At Home learning?? Is it worth it?

dattasatta

Hi,
I have been looking at a course with the Home Learning College.
Its for a Certificate in Executive Office Skills and is accredited by ASET.
Has anyone had any experiance with HLC.
The reason that I am asking is because my Son starts Pre-school an Friday and by the time he starts full time school I want to be able to have a qualification behind me to get a job. I don't want to waste my time with a qualification that will mean nothing, so if anyone has any advice I would be very grateful.
Thanks
Sarah

fengirl_2

I cannot comment on whether this is a good qualification or not, but I do have a lot of experience of recruiting staff, especially at the level you are aiming at. In my experience, employers would rather see evidence of actual work experience than a certificate of dubious merit. Have you thought of doing some volunteering - there are volunteer clerical jobs - it's not all serving tea to hospital patients! Contact you local Volunteer Centre or go to www.do-it.org.uk - you could do the course and volunteer at the same time.
A couple of years ago we had an admin volunteer in the charity I worked for. She had been a hairdresser but not worked for 4-5 yrs while she brought up her son. She came with no office experience and, more importantly, no IT skills. However, we were able to support her to learn the ropes, be confident on the computer and give her the confidence to deal with people. After a year she got a job as a teaching assistant - ideal for her situation and a source of pride for us!

sad_dog_lady

www.nec.ac.uk you can use tesco clubcard points, they are worth the paper they are written on and it actual national standard qualificatiion not their own diplomas that are worth nothing to any other college

dattasatta

That's great !! Thanks for the advice.
I was actually thinking of volunteering, when my Son starts having a few more hours at Pre-School ( only 2 morns at the moment ).
I have a local Hospice I was thinking of doing it for, so you have just spurred me on a bit more.
Thanks again

Becles

Do check the qualification means something before you do it.

I used to work for an IT company and had to do the first sift of applications, weeding out the completely unsuitable ones. The director told me not to give him any with what he called "micky mouse certificates" from home learning colleges, as he said the people didn't have the skills needed to do the IT work and they wanted someone who could do the job from day one.

I'm studying with the Open Uni and really enjoying it. It's worth a look to see if they have anything you fancy www.open.ac.uk

foreign_correspondent

The Open University is the most reputable and well respected institution specialising in distance learning - in fact, in my experience many potential employers view an OU qulaification as a bonus, as it shows that you are motivated and organised enough to study on your own. As Becles says their website is well worth a look.

mynameiscatherine

I signed up to the Home Learning College a couple of months ago doing an accounting (AAT) course.
I've recently had an email through helping me to become an AAT member (which was included in the price of the course) and all my textbooks and things came through very quickly (also included in the price of the course).
I am paying the course fees back over 2 years with no interest and apparently if I fail I don't get charged to do the course again?

The lady that came to see me about it was very nice, too. I've been assigned a personal tutor to help me if I need it....I haven't actually done any of the assignments yet though ...

Bismarck

I'm looking for a good office software qualification...looked at the Open University stuff but a lot of it seemed pricey. Passed ECDL some time ago but looking for something to keep me up to date. and develop my opportunities.

beanie1978

Hi, just wanted to answer the first question about home learning college....don't do it, it is a total rip off, very hard sell and no way to get your money back even after a week, I am £2000 poorer with nothing to show for it

Bismarck

dattasatta wrote: »

Hi,
I have been looking at a course with the Home Learning College.
Its for a Certificate in Executive Office Skills and is accredited by ASET.
Has anyone had any experiance with HLC.
The reason that I am asking is because my Son starts Pre-school an Friday and by the time he starts full time school I want to be able to have a qualification behind me to get a job. I don't want to waste my time with a qualification that will mean nothing, so if anyone has any advice I would be very grateful.
Thanks
Sarah

for what it's worth, I've looked at bolstering my CV with most things over the years but never heard of that one!

can't be a good sign, I'm afraid.

dubsey

Not the same type of course, but I started doing an ASET/ABC Teaching Assistant course at the beginning of this year. As part of the course you had to cover a minimum of 60 hours work experience in a school, so I volunteered at my DD's school. The Headteacher looked at my course and said she had never heard of it. She took it into the staffroom and none of the teachers or teaching assitants had heard of it either. She told me that she wouldn't take someone on as a teaching assistant in her school unless they had an NVQ 2 qualification as a minimum (not any home study equivalents), which her current TA's had obtained via our local college.

So - first check what qualifications you actually need, then check local evening schools. There are classes here that are for say two hours on a Tuesday morning (this area anyway). I fit has to be from home, then I would agree that the OU is probably the best one.

Good luck!