You love photography and really want to learn to be a better photographer, but you don’t have the time or inclination to attend a classroom course. There is another option – take a photography course online for all the benefits of a classroom course plus the flexibility of online learning.
There are hundreds of online photography courses available, so how do you choose the right course for you? Read on for some top tips and advice before you enrol on an online photography course…
Accreditation
OK, lets get this one out of the way first. There are NO official accrediting bodies for online photography courses in the UK. We are often asked if our courses are ‘recognised worldwide’. The answer is this – the ONLY qualification which could be considered to be ‘recognised’ is a photography degree (or another educational qualification) from an official University or College. Remember, however, that most professional photographers are not degree qualified – it is an art form after all and you are recognised on the quality of your work, not what qualifications you have.
Wikipedia is a useful resource here as it lists unrecognised accrediting bodies often used to legitimise online courses. The article defines these accrediting organisations as: “entities that are engaged in higher education accreditation or have been identified as being accreditors, but that lack appropriate recognition or authorization”. You can find more information here.
The only accrediting body we feel offers real value to our students is CPD accreditation, which is why we have chosen them to accredit IOP® courses! Find out more here.
We also have students who use our courses as a foundation to prepare for further or higher education.
Where is the course based?
Before you enrol on a course, make sure:
That they have an address and telephone number on the website.
You can phone them and that the phone is answered by a real person.
They are based in the UK or if abroad, that you would be able to contact them easily.
If you cannot find an address and speak to a real person, we suggest you consider carefully whether they would be contactable if you have a problem or question.
Tutor support
Almost every online course we have seen offers tutor support, some even offer 24 hour tutor support! In our experience, very few courses actually deliver timely tutor support from experts. Make sure you research this before you enrol. Research how you contact your tutor. What are their average response times? Can you ring someone if you get stuck. Does the course offer live chat for support? Find out about IOP tutor support here.
Who is your tutor?
If a course states that it is run by ‘experts’ but does not say who they are, approach with caution. If an online photography course has real photography experts, they WILL tell you who they are. Find out about the IOP Course Director here.
How is the course delivered?
Can you access the content at any time or do you have to be available at certain times of the day or night? Is the content delivered via email or is there a dedicated course platform that you can access at any time? Is it webinar based where you have to join a webinar at certain times of day? Make sure the course fits your schedule. At IOP, you can do the units whenever you like on a dedicated course platform which records your progress as you work, it’s completely flexible.
What are other students saying about the course?
Every website will have testimonials from happy students but you should look further than the website for independent reviews. Reputable companies will have reviews on sites like Trust Pilot and Google Plus where the identity of students can be verified. Have a look at IOP reviews here. If you can’t find any reviews for your course provider, then proceed with caution. They may not have many students or may not be encouraging students to leave honest reviews.
Specialisation
Does the course provider specialise in photography or do they offer hundreds of other courses covering topics from marketing and share trading to nutrition for example? It’s challenging to be a true specialist in more than one or two niche areas, so aim for a course provider who does photography courses as their main business and nothing else. We are proud to be the UKs No.1 photography course provider, offering nothing else but photography courses and delivering more courses than any other provider in this area.
Finally, consider the value
If you see an online course advertised for a very low price, do consider the reality of the product that will be provided. How much tutor support would you expect for £19? How much detail do you think a course at that price will deliver? Be realistic, be savvy and do your research before you enrol on any online course.
Enrol on an IOP® course now
