LDC - Frequently Asked Questions  
Leadership Development Course

Do I need to send you any more information after the application?
1. Once you have been accepted please send a recent photgraph and £160 per person (Application fee & room deposit) to guarantee a place, as the course fills up quickly.
2. It would be great if you could let us know your travel times as soon as you have them. Let us know if you are driving, flying, coming by train or coach or Philip's transport!
3. I mentioned in your acceptance letter about you writing a short paragraph for the LDC Course Handbook We will be printing the pictures of all the students in a handbook and we would like you to write a paragraph to go under your picture sharing something of your history in YWAM, hobbies and expectations for the course. Please send this back as soon as you are able.

When am I expected to arrive?
You are welcome to arrive any time from lunch time on the Saturday of the weekend that the course begins, to Sunday mid-afternoon. For those arriving on Saturday there will be drinks and snacks served in the lounge in the evening in order for you to meet other leaders on the course. On the Sunday evening we will have the formal welcome and get to know you time. You do not want to miss this.

When do classes start and what is the basic schedule?
Monday morning starts with a welcome breakfast and then the rest of the morning is taken with orientation to the base and the course.Classes will be held from 8.45 - 1.00 and from 2.30 - 4.00 Monday to Friday. There will be several evening sessions also and we are very open to input on the schedule once we get going. The course is fairly busy with classes, workshops, one to ones, triplet accountability groups and assignments. So there is no chance of getting bored along the way.

What about child care?
We do not have any child care class available the base. There is a nursery facility set up for young children, but with no staff to run it.Families are only able to come on the LDC if they bring their own child minder or one of the parents take care of the kids, while the other one is in class.This is a change from the past. There is a cost of £300 for food and accommodation for the child minder for the six weeks.

My children are school age, what are the options?
For longer schools we have had families place their kids in the local primary school but for a short course of 6 weeks its not so practical. Families usually bring along tutors for their kids to be home schooled and this has worked well. We would encourage you to do the same.

What is the weather like, and how do I pack?
With Seamill being on the west coast, the climate is very damp and wet much of the year, although the sun does shine too. The wettest and coldest part of the year begins in November continuing through until March. So hopefully by the end of April we can look forward to some warm days. God seems to have blessed us over previous LDC's and there has always been some good weather for people to enjoy the sights over weekends. However, the saying goes, if you dont like the weather, wait 5 minutes. So you will need to bring some very warm clothes and rain gear as well as shorts and T shirts.

What do I need to bring?
Duvet cover, sheets & pillow covers will be provided but bring towels; plenty of clothes; raincoat; swimsuit (there is a nice leisure centre just a short drive away) and a musical instrument if you have one. As you will be writing a journal every week it may be useful to bring some coloured pens, scissors, highlighters, glue sticks, and anything else you would like, in order to be as creative as possible and have a remembrance of the LDC that will go on. We will have some supplies available.

What facilities are there on the base?
There is a tuck shop and a tiny book shop, so you can snack and read to your hearts content. There are washing machines available and laundry tokens can be bought at the tuck shop. The base is just a 15 minute walk from the local town of West Kilbride and so if you are short of anything basic, there is easy access to small shops.

What kind of housing is available?
Seamill was used as a teacher training centre before we took it over and has mainly double rooms with only a few dorms which we try not to use for the LDC. We usually have to ask singles to share a room with one other person, and occasionally with more than one other person. We also sometimes accommodate singles or couples off-base with families or with another ministry in a neighbouring town when the Seamill Centre is full.

What about visas?
Generally all students from EU countries will not need a visa.If you need a visa please allow at least 6-8 weeks to get one. Details of your visa requirements can be found at http://www.ukvisas.gov.uk/. If you need a visa then it is a requirement of the British Home Office that you have a STUDENT VISA in order to attend the LDC, and we recommend that you do not buy your air ticket until the STUDENT visa has been granted to you. It is illegal to come to the LDC on any other type of visa. If in doubt, please contact us early on. Once you are accepted we will post you a letter on YWAM headed paper to aid you in your application for a UK STUDENT VISA. You will need to include this letter with your visa application.

What about phone and office use?
We have public telephones available for your use and there is access to email for which there will be a charge monthly. Please have all incoming calls come in on the two public telephones: Public phones at Seamill: 01294 - 829 315 & 01294 - 829 303 The office phone at Seamill: 01294 - 829 400 Fax at Seamill: 01294 - 829 312

How do I contact you before the course starts?Please contact Wade Robertson at Seamill on 01294-829 615 or on email: LDCsoffice@yahoo.com

What mailing address do I give for while I am on the course?
Please give the following address to your family, friends and base. Mail is picked up and delivered to the Seamill Centre Monday - Friday and there is a local post office nearby. Stamps are sold in the tuck shop. (Your name) LDC, Youth With A Mission, The Seamill Centre, Glenbryde Road, West Kilbride, Ayrshire KA23 9NJ, Scotland

What do I do about medical care?
Students who are EU Citizens will need to bring a Form E128 with them in order to get free medical treatment here. All non EU students must now have personal medical insurance to cover their full stay in the UK. You will need to pay for the treatment here and then have the money refunded to you from your insurance company. This is a change from the past. There is no automatic free medical treatment for any students any longer.

When and how can I pay for the course?
The cost of the course is £780 plus the registration fee of £10 for each applicant. Once accepted, the £150 room deposit & £10 registration fee will be expected. If you wish you can send the whole amount a this point. If you would like to send the money direct to the YWAM account, email me and I will pass on the information to you. Otherwise a bank draft in Pounds Sterling, a British cheque or Euros will be fine. Please remember all fees are due upon arrival.

How should I travel and what are the directions?
Arriving at London, Heathrow you could:1. Get a flight from Heathrow straight to Glasgow - may have booked this already. Sometimes its cheaper to book it as part of the overall flight. 2. Get the Heathrow - Luton airport link bus and fly direct to Glasgow via Easy jet. The bus takes about 1 hour and 30 minutes. Not sure of the price but probably around £15 return. The flight takes just over an hour, usually for a good price.The earlier you book the cheaper it is- from £19 single. You can book on the internet www.easyjet.com and you receive a booking reference that you hand in at the check in desk. 3. Get a bus from the airport to Victoria Coach station and get a coach from there to Glasgow. If times havent changed they were: 08:30 arr Glasgow Buchanan St 16:25 10:30 arr " 18:05 12:30 arr " 20:50 23:00 arr " 06:45 (not sunday)There was one bus a day that went from heathrow to Glasgow - 23:00 arriving 06:30. Telephone: 0990 808080 (Cost last year was £26 return and £14 single)4. Train from central London usually works out more expensive unless you have a special train pass. Arriving in London Gatwick:1. Fly to Glasgow direct. 2. By train (Thames Link Rail) to Luton to get the easy jet flight. There is a shuttle bus from Luton airport train station to the airport and is free.3. Travel by train to London and take the coach from Victoria. Taking the train to Glasgow usually works out more expensive.Arrival in Glasgow:1. Glasgow Buchanan street bus station - either get a taxi or take a 10 minute walk to Glasgow Central Train Station (ask anyone for directions). Trains leave for West Kilbride (nearest station to Seamill) about every hour - see main departure board at central station. Its the Largs train you want to get. 2. Trains from London come into Glasgow Central station and you take the train as above. 3. Airport - a bus leaves from the central reservation in the road outside the terminal for Paisley Gilmour Street rail station and takes about 15 minutes. Again get on the Largs train for West Kilbride. It takes about 35 minutes. There is a phone opposite the West Kilbride Train Station. You can phone for a taxi on 822812 or 823204. The cost will be £2 - £3 and the journey approximately 10 minutes. If you have to contact the Seamill centre the number is 01294 829400 if its in office hours or 01294 829 303 or 01294 829315.

If you need any more information, just get back to me.