Frequently Asked Questions

About the tutors

Are the tutors professional copywriters?
Yes, all tutors are practising copywriters. Some other organisations use college lecturers, which means you don't get the information from the real 'coal face'. Course costs

Course costs

Does the cost for the course include everything I need? Or are there any extra fees?
There are no other costs or fees.

Can I spread the cost of the courses over a period of time?
Yes. You can make five monthly payments. It costs 20% more. You can find the cost of paying by installments by clicking here.

How could I get my money back if I don't like the course?
Just return the course in good condition within 60 days of receiving it, and we'll send you a full refund.

Course duration

How long does it usually take to complete the course?
Many students complete the course in nine months. But you can do it as quickly or slowly as you want. That's one advantage of distance learning.

Do I need to finish the course within a certain time?
You can take as long as you want. Unlike other organisations, we don't set any time limits.

What does the course cost?
You can find the cost of the course by clicking here.

I live in the USA, UK, Ireland, Australia, Canada, Borneo etc. Is the course suitable for me?
Yes. We have students in 28 countries.

How can I contact my tutor or the Institute?
There are two types of people you can contact - your tutor and a course advisor.
The tutor marks your work, and helps you with any problems. You can fax, e-mail or post assignments to your tutor, whenever you want.
We don't give out the tutor's phone number, because a few people would spend all day talking to their tutors, who would never get any work done.
But sometimes students get stuck, or have an urgent query. If so, you can phone a course advisor at the Institute at any time during work hours. If you leave a message out of work hours we'll ring you back the next day. You can contact course advisors as often as you want, and about anything to do with being a copywriter.

Is the course accredited? And by whom?

Our course is fully accredited by the national awarding body NCFE, and on completing it you get a national award equivalent to Level 4 of the National Learning Framework.

NCFE is recognised as an awarding body by the qualification regulators ('regulators') for England, Wales and Northern Ireland. The regulators are the Office of the Qualifications and Examinations Regulator (Ofqual) in England, the Department for Children, Education, Lifelong Learning and Skills (DCELLS) in Wales and the Council for Curriculum, Examinations and Assessment (CCEA) in Northern Ireland.

To read more about NCFE please go to www.ncfe.org.uk

We are registered with NCFE under our corporate trading name of 'Home Study Courses Limited'.

We're also accredited by the Open and Distance Learning Quality Council. You can find them at www.odlqc.org.uk.

Will the course give me credits towards a degree or some other study?
No. But it will help you set up and run your own business. And we encourage all students to continue their studies after completing the course.

When can I do the course?

Can I start the course at any time?
Yes.

Where can I study the course?

Is the course all from home, or do I have to go to a test centre?
It's all from home.

How are you different to other providers?

When you start comparing us with other course providers you might notice that:

• Some organisations limit the amount of time you have to complete the course. Many course providers only allow you 12 months to complete the course. And after those 12 months are up they may require you to pay a fee to continue. With our course you can take as long as you need, without paying additional fees.

• Some organisations will only give you 7 days to return your course if it’s not right for you. If our course is not what you expected and you want a full refund we allow you 60 days to return it and claim your money back.

• Some organisations will charge you an administration fee to return the course. We refund all of your fees.

I have special educational needs. Can you help me?

If you have special educational needs, please contact us to talk about how we can accommodate you.