Frequently Asked Questions
This page details the most commonly asked questions about the current training / consultancy offering. If you have a question that is not included here then please contact me and I will answer your question directly. If appropriate, I will also include your question on this list.
What courses do you offer?
There are a number of courses that are offered in statistics / analysis and research. These can be found on the Courses pages, and since they are "off the shelf" they can be delivered in a relatively short time frame.
If you want a course designing specifically for you, this can be done. However the development of good quality courses takes time, so these courses will be available to deliver on a longer time-frame than "off the shelf" sessions.
Do you offer discounts?
If you have been referred by somebody who has already commissioned one of my courses then I will usually offer a discount for your first course booking (a single session or a block). This discount is a 'once only offer', so most sessions will be delivered at standard pricing.
Why do you have a minimum number for your training courses?
Most of the training courses developed by John Varlow | Training and Consultancy are designed around a number of formative activities. These usually take the form of group work and feedback sessions. These activities work well when there is more than one group that can then feed back to one another. If there are less than around 5/6 people within a training session then this form of activity and feedback becomes impossible, and makes the training less useful. It also means that designing courses for smaller groups takes more time , and delivery is harder.
Why do you have a maximum number for your sessions?
There is usually a maximum number of 20 for John Varlow | Training and Consultancy training sessions (15 if delivered online). This is due to the practicalities of working with large groups as a single trainer. Large groups mean that feedback from group-work takes longer and eats into the content for the rest of the day. Large groups also mean that individuals contribute less within feedback sessions and it is more difficult to spot when people are having difficulties. While it is possible to work with larger numbers it is harder work for the trainer.
Why are your sessions priced as they are?
When you book John Varlow | Training and Consultancy to deliver a session, you are paying for:
Development of a bespoke session (usually between 2 and 4 weeks dependent on the topic) or
A share in the development (and updating) of an "off the shelf" session
A bespoke website designed for you, with all of your course materials
Consultation and support both prior to, and after the session
Time getting to the venue and delivering the session. A single day session delivers 6 hours of training interspersed with coffee / lunch etc. However the time taken door to door can be as much as 36 hours, depending where the training is taking place.
Please see the section on support for more detail on what included support you can expect to receive from us.
Why do you have a cancellation policy / fee?
The cancellation fee for John Varlow | Training and Consultancy courses can be found here. There is currently no cancellation fee for consultancy services, although we would expect clients to give a reasonable amount of notice if they no longer require our services (this approach may change in the future).
Delivery of course content has a cancellation fee attached for the following reasons:
Any training day is booked out in the calendar - this means that other clients have not been able to book this date and have had to go elsewhere. Cancellation of training not only means losing a training fee, but potential other clients
Any training commissioned from us will have involved a significant amount of work in designing course materials and exercises. The sessions will also have been tested to ensure that they run to the appropriate times. Many bespoke courses can take up to 4 weeks to design, and hence last minute cancellation does not negate the effort and time put into course construction
We provide a block booking rate that is significantly lower than people booking on courses individually. However, when training is cancelled it is the whole session that is cancelled and not individual attendance, therefore the impact on us is large.
The cancellation policy should help you decide whether you really want to commit to training delivery, and provide some focus in ensuring sufficient people are enrolled onto sessions. .
Why do you have a late payment fee?
Unlike many providers of training we don't typically ask for payment until after the session is delivered (if delivering for a block booking). However, this runs the risk of payment being late. As a sole trader, late payment can have a major impact on business, and therefore all sole traders appreciate being paid as soon as possible after invoicing.
Amended late payment legislation came into force on 16 March 2013, implementing European Directive 2011/7/EU on combating late payment in commercial transactions. The amended legislation makes pursuing payment a simpler process across the European Union, reducing the culture of paying late and making paying on time the norm.
Under the new rules, debtors will be forced to pay interest and reimburse the reasonable recovery costs of the creditor, if they do not pay for goods and services on time (60 days for business and 30 days for public authorities).
The late payment fees for John Varlow | Training and Consultancy courses are in line with this Government policy and are discussed in more detail on the Government websites below:
https://www.gov.uk/late-commercial-payments-interest-debt-recovery - an overview of rights for debt recovery
https://www.gov.uk/late-commercial-payments-interest-debt-recovery/charging-interest-commercial-debt - details of interest that can be charged on late payments
https://www.gov.uk/late-commercial-payments-interest-debt-recovery/claim-debt-recovery-costs - details of debt recovery costs
Will your sessions go up in price?
John Varlow | Training and Consultancy tries to keep its training competitive, and we believe that we offer good value for money. However, as with most products it is necessary to put prices up on a yearly basis. We will however, never change the price of a product once it has been agreed, so if you negotiate training for next year now, then you will get this year's prices. Current pricing can be found here.
Do you offer CPD points?
John Varlow | Training and Consultancy is currently exploring the possibility of accrediting some of its courses. Whether this is through CPD or another avenue is yet to be decided. While CPD points are popular, the cost of accrediting a course (which only lasts for one year) is large. The only way that we could consistently offer accredited CPD courses would be to significantly raise the price.
Are your reviews / recommendations genuine?
Absolutely. Wherever possible I have given links to individual twitter / linkedin accounts so that you can contact people directly.
What do you do with negative feedback?
John Varlow | Training and Consultancy has currently had no individual negative feedback from its courses, but this doesn't mean that we won't in the future. Any future negative feedback received from individuals will be included in the same way on this site, and we will endeavour to act on the feedback to improve the training offering. Of course anyone who has received training is able to offer feedback via the feedback form.
Every session we deliver is evaluated by participants. Individual feedback forms are made available to those who have commissioned the training (usually on a website designed specially for them). We actively ask for what could work better on these forms so having some negative feedback is to be expected. Where we have received negative anonymous feedback from attendees this is published openly on the feedback page. Feedback on the sessions is always reviewed, and sessions changed where appropriate
Do you train small groups?
Yes we do, although the way these are charged varies. Details of current pricing can be found on our pricing pages.
As well as standard training sessions we can teach:
Small groups
Individuals (usually not specific courses, but particular topics)
Students - we tutor students in Maths and Statistics (and some other subjects) at GCSE and A level
Please contact us if you want any more information on these
Do you deliver courses online?
All of our face to face courses can also be delivered online, so it is your choice which method works best for you. We are also in the process of making some of our sessions available in an online e-learning format.
Do you deliver sessions via Skype or similar?
Yes we do. Since the Covid 19 pandemic, John Varlow | Training and Consultancy is offering all face-to-face sessions as online versions as well. These are delivered via Microsoft Teams by default, but we can cater for your preferences by using Skype, Zoom, Google Meet or similar. We have delivered a number of sessions in this manner via Teams since 2020, and on a PhD course in the USA in 2019 via Skype. While this delivery method cuts down on the need for travel, rooms etc. it is still a labour intensive form of delivery and, in our view, makes sessions more difficult for both the tutor, and participants. Consequently we would suggest splitting your sessions down into manageable 2 hour blocks, and deliver over a number of days. We would, however, still recommend a face-to-face training session over one delivered via Skype or similar, unless travel / accommodation costs are restrictive.
I haven't been on your training but can I have access to your training materials?
All of John Varlow | Training and Consultancy materials are copyrighted and are made available to those who have paid to go on a training session. It is an understanding that these materials will not be distributed further (and we would consider terminating a relationship with anyone who did this knowingly).
We are, however, happy to provide materials to you (for individual use only) on negotiation of an appropriate price. At some point there will be a standard offering on this website, but in the meantime please contact us via our online forms, or book an appointment with us to discuss in more detail if you are interested
I have been on your training and would like to use some of your slides in my own training materials. Can I do this?
Since all of John Varlow | Training and Consultancy slides are copyrighted, you can only use them with our knowledge and explicit consent. The rule of thumb is:
If you want to use just one or two slides please drop us an email and let us know. Also please ensure that you keep the copyright symbol on any slides that you use
To use more slides please contact us and we can negotiate a single re-use fee.
I am also a trainer and would like to work with you on some sessions? Are you interested?
John Varlow | Training and Consultancy is always interested in expanding our own knowledge, developing our skills and learning from others. If you have ideas for how we could work together on sessions then please get in touch. You can contact us directly via email or by using our contact form