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We have had a
policy of arranging a Grade Two course to follow on
from each Grade One course, usually after a break
of two or three weeks. Students on Grade One
courses have booked on their follow-on course once
they have taken their Grade One Field Test.
This system has worked well until recently, because
it was most unusual for a Grade Two course to be
completely filled.
However, as
our courses have become more popular, we are now
experiencing a situation where Grade Two courses are
sometimes oversubscribed
It is
very annoying for a student that successfully
completes Grade One, to find on trying to book the
next Grade Two course, that the places have all
been taken. We are currently working on a system
to resolve this problem.
Why are Grade Two courses
sometimes oversubscribed?
This can
happen for several reasons.
Skipping a course
Sometimes, a
Grade One student does not wish to go straight on
to Grade Two. Sometimes they want a break of a few
months between the Grades. For this reason, instead
of booking on their own ‘follow-on’ course, they
book on a Grade Two course further ahead, thus
taking the place of a student on the current Grade
One at that venue
One-to-one students join in
Some students
prefer to train at Grade One on our
Flexi-course system, where they book a
series of one-to-one lessons with their trainer.
This is a good option at Grade One as it allows the
trainer and handler to focus on the young dog
without introducing distractions. When these
students join in a group course at Grade Two, they
may potentially take the place of a student on the
preceding Grade One course
Cancellations
Sometimes a
Grade Two course has to be cancelled due to lack of
uptake. In this case, the one or two students that
were booked on it, may switch to another
location. Again potentially taking the place of a
student on the preceding Grade One course
What are we doing about this
problem?
We are setting
up a system of 'automatic re-booking'. This will
mean that any student attending a Grade One course
will automatically be booked on the Grade Two course
which follows, unless they choose to opt-out.
They will be given plenty of reminders and
opportunity to do this.
What is the delay?
This new
system involves our legal team as there are strict
rules which we must obey when operating an automatic
re-booking system. The new system also requires
the features offered by a database driven website in
order to operate it efficiently. Our database
driven website is currently under construction and
will be fully complete in a few months time.
In the meantime
We cannot
guarantee a Grade Two course place to a student that
has not paid for that place, because the drop-out
rate for students that have not paid is too high.
Therefore, the best way
in which you can avoid losing your Grade Two place
is to book
early
You can book
your Grade Two at the same time as your Grade One if
you want to. You can pay in two instalments as
described in our terms and
conditions The first, smaller instalment is
a non-refundable booking fee. The second
larger instalment will be payable three weeks before
the course starts. You do not need to
have passed your Grade One test in order to attend
the Grade Two course. Your trainer will let you
know in advance if he thinks your dog will not be
ready to work at the Grade Two level when the course
is due to start. If your dog is not
quite ready, you will be able to defer your booking
to a later course without losing your fee. |
