If you had to do any training to add knowledge to your business, which method would you prefer?
Classroom based; or
Distance learning.
The Society has been training people to become estate planning practitioners (will writers) for over two decades now using both methods, and the classroom method has been the preferred choice by the vast majority of students.
However, it is said that distance learning courses are becoming ever more popular. The problem with this method, and I’ve been as guilty as the rest, is a lack of self-discipline when it comes to setting aside enough time each week to complete a course in the shortest possible time, and the longer the student takes the more likely they are to drop out; the lawn needs cutting, a friend calls you up to see if you want a round of golf, the list of excuses is endless.
Last year the Society introduced its first cloud based distance learning course and it was an instant success, not just on cost (£595 all in when compared with others), but it also opened up the will writing profession as a career choice to a wider group of people who could not take four days away from home or afford the added costs of travel and hotels.
It was a gamble on the part of the Society and College, as having only just opened the College four years earlier; would more people take the distance learning option over the classroom course? The answer was no they would not.
The interesting fact has been is that the numbers taking the classroom courses has continued to increase, and the students taking the distance learning increased the numbers of students by a further 60%.
Now just over a year on, the Society has increased its membership and now have members and students around the globe. I know I have said this before, but it’s just that the almost instant growth has proved our decision to take training to its next level to be the right one.
The course itself has been written to accommodate all types. Professionals such as IFA’s, mortgage brokers and accountants, as well as anyone considering a career change or looking for an opportunity to become self-employed with the minimum of outlay. It has been written as close to being a classroom course as we can, providing easy access to tutors and the use of assignments shows students how they are progressing throughout the course.
For more information and to see some of the comments we have gratefully received go to www.collegewillwriting.co.uk, email [email protected] for a prospectus or call 01522 687888 for a chat with one of our team about building a better future.
Brian W McMillan
Director General
The Society of Will Writers and Estate Planning Practitioners
