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Frequently Asked Questions
Find below a list of frequently asked questions relating to the distance learning courses we offer.
How soon will I be able to start the course?
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SST beginners online courses are delivered to you immediately after purchase so you can start these straight away. C&G online certificated courses, will usually be ready to start within a few days – once your payment has been processed and course materials will be forwarded to you via email. If you choose to pay by cheque this takes a little longer than an online payment.
When studying by the posted method we will return the number of modules you have paid for to you within 14 days (UK). There are no 'terms' or 'semesters' as there are if you were attending a local college - you can start at whatever time of year suits you.
The Level 3 and Diploma C&G courses have an initial registration which lasts for 3 years (2.5 years is the average time taken to complete) up until a maximum 5 year ‘life’, so that work remains current. Others courses vary – relevant information can be found on the individual course details
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Will I get a course certificate?
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| Yes - every student who completes their course gets a course certificate, issued by the relevant awarding body such as City & Guilds of London, or in the case of Beginners Courses, a School of Stitched Textiles Certificate. |
Will I always be able to access help during the course, when and if I need it? |
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| Yes - tutors are very happy that they should be contacted if you need help with your course. Obviously, there are times when they will be teaching elsewhere or on holiday, but information will be posted on our website if it’s for any longer than a day or two so you will know what’s happening. You will be given details of tutorial support to fit in with your chosen method of study. |
Could this qualification lead on to other things?
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| Certainly, if you so wish. There are lots of exciting careers such as teaching in further and adult education, designing, authoring of books/courses, working to commission, or work in theatre, film or TV, depending on the level and subject you’re studying. If you’d like further details on prospects for particular qualifications please contact us and we’ll let you have further details. |
Am I entering into a long-term agreement to continue with the course and course payments?
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| No - you are not obligated to continue with your course or paying the course fees if you decide you don’t wish to continue after your initial order of modules. We know that some students like to pay in full, as they find it motivates them to finish, and in this case you are obligated to pay in advance because of the substantial price differential and with the payment being a lump sum. However you can also choose to pay for 3 modules at once (probably the most popular method) as it lets you see a little way ahead and give the course a fair try without outlaying too much initially. You can also try just one module if you wish. We suggest that you download a free taster course from our website or to try a beginners course first, to see if you like this method of learning, before moving onto a longer course. |
What is an online course and how does it work?
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It really just means that instead of packaging work and sending it off to us you take digital photographs of it, arrange them into order using a programme of your choice and send them to us via an online ‘dropbox’ which can take any size of file. It means that you save on postage, your work is instantly delivered to us and the environment benefits from less traffic polution. A win, win situation we hope – but not for everyone, which is why we still offer the traditional means as well. For beginners courses, you can upload the six individual pictures required directly to SST without having to arrange them in order.
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What are the advantages of studying online instead of posting work back?
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There are substantial extra costs associated with traditional postal methods of study, both for SST and for the students concerned. Modules have to be printed and dispatched; whilst parcels sent in to us have to be acknowledged, unwrapped and sorted through, re-dispatched and paperwork completed. Students have to bear the cost of postage and insurance in both directions and also wait longer for assessment as their work travels back and forth. There is also the potential for things going missing or getting damaged. We estimate that postage costs over the lifetime of a course could amount to around £200.00 in the UK. There is also the end exhibition to consider, when postal work has to travel back to us for one last time to be displayed here on the premises, which can be expensive in postal charges.
Online students have their work displayed online so this is not a consideration for them. Online course students do have some extra expense at home if they wish to print off modules etc, but this is more than compensated for by not having to pay postage and packing costs when submitting their work. We are also subject to internal and external verifications to continuously monitor that high standards are maintained – and work may occasionally have to be recalled for this to happen, which again requires extra postage. We are also very conscious that all this travelling of samples and paperwork is very harmful to the environment we live in, and with your help, are trying our best to cut down on this wherever possible. Online courses cut down by almost 75% the carbon footprint left by other forms of distance learning, although its worthwhile stressing that distance learning in itself is very environmentally friendly when compared with travel to traditional on-site classes. |
Will I need any particular equipment or skills – computer, printer, sewing machine and so on? |
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| For the longer City & Guilds courses you will need a sewing machine, but unless the course specifies it (e.g. machine embroidery for beginners) you won’t for the shorter ones. The same is true of computers; internet and IT skills are required if you choose to study using an online course method or if it is specifically included in the course title. You will need access to a digital camera to record your progress and the knowledge to access the internet and upload the images. However this is at a basic level and lots of help is available to you – if you’re uncertain you can request a demo and login to check out the online course system to see if you feel comfortable with it. We also supply a really simple guide to getting started, there is an online help system if you get stuck and of course you always have your tutor to turn to. Otherwise a computer is simply a useful way of printing labels, recording things etc. Again any questions you may have regarding this please contact us. |
If I choose to study online how can you assess my work? |
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| We need good quality photos which we can zoom in on from different angles etc – details of what is required will be covered as soon as you enrol. However there can always be the odd time that, if we really can’t see something, we may have to ask you to re-shoot the photos, or even as a last resort, to send in the piece itself, although this is very rare. Standards are never compromised by this. |
| Will I be able to get in touch with others who are studying at the same time to help motivate me? |
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| Yes – we have regular monthly e-mail newsletters with ‘buddy’ sections for those with an email address, or you can ask us to send your email details to any students who may live in your area. If this is a really important feature of any course for you and you love the idea of having others to bounce your ideas off and chat to etc, we suggest that you seriously consider the online course method, as it’s much easier to quickly and easily keep in touch this way. |
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