel & Palestine, Lebanon, Rwanda, Burundi, South Africa, The Balkans and Ireland.
We usually announce the outreach location during lecture phase.
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To successfully complete the DTS, you will need to take part in outreach. This is the part of the school where the main focus will be on putting into practice what you have learnt over the course of the lecture phase.
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We ask that you will arrive no earlier than 3 days before the start date of DTS and leave no later than 3 days after graduation.
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Do no book your airline tickets until you have been accepted, been approved for a visa, and been given permission from An Cuan staff.
Finances
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Application fee (non-refundable): £25
Lecture Fees £2385
Outreach Fees £1950
Room Deposit Fee: £200 non refundable deposit due when accepted. This amount counts towards the lecture phase fees.
This doesn’t include airfare, vaccinations or visa costs.
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Once you’ve been accepted to the school, we’ll be happy to help you come up with ideas for raising the money for DTS. Please feel free to contact us to discuss it.
Some of our trainees are supported by their churches, friends, or families. Others work for a period of time to earn the money, and others use their savings accounts or sell their car and other possessions. -
We do not accept any other currency than British Pounds. We can accept payments via Paypal using credit/debit cards, bank transfer, or cheques.
We advise that you inform your bank and credit card companies that you’ll travelling for a specific period of time, so they won’t block your cards/accounts.
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Yes. Additional costs include your airfare to and from Rostrevor, Northern Ireland as well as your outreach airfare (from Rostrevor to outreach location return). You will also be required to pay for any needed vaccinations, visa costs, gifts, toiletries and personal spending money.
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Lecture phase fees are due on the first day of school during check-in.
Outreach phase fees need to be paid in full 30 days before the start of outreach. You are responsible to make sure that your fees are paid in full.
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The school fees includes housing, 3 meals a day, the cost of travel when we go somewhere as a team, as well as food and housing on outreach.
The school fee does NOT include transport to Rostrevor, Northern Ireland and back to your home country nor does it include visa expenses to UK or to outreach. All personal expenses incurred while involved with YWAM Rostrevor are the responsibility of the student (such as medical costs, food and snacks away from the DTS house/apartments, toiletry items and mail). It is a good idea to bring some spending money for things such as snacks or personal items.
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Lecture phase - A trainee(s) leaving for any reason
Prior to the first session of class- 100%
During the second week of class- 85%
During the third week of class- 50%
No refund is payable to trainees who leave after the end of the 3rd week.
Outreach Phase - A trainee(s) leaving before the commencement of the outreach will be liable for any irrecoverable expenses incurred on their behalf (for example: accommodation bookings, flights, etc.). Once outreach has commenced, no refund is payable to a trainee.
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Donations for students are NOT tax deductible. If someone wants to send a gift, please ask if your church can help with tax-deductible gifts.
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Not at this time. Each of us (staff) at this YWAM Rostrevor centre still need to pray and fundraise for airfares, day to day living expenses and other expenses. We are all on this faith walk together.
Life at An Cuan
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Yes.
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Yes, upon request and subject to DTS leader’s approval. Occasionally we have weekend outings or ministry opportunities, so each student will need to submit their requests week by week.
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For the Fall/Autumn DTS we give a short break for Christmas. Specific dates will be given to you upon acceptance. We ask trainees to stay on the island of Ireland. If you have guests planning to visit you, you must inform your DTS leader as soon as possible.
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Yes, upon request and subject to DTS leader’s approval. Please inform at least a month in advance.
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You do not need to bring any of those items as they are all provided. Consider bringing a sleeping bag for outreach, though. Please also consider bringing a nice hiking backpack for outreach as you may find this easier to travel with than a suitcase.
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Yes, no problem.
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We will have a packing list provided for you in your acceptance packet.
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You will be sharing a room with several other people and there is limited space. Please pack lightly for DTS and only bring 1 suitcase - a backpack is advisable as your outreach may be mobile and backpacks make moving around easier.
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Yes, you can bring one laptop per person. Make sure you bring an adapter (UK has 220 volts) – these can be bought at a local hardware store/ airports. Yes, we have internet available for you while here.
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Yes! A musical instrument is a great item to bring! You may be able to use it during worship times in DTS and even on outreach as long as you don’t mind carrying it. Grand pianos are inadvisable.
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Yes, you can bring your mobile/cellphone. You will, however be asked to switch it off during lectures, meetings and other class activities.
About Rostrevor
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We have four very distinct seasons. Spring is usually wet but gets warm and dry towards May, when everything comes alive and there is lots of colour. Summers tend to be warm between 15C and 28C and last to the end of August. Fall weather is not so much cold as it is rainy and umbrellas are easily available. Winter weather starts around November and tends to be very cold between 2C and 6C lasting until March.
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The village is approximately a 10 minute walk from our centre where you can find ATMs, a couple of small grocery stores, coffee shops, a chemist and a post office. Newry is the closest city and is 20 minutes away by car or bus (bus stop directly behind our centre). In Newry you can find movie theatres, restaurants, shopping malls, Starbucks, bowling, karting and more. You will have time available during weekends to explore and relax.
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Yes - Most countries do need a visa in order to join a Discipleship Training school, in which case you will need a letter of sponsorship from us to obtain a visa.
Once you have been accepted as a trainee, we will be in contact with you about the visa process. The visa process normally takes 2-3 months to complete, depending on your country of origin. Don’t worry, our trained administrator will walk you through it and give you guidance for every step.
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YES. Travel insurance is advisable for your stay here in UK and international outreach. We advise getting multi-country travel and medical insurance for 6 months. For outreach we will purchase travel insurance at your expense if you are not insured already. We will let you know if we need to do this.
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By Air: You can fly into Dublin Airport, Belfast City or Belfast International Airports. You will be picked up at the airport by one of our staff members.
By boat / car / bike / bicycle: You can take a ferry from Scotland & England to Belfast, Dublin or Warrenpoint, then make your way to Rostrevor. Our address/coordinates are:
An Cuan
YWAM Rostrevor
44 Shore Road
Rostrevor
BT34 3ET
Northern Ireland
Latitude : 54.096204 | Longitude : -6.194576 -
Yes. Please send us your complete flight details as soon as you have confirmed your flight. Someone will meet you at baggage claim holding with a sign that says ‘YWAM’.