jimmiboy
New Member
I’ve just had a look and Ardent course is £349 v Urban Truant £260 it seems like quite a big difference
Day Skipper Theory
- Thread starter timappleton
- Start date
Alicatt
Well-Known Member
Ardent were about the same price as the local school here in Belgium, I thought that I would get better service with a local organisation but that was a no, Ardent were prompt in all their communications with me and they do have a taster option to see if the course is for you.
Adrian62
Well-Known Member
Give them a ring , they might be able to help with the difference .
steveeasy
Well-Known Member
Ardent were good. Pretty much will help you anytime. I passed. They did well.
Stteveeasy
Stteveeasy
LittleSister
Well-Known Member
I can understand the appeal of an online course to many, but to back up a post in the original phase of this thread, I'd strongly emphasise the value of an in-person course.
The individual attention you might get from a live tutor is just one potential advantage, more useful I think, is what you gain from other students - their different ways of approaching/understanding things can often help overcome blockages, and even explaining showing someone else something you have grasped that they are struggling with can help clarify and solidify your own understanding. Having others around can also help you keep motivated when the going gets tough or boring.
If nothing else, you can share a good whinge about the tutor, syllabus, RYA system, or whatever takes your fancy, with your fellow students.
Yes, most of the public sector adult learning establishments have closed or are but a shadow of their former selves, but there's still quite a few yacht clubs and, i assume, commercial schools that run courses.
I say the above having learnt and been motivated by others on courses in all sorts of leisure and professional things over the years, in addition to Yachtmaster Theory by night classes at an ancient nautical school in London, Coastal Skipper course with Southern Sailing School in the Solent, and also closely followed the experiences of my ex doing her Yachtmaster Theory (having found Day Skipper insufficiently challenging) at adult education night school (she found some of her fellow students as much, if not more, help than the tutor, though she was a difficult woman to please!).
The individual attention you might get from a live tutor is just one potential advantage, more useful I think, is what you gain from other students - their different ways of approaching/understanding things can often help overcome blockages, and even explaining showing someone else something you have grasped that they are struggling with can help clarify and solidify your own understanding. Having others around can also help you keep motivated when the going gets tough or boring.
If nothing else, you can share a good whinge about the tutor, syllabus, RYA system, or whatever takes your fancy, with your fellow students.
Yes, most of the public sector adult learning establishments have closed or are but a shadow of their former selves, but there's still quite a few yacht clubs and, i assume, commercial schools that run courses.
I say the above having learnt and been motivated by others on courses in all sorts of leisure and professional things over the years, in addition to Yachtmaster Theory by night classes at an ancient nautical school in London, Coastal Skipper course with Southern Sailing School in the Solent, and also closely followed the experiences of my ex doing her Yachtmaster Theory (having found Day Skipper insufficiently challenging) at adult education night school (she found some of her fellow students as much, if not more, help than the tutor, though she was a difficult woman to please!).
st599
Well-Known Member
I did both DS and YM theory at night classes. Utterly painful experience. The tutor could easily have got through the material in a quarter of the time. Most issues caused by people who seemed unable to do basic addition and subtraction.
I met Ardent at Boot Düsseldorf, looked like some really well out together training videos.
I met Ardent at Boot Düsseldorf, looked like some really well out together training videos.
Alicatt
Well-Known Member
It is Urban Truant that is the behind the scenes provider of the DS theory course I am doing via the Vaarschool Belgium, the difference in price is that some of the details in the course from UT are well out of date (ie. CG66 mentioned in the course as a place to log your voyage with the coastguard)
There is also course material missing, and some of the subjects are just glossed over with no examples, lucky I had an idea of what the questions in the exam were asking for, but that was not because it was included in the notes.
I would not recommend them, I even had problems viewing the videos as the certificates for them had expired on the viewing platform (vimeo)
seanav
New Member
No connection to Ardent , but based in Ireland and have looked at them (still torn between virtual and actual classroom , waiting to see the days /times of Howth YC as Dun Laoghaire too late a finish for a work night ,when I include travel )
Very impressed with them as they have (or claim to have) a live chat with instructors and the feel is that the site is actively managed
Don't know Urban Truant , but too many educational sites seem to think that they can make the course material available and then for minimum effort have a nice little earner working away with little involvement, in my experience . that's what attracted me to Ardent ....it seems to be actively managed and the videos Ive seen are well produced
And for me anyway , their prices are in line with anything I can find in Ireland