12 weekend workshops over approximately one year (Saturday and Sunday 10am to 5pm, each about a month apart) combining theory and practical subjects with closely supervised classroom practice.

Home study and practice

This is a BTEC level 5 qualification which is equivalent to a university under-graduate level of education. It has to provide you with a very high level of skill and knowledge to enable you to become a professional clinical therapist who can effectively assess and treat injuries. This cannot be compared to Level 3 or 4 qualifications which only teach you how to do a massage treatment and do not require such in-depth study. This is why we cannot run short intensive courses because it is not possible for the average student to complete all the essential home study in a shorter time.

We know from over 30 years of experience that the most talented and successful therapists we have trained are not always so strong in academic study. In fact, we have often found that those with the greatest hands-on skills also have learning issues such as Dyslexia. Being aware of this we have carefully designed the home study assignments to still be achievable to less academic students, or if English is not their first language. Our assignment markers are trained to make allowances for those with learning difficulties.

4 written assignments. These can be done from anywhere using our online system. The average student should allow about 5 hours a week to complete them on time and get high marks. Although we make allowances for non-English students and those with learning difficulties all assignments must be completed in English. We provide guidance and advice on how to achieve good results and offer extra help and support if necessary. We also allow students plenty of extra time to complete the assignment if they need it.

100 practice treatments outside the classroom (on average about 2 treatments per week). You start by treating friends and family, then as your skill, knowledge and confidence grows, your friends and family start to recommend you to their friends and family. In this way your client base increases as you progress so by the end of the course you should already have enough clients to start your professional practice with.

3 Case Studies to be completed towards the end of the course.

1 Practical exam at the end of the course. Again we make allowances and provide special facilities for non-English students or those with learning issues.