I looked at doing RHS level 2 at local college a couple of years ago. All day practical then theory in evening equal to 2 qualifications with exam fees came to just short of £1000 for each. As I am retired and was doing it for general interest and to improve my skills that was well out of my reach financially. Would be interested to know costs of online courses?
If you don't need an exam a good book on botany and a gardening encyclopaedia/'how to' text book would be a good start. Questions can be asked on the forum and the better gardening groups in other social media sites. You can then branch into specialist areas.
I looked at doing RHS level 2 at local college a couple of years ago. All day practical then theory in evening equal to 2 qualifications with exam fees came to just short of £1000 for each. As I am retired and was doing it for general interest and to improve my skills that was well out of my reach financially. Would be interested to know costs of online courses?
If you live anywhere near Greater Manchester you can contact me directly for more information on courses - we charge £750 for the practical course at Level 2, but won't have any more places until September 2019.
I believe some of the problem with course fees is that the government subsidy is restricted to those below the age of 24 unless you are in receipt of job seekers allowance. When I did the level 2 courses the college were trying to encourage us to go on to level 3, and apparently the RHS were commenting on what such a small proportion of level 2 students go on to level 3. It is obvious to me, as many people do the level 2 course for their own interest (like me) they simply cannot justify the high level of fees the level 3 course entails. It would be a shame if they push the level 2 fees up to such a point where people like me can no longer afford the cost.
I believe some of the problem with course fees is that the government subsidy is restricted to those below the age of 24 unless you are in receipt of job seekers allowance. When I did the level 2 courses the college were trying to encourage us to go on to level 3, and apparently the RHS were commenting on what such a small proportion of level 2 students go on to level 3. It is obvious to me, as many people do the level 2 course for their own interest (like me) they simply cannot justify the high level of fees the level 3 course entails. It would be a shame if they push the level 2 fees up to such a point where people like me can no longer afford the cost.
Hi Allotmentboy. At Level 2 everyone gets the course subsidised if they attend at a funded centre (usually a college). Hundreds of pounds are given to the college in addition to the fee you pay. People on 'work related' benefits get their entire fees paid for them by the government (and as you say different rules apply to under 25s).
Level 3 is very different. Yes, there isn't a large progression to Level 3. It's a lot more difficult and Level 2 is usually enough for your average gardener or for someone looking for an entry level job in horticulture. Level 3 would often be required in supervisory or management roles (the RHS usually require L3 for those roles and L2 for their general horticulture staff.
As for funding Level 3 - there is no longer any government subsidy so you have to either pay it yourself or take out an Advanced Learner Loan (like a student loan for university). The advantage is that you don't have to pay it back until you earn £25,000 - and if you never do earn that amount you won't have to pay it back at all. You may have to make a contribution on top of the loan depending on where you study.
Please not that the above rules only apply to organisations running RHS courses funded by the government. It will be totally different at organisation who are not part of the scheme.
Thanks @robert.clapham will look at your link. As I have caring responsibility think 160 mile round trip to Manchester would be out of reach. It was my local agricultural college offering RHS courses and the prices I quoted 2 years ago. So £750 is a very resonable price. Use a lot of books too,particularly love my well thumbed copy of Introduction to Organic Gardening by Geoff Hamilton plus online stuff but only look up what I need. I think.a course would be more of a coherent whole. Thanks to all for their input x
@robert.clapham Thanks for the clarification. The point I was trying to make though, is that the numbers doing level 2 are bolstered by amateurs like me doing the course for their own interest. The higher the fees the less likely people are to do it. My local College saw a significant fall off in the numbers applying for the course as an evening class because the subsidy was withdrawn, and because it takes more weeks of attendance the fees were higher to begin with. I would have enjoyed the academic challenge of level 3 but could not justify the cost.
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That is a link to the Royal Botanical Gardens Edinburgh. Lots of my external candidates have studied using distance learning with them.
However you cannot do the Practical course online - look here for a search of the RHS website for your nearest college offering the course https://www.rhs.org.uk/education-learning/qualifications-and-training/rhs-qualifications/find-a-centre
If you live anywhere near Greater Manchester you can contact me directly for more information on courses - we charge £750 for the practical course at Level 2, but won't have any more places until September 2019.
Hi Allotmentboy. At Level 2 everyone gets the course subsidised if they attend at a funded centre (usually a college). Hundreds of pounds are given to the college in addition to the fee you pay. People on 'work related' benefits get their entire fees paid for them by the government (and as you say different rules apply to under 25s).
Level 3 is very different. Yes, there isn't a large progression to Level 3. It's a lot more difficult and Level 2 is usually enough for your average gardener or for someone looking for an entry level job in horticulture. Level 3 would often be required in supervisory or management roles (the RHS usually require L3 for those roles and L2 for their general horticulture staff.
As for funding Level 3 - there is no longer any government subsidy so you have to either pay it yourself or take out an Advanced Learner Loan (like a student loan for university). The advantage is that you don't have to pay it back until you earn £25,000 - and if you never do earn that amount you won't have to pay it back at all. You may have to make a contribution on top of the loan depending on where you study.
Please not that the above rules only apply to organisations running RHS courses funded by the government. It will be totally different at organisation who are not part of the scheme.
Thanks to all for their input x