Who is the best distance learning company??

System
System Posts: 100,534 πŸ€– Admin πŸ€–
edited 10:23AM in AAT student discussion
Hi everyone,

I am booked in for my Foundation exam on Tuesday, and am planning ahead for Intermediate level.

I am with Premier Training at the moment (I am teaching myself in the evenings...very tiring!!) and wondered if any other companies would be recommended? The pricing levels are a bit confusing too on some of their websites - with Premier Training it will be £439 plus simulations and exams.

Any recommendations would be appreciated!

Good luck for Tuesday!!

Lucy xx

Comments

  • System
    System Posts: 100,534 πŸ€– Admin πŸ€–
    Re:Who is the best distance learning company??

    Hi

    I am with A+ Training group. If you are really self motivated then go to them they will just send you out projects to complete. If not, then these are not good. They have workshops which SHOULD be once a month but end up once every three months!

    Just in case someone reccomends them!

    Good luck
  • System
    System Posts: 100,534 πŸ€– Admin πŸ€–
    Re:Who is the best distance learning company??

    i am also with premier traing and have my exam today very nervous i am but i am thinking of changing to a different training compnay and unsure who to go to
  • System
    System Posts: 100,534 πŸ€– Admin πŸ€–
    Re:Who is the best distance learning company??

    Can I ask why you are thinking of leaving Premier?

    What do you think the others are going to provide that Premier dont?

    I personally cant fault Premier.

    Amanda
  • System
    System Posts: 100,534 πŸ€– Admin πŸ€–
    Re:Who is the best distance learning company??

    HI Amanda

    I dont have a problem with them at all and to be honest i am actually thinking of going to college to do it if i can as finding the time at home just lately is hard and my work is going to support me

    i am just thinking anyway i may end up stopping with premier
  • System
    System Posts: 100,534 πŸ€– Admin πŸ€–
    Re:Who is the best distance learning company??

    I thought you ment you was off to another distance learning provider.

    I had thought of doing my last year via college but came up with the following and decided to stick with Premier.

    You still need to put in the same amount of work - no matter if at college or at home. The difference is you go to college you have to spend time travelling to and for college, listen to a tutor then go home and STILL read over what you have done. (Those students that dont put time in at home dont pass or very little)
    If you are ill for 1 / 2 weeks or on holiday then you miss the lesson and have to catch up.
    If you understand something (cos you do it at work) you cant speed read the chapter and move on.

    I just feel home study is at your own pace - for example last year I moved home and got married, so I took 1 month off and still managed to go the exam in time etc - i dont think a college would have allowed me a month off.

    If you dont want to study tonight - then dont
    If you have a day off then do extra (with college you would be classed as going too far)

    IF and only IF you fail an exam - only you and your tutor knows - not the whole class. Some colleges wont accept you onto the next level if you have failed the previous level and waiting a re-sit.

    Anyway thats my view, so im sticking with Premier Training and My Study msn groups.

    Amanda
  • System
    System Posts: 100,534 πŸ€– Admin πŸ€–
    Re:Who is the best distance learning company??

    I found a company called Eagle on Google and they are great. That's how I found out about the AAT. I have been doing the course a few months now. They send you Study resources which are dead easy to use, they are brilliant in fact. I also got Osborne books. They contact me every now and again to check I am on track which is reassuring to know. They do the Diploma too. I am sticking with the NVQ for now. Any body out there doing the Diploma?

    Kez
  • System
    System Posts: 100,534 πŸ€– Admin πŸ€–
    Re:Who is the best distance learning company??

    I am with Eagle Education who I found on the web. that's how I found out about the AAT. They are brilliant. Dead helpful and friendly and the resources I am using are brilliant too. I got Osborne books in the pack which are great although you don't do all your learning just from books as you get another pack with loads of activities in. I find it much quicker to learn from activities than reading. It saves loads of time. Eagle do the Diploma now too, but I am sticking with the NVQ for now. Is anybody out there doing the diploma?

  • System
    System Posts: 100,534 πŸ€– Admin πŸ€–
    Re:Who is the best distance learning company??

    i guess you are right there Amanda never thought of it like that anyway i think i failed my exam yesterday as my mind judt seemed to go blank and everything just seemed to go wrong for me too i was also very stressed out but i shouldnt think the worst really you never know

    thanks
  • System
    System Posts: 100,534 πŸ€– Admin πŸ€–
    Re:Who is the best distance learning company??

    Apart from them taking 2 months to mark my Simulations (which I think is pretty standard for all companies!) there are no complaints with Premier Training.

    I enjoy distance learning, and didn't really need to speak to my tutor much, so to be honest I just wondered if there was a cheaper company to go with.

    But, now that I've got Foundation out of the way, and I know how Premier Training work and what to expect of the course, I think I will stick with them for Intermediate.

    I am hoping that yesterday went well, but I guess you never really know until you get the results!!
  • System
    System Posts: 100,534 πŸ€– Admin πŸ€–
    Re:Who is the best distance learning company??

    Apart from them taking 2 months to mark my Simulations (which I think is pretty standard for all companies!) there are no complaints with Premier Training.

    I enjoy distance learning, and didn't really need to speak to my tutor much, so to be honest I just wondered if there was a cheaper company to go with.

    But, now that I've got Foundation out of the way, and I know how Premier Training work and what to expect of the course, I think I will stick with them for Intermediate.

    I am hoping that yesterday went well, but I guess you never really know until you get the results!!
  • System
    System Posts: 100,534 πŸ€– Admin πŸ€–
    Re:Who is the best distance learning company??

    Hi

    I have noticed that the marking of papers if getting longer, however after asking my tutor why he mentioned that 1 tutor has left which was causing some problems and now there is a new tutor so things should get "back to normal".

    As for Intermediate, I have the tutor packs for ALL intermediate osborne books, so what I do is... Do the assignments set - check my work but then send it in for marking although i know my outcome already but it helps to get tutors outcome. For instance before I did the ECR exam i sent in my practice paper (which i had checked and thought id done really bad on) and within 2 days I had emailable results back saying it was fine.

    Anything towards the exams are marked first and sims are marked after, hence sims can take time to be returned to you. (they also keep them to have internal verified to save time)

    Im sure you will be fine with them doing Intermediate and dont forget you all us on here to help too.

    Amanda

    PS I feel liked i failed plb and fra and i passed both - dont worry until results day which i know is easier said than done.
  • System
    System Posts: 100,534 πŸ€– Admin πŸ€–
    Re:Who is the best distance learning company??

    Hi

    i know i will have failed because i just couldnt get the trial balance to balance everything else was fine though
  • System
    System Posts: 100,534 πŸ€– Admin πŸ€–
    Re:Who is the best distance learning company??

    Hi Lucy,

    I study distance learning with FTC and think they are really good. The customer service people are really friendly and helpful and the tutor support is extremely helpful for me. I can't fault them at all really.

    Cost wise they are pretty much about average. Although the cost you do pay does include everything. They don't charge anything for simulations, even when I once messed up a simulation and had to do another one, I didn't have to pay extra.

    Hope this helps. Good luck for exam results!!
  • System
    System Posts: 100,534 πŸ€– Admin πŸ€–
    Re:Who is the best distance learning company??

    I am also studying with FTC and they are good. I heard during exam this week that some of the students were paying upto £400 for a unit with Premier for which I was paid 100.
  • System
    System Posts: 100,534 πŸ€– Admin πŸ€–
    Re:Who is the best distance learning company??

    I'm with Premier and can't recommend them highly enough. A friend is at college and is finding it really hardgoing. The flexibility with distance learning is the key - but only if you have motivation. Premier provide great one-to-one contact and that's worth every penny.
  • System
    System Posts: 100,534 πŸ€– Admin πŸ€–
    Re:Who is the best distance learning company??

    I'ld just like to respond to Amanda's comments about home study and college.

    At college you can check understanding immediately with a tutor and they often go through practice questions with you to cement understanding. I take on board everything you say and home study seems to suit you but I know for one that I couldn't do it. I need to be able to get tutors to explain things in different ways to check I really understand. You also get the camaraderie of other students who may ask a question that you might have felt too stupid to ask! I know you can get all these things through forums and ringing your tutors but I bet you don't for things that you think are silly questions.

    At the higher levels where you need to be able to understand rather than rote learn, I have found courses (expensive but invaluable) and in my current paper I've got the FTC and BPP study guides (to have things written differently) but have still needed to ring my tutor to get him to explain things to me.

    I have nothing but the utmost admiration for you doing everything via homestudy - just don't discount college as sometimes (with the right one) it can be a better option.

    Annette
  • System
    System Posts: 100,534 πŸ€– Admin πŸ€–
    Re:Who is the best distance learning company??

    I've just started studying the foundation level with BPP and so far the study material looks good. They use what they call 'interactive text' which is the study material and excercises all together. No need for several books and pads of paper. I just have the book and a pen and I'm off. I can even study in my car at lunchtimes. I'm not sure yet how the skills tests are going to work out but I'm sure I'll find out soon enough.

  • System
    System Posts: 100,534 πŸ€– Admin πŸ€–
    Re:Who is the best distance learning company??

    i'm with BPP too, i think all the text books and that are great, its really easy to understand, did my mock for unit one and four last week, only thing wrong id say was i didnt have my unit four home study guide due to it being out of stock.

    my work pay for my course which is good but my director said they are the best, he studied with them too, think there pretty average on price, my foundation course cost around 400 which is pretty good.
  • System
    System Posts: 100,534 πŸ€– Admin πŸ€–
    Re:Who is the best distance learning company??

    I myself study with Premier and have had so many problems.

    They failed to accept my registration due to a technical error in the first place. They then put there prices up so I had to pay more.

    They failed to notice my supervisors details beeing sent to them. The first thing I knew about it was when the paper never turned up.

    Then again they have failed to send the next paper out. Not quiet sure why as one of the other tutors had to sort it out as my tutor ignored an email from me and a phone message left.

    And to top it all off my tutor dosen't work the late evenings which is part of the reason I choose that company.

    Though I do have to add that the little that I have used there teaching ablities I cannot fault.

  • System
    System Posts: 100,534 πŸ€– Admin πŸ€–
    Re:Who is the best distance learning company??

    I myself study with Premier and have had so many problems.

    They failed to accept my registration due to a technical error in the first place. They then put there prices up so I had to pay more.

    They failed to notice my supervisors details beeing sent to them. The first thing I knew about it was when the paper never turned up.

    Then again they have failed to send the next paper out. Not quiet sure why as one of the other tutors had to sort it out as my tutor ignored an email from me and a phone message left.

    And to top it all off my tutor dosen't work the late evenings which is part of the reason I choose that company.

    Though I do have to add that the little that I have used there teaching ablities I cannot fault.

  • System
    System Posts: 100,534 πŸ€– Admin πŸ€–
    Re:Who is the best distance learning company??

    i go to college to do mine but because of my circumstances of maternity leave and new baby and wanting to go back to work part time im thinkin to do it from home this time, ive had bad experiencwe with college this yr and am thinking of changing anyway not sure what to do

    college isnt all that great id rather stay at home and study myself as i seem to be understanding it more when i get home neway!! my tutor is crap!!!

    anyway hope ur all ok
  • System
    System Posts: 100,534 πŸ€– Admin πŸ€–
    Re:Who is the best distance learning company??

    they are all useless ripoff merchants i suggest you go to evening classes at your nearest college
  • System
    System Posts: 100,534 πŸ€– Admin πŸ€–
    Re:Who is the best distance learning company??

    Hi, I could really do with the tutor packs.
    I don't suppose you know where I could download these from?

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