1. Does my course have a Tutor?
Why Ask? Some Distance Learning providers sell courses which have no tutor support. In these cases you are essentially buying a book. Ensure that you are getting more than just this basic level of course. You want to be able to ask for help if you need it.
Ideal Answer: Yes you have a tutor who is a specialist in their field.
2. Will I have direct access to my Tutor?
Why Ask? Some Distance Learning providers will operate a call back tutor service. This means you need to call up customer service and arrange a call or email back. The problem with this is it can take a significant amount of time. And you may never receive that call or email back. In fact you are being kept at arms length from your tutor which is difficult.
Ideal Answer: Yes you will have direct access his/her email address or phone number will be included in your Welcome Pack
3. Is my tutor paid per question or query I ask?
Why Ask? Some Tutors are paid per response, this means they are likely to give you feedback which would encourage you to log a new query or go back to them more often, rather than resolving your problem.
Ideal Answer: Our tutors are paid to look after our students not on the volume of queries they deal with.
4. Will I receive all of my materials right away?
Why Ask? Some distance learning providers will send out materials in dribs and drabs, this means you never have the whole course together to evaluate if you are happy with it. It is important to see it all together to make sure you are happy with the content.
Ideal Answer: Yes you will get your entire course together – Probably the day after enrol.
5. How long is my course supported for?
Why Ask? Some advertising by distance learning companies focuses on the amount of time you have to take that qualification where in reality you only have support for a certain number of months. You don’t want to have to study without support.
Ideal Answer: You have 12 months to complete your course. We will remind you every 3 months of when your end date is.
6. Who is my course accredited by?
Why Ask? Some courses may not be accredited at all. This is actually okay if you know this and you are just interested in the subject rather than taking an exam. However if you are expecting a recognised qualification this can be a big shock and disappointment.
Ideal Answer: Yes the course is accredited you can find out more on our website.
7. Do you run a customer satisfaction study? What are the results?
Why Ask? Many distance learning organisations don’t put the students at the heart of what they do. You want to know that the organisation values what its students think and feel and is prepared to act on any concerns.
Ideal Answer: Yes we run one every year. Last year we scored 8.4 out of 10.
8. How can I get in contact with other students?
Why Ask? Some organisations maintain out of date student communities which are under used. It’s much better to have a managed study group list or access to other students via an existing social network like Facebook.
Ideal Answer: Yes you can leave your email address with me and we will set up an email study group with other people who are studying your course or you can join our facebook page.
9. What type of finance do you offer?
Why Ask? There are three real finance options. The first is through a loan organisation – this means you take out a personal loan with a bank and they pay off the company. The second is that the organisation funds the finance themselves and the third is that you pay in full. The issue with the first option is that you have little or no recourse with the company themselves if you are not happy with there service, as your payment arrangement is with the bank. The second option where the organisation funds the finance themselves means they are really strict about collection - you can fall into a debt recovery cycle after paying late just one time, you may also be cut off from your learning materials. If you have to pay in full this can be a problem if prices are high, but if they are affordable it is probably your best bet. You are in control of the relationship and you have no payments to worry about.
Ideal Answer: You need to pay for your course fees in full but we have kept the prices low and are happy to hold your space until you have saved for it.
10. How many students do you have?
Why Ask? Some organisations can have tens of thousands of students a year for instance one supplier claims to have 65,000 students. That must be very difficult to service with a few members of staff. You want to make sure you will have the personal touch.
Ideal Answer: We have around 10,000 students so we can always be there for you when you need us.
