Distance learning gives you a new start

10/13/2009

Online courses can open up a new career, whether you've lost your job, or just want a more meaningful life.

When Keith Adams left school at 15 without any qualifications to join the RAF, he didn't imagine that half a century later he would be logging into a "virtual classroom" of a distance-learning degree in voluntary sector studies. Adams's career change came about after he left the RAF and climbed the corporate ladder in insurance.

"One day I was passing by the Samaritans caravan in Carlisle city centre, when a hand appeared and gave me a leaflet," he explains. "I ended up training and then volunteering for 12 years. That's when my interest in the voluntary sector began." He saw an advertisement – in the Guardian – for the certificate in interpersonal skills for volunteers run by the University of Wales Lampeter, and decided to enrol.

While on the distance-learning certificate, his new skills boosted his interest in the voluntary sector. Adams started a support group for 1,000 local carers, and launched the Carlisle and District Credit Union, a community-based bank that now has a turnover of almost £1m. Then he decided to embark on Lampeter's undergraduate degree in voluntary sector studies to help further his work.

"The degree was enormously useful," says Adams. "The tutors at Lampeter were exceptional. It's not easy doing a distance degree. You can feel isolated and easily distracted, but the tutors kept me on track. My degree study has helped enormously in my voluntary work. The business-orientated modules … were extremely helpful, and I learned so much about interpersonal skills. Running a voluntary project without them, you will fail."

This year, more students than ever are replicating Adams's decision to enrol in a distance-learning qualification to kickstart a change of career. Course organisers report a surge in numbers for the voluntary studies degree, which has six annual intakes and costs £4,140 for the full course, or £230 for individual modules.

"During the recession there has been more interest in volunteering, and particularly in achieving accreditation for volunteering as a means of gaining access to employment," Lampeter's Jane Norris-Hill explains. "The flexibility of distance learning also helps in the current climate … students can fit the part-time undergraduate course into already-busy lifestyles. There's no need to stop working or give up other commitments while studying."

Lampeter's option of "buying" individual modules, which can be built up into a degree, has become increasingly popular at universities across the UK during the economic downturn – especially from "City refugees" who are seeking, like Adams, to find a new career that focuses on personal enjoyment or social value rather than salary. Distance-learning offers students the chance to work towards a qualification at a gradual pace or cost. Here's a round-up of some other options that former City-slickers are flocking to:

MRes in educational and social research

• What is it? A two-year part-time master's for those interested in working in academia on social research. Intakes in
• September and January.
• What's involved? About 10-15 hours of study a week. Students receive a lecture pack, reading pack and textbook for each module, then work online with tutors and participants from all over the world via forums and video-conferencing facilities. Assessment is through a combination of coursework and written exam.
• Who does it? Students from more than 25 countries, who are interested in research.

    Cost: £6,790. Or take five (instead of six) modules to gain a postgraduate diploma for £4,780. Short courses from £560.

www.londonexternal.ac.uk
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020-7862 8360

MA in professional writing at Falmouth University

• What is it? A two-year online course for people who want to earn money from writing – a novel, a screenplay, in journalism or copywriting. Intake in January.
• What's involved? General topics include developing writing skills such as story–telling, editing, and understanding audience and form, then students specialise in one area, such as scriptwriting, fiction or business and editorial writing. There are online sessions, podcasted lectures and forums.
• Who does it? Mainly mature students wanting to change career – doctors, solicitors, accountants , teachers and City refugees.

    Cost: £3,500

www.falmouth.ac.uk
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01326 370465

PGCE at Open University

• What is it? The OU offers courses in six secondary subjects – maths, science, design and technology, modern foreign languages, geography and music, with flexible modules so you can take the course in a period of up to three years. It leads to the award of qualified teacher status and has start dates throughout the year.
• What's involved? There are three levels, each involving web-based study modules and audio-visual materials on CD-rom, plus around six months' experience in a school for training. Subject-specialist tutors visit students at schools for assessment.
• Who does it? Applicants need to already have a degree closely related to the subject they wish to teach, plus GCSEs (or equivalent) in maths and English.

    Cost: £2,835. For courses specialising in teaching certain subjects, a bursary of up to £9,000 is available.

www3.open.ac.uk
0845 300 60 90

LLM in EU law at Leicester University

• What is it? A two-year course for people interested in working in the law or nonlawyers interested in discovering more about legal rights.
• What's involved? Four taught modules and a dissertation. Module options include intellectual property law, competition law, public procurement law and EU employment law. Assessment is by written assignments, including a dissertation at the end.
• Students receive materials in a 'hard' format, and use electronic materials through a virtual learning portal, plus five residential seminars in Leicester.
• Who does it? Students from across the EU. Interest was up 20% this year.

    Cost: £6,995

www.le.ac.uk
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0116 252 2346

By Lucy Tobin

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