Open Study College - anyone ?

50Twuncle

Has anyone ever used the "Open Study College" as a means to improve job prospects ?
I don't think that they are a scam - but they may be trying to "ride on the back" of the Open University ....??

Deep_In_Debt

21Twinkle wrote: »

Has anyone ever used the "Open Study College" as a means to improve job prospects ?
I don't think that they are a scam - but they may be trying to "ride on the back" of the Open University ....??

I guess it depends on which course you are looking to do. For example, home study Beauty Therapy wouldn't seem right to me as I'd feel I'd need practical experience and there seems to be no practical stuff at all, no practical exam, just written assignments.

I wouldn't want someone tinting my eyelashes who has no practical experience or been through a proper assessment.

Muffin_Princess

I'm currently doing a course with Open Study College. NCFE Level 3 in Domestic Animal Care, which is the equivalent to an A-Level. I'm hoping to set up my own dog walking and pet sitting business so I thought a relevant qualification might be useful.

50Twuncle

Muffin_Princess wrote: »

I'm currently doing a course with Open Study College. NCFE Level 3 in Domestic Animal Care, which is the equivalent to an A-Level. I'm hoping to set up my own dog walking and pet sitting business so I thought a relevant qualification might be useful.

Thanks - in fact, the person who asked me for advice is considering just that course - what is it like ?
How much work is involved ?
Any additional costs - books etc ?

Muffin_Princess

I've only just submitted my Unit 1 essay so I haven't had any feedback yet, but my tutor has always been helpful and quick at replying to my emails when I have any questions etc.

This particular course is made up of 6 essays of 2,000 words each and there are NO deadlines. Another one I was looking at, Canine Science, gives you eight months to complete the course, but Domestic Animal Care lets you take as long as you want to complete it for some reason. Personally, I work better with deadlines otherwise I find myself procrastinating too much!

Buying books etc is up to you. I've bought a couple, but you can find all the information and research you need online. As long as you reference it properly in your bibliography, this should hopefully be ok, but I'll let you know if I get any feedback when my first essay comes back

VanillaRose

Totally useless...

the qualifications aren't recognized by anyone except themselves, and some of the courses are a joke. They may increase job prospects if you want to gain the knowledge to start something yourself (like the poster a few steps above), but otherwise - I think they're daft.