An open grey folder holding a clipped sheaf of blank sheets with an orange tab and a pencil, on the window sill.

How to read a program page before you register: dates, fees, formats and the small print

A five-minute routine for reading any program page, from the first date to the booking terms.

A program page is written to be compared. Read it in the same order every time and two courses can be weighed in five minutes.

Dates first

Look at the next start date and the weekday it runs on. A course that starts next week and one that starts in two months are different decisions.

Then the format and the place

In person, online or both, and which room. Check the travel time at the hour the group actually meets.

Then the fee and what it includes

Materials, software and exam registration are often separate. The page should say which.

Finally, the small print

Cancellation terms, missed sessions and group size are the questions people ask after they have paid. Ask them before.

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