Avram Grant faces weekly trips to Israel to attain his coaching qualifications just as Chelsea’s season enters its busiest and most critical period.

Grant is due to be sitting in a classroom in Tel Aviv when his team will be travelling for the away legs in the Champions League knockout phase. The Barclays Premier League club must hope that Grant’s commitment to spending Mondays in Tel Aviv – from the end of January potentially through to the end of March - does not play havoc with their preparations. It is not clear whether he will be absent for matches.

Grant, who has an A-licence qualification, must attain his Uefa Pro Licence to remain as Chelsea first-team coach in the long term and, while unsatisfactory, this is believed to be the quickest way.

Chelsea were given a 12-week dispensation by the Premier League that runs until shortly before Christmas and they have to show proof that Grant is endeavouring to seek the top qualification. Manchester United will oppose any extensions, unless there is evidence that Grant plans to upgrade his existing badges.

There is huge pride in Israel that Grant replaced José Mourinho at Stamford Bridge – and that he has thrived in his first couple of months – but the Israeli FA insisted yesterday that there could be no special favours for the former national team manager when it comes to gaining the qualifications. A spokesman explained that the 90-hour course was based on Monday sessions at the Ramat Gan Stadium in Tel Aviv, where Israel beat Russia on Saturday night. Grant registered for the course while there for the game.

“He will have to do all the duties, just like any other coach,” the spokesman said. “The course takes place in an office in the national stadium and lasts approximately two months. Avram Grant will have to do everything that Uefa demands to complete the course in order to gain his licence. The course takes place on Mondays from the end of January.”

Grant, 52, may be perplexed at the need to go back to school, given that he won four championships before becoming Israel coach for four years. But there is a growing feeling at some Premier League clubs that the rules should be enforced more rigorously.

There have been dispensations previously: for Glenn Roeder on health grounds when he took over at Newcastle United, and Gareth Southgate, at Middlesbrough, who was deemed to have had restricted opportunities to gain a licence because of his international playing career. Older managers, such as Sir Alex Ferguson, were exempted because they had been in management for many years when the requirements where implemented.

The Pro Licence normally requires 240 hours of study and usually takes a year to complete. Grant may be able to do some of that work in England.

To undertake next year’s course, he may have to catch overnight flights to Tel Aviv late on a Sunday if Chelsea are playing that afternoon. If his team are in the Champions League, which resumes in mid-February, he would have to catch up with the players late on a Monday or early the next morning. Perhaps he could ask Roman Abramovich to borrow his private jet.

Study leave

Avram Grant could be a busy man. If Chelsea are playing in the North on a Sunday afternoon, he will be in a rush to catch the last scheduled flight out of Heathrow at 10.30pm that night. That would get him to Tel Aviv at 5.25am on the Monday morning in time for a change, a shower and off to the classroom.

Life will be more leisurely if Chelsea play on a Saturday. But if they are playing on a Tuesday in the Champions League, Grant will be required to miss training the day before the game and also the Uefa press conference.