FAQ's
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Frequently Asked Questions
Looking to start a course with Lewis College? Here are some of our most frequently asked questions.
We were one of the first Colleges specialising in EA, PA, Administration and IT courses to provide online distance learning courses – nearly 20 years’ ago.
Our tutors are experienced and qualified and most of them have also taught in the classroom environment either with ourselves or in other Colleges.
We have always taught on a one to one basis – both in the classroom and through our online distance learning courses. We provide a great deal of personal support for each of our students throughout the course.
Looking at our testimonials and Trust Pilot comments, one of the main elements of studying with us that students have commented on is the level of support and our friendly approach in helping our students be successful.
Yes! We all need a holiday or something else might come up. Your course is open for the course time frame and closes on the date confirmed to you when you enrol. So you can have a break whenever you wish and then plan your studying to pick up the course to complete by the time the course is due to close.
Yes! We all need a holiday!
You can take a break whenever you wish – the course will remain open ready for you to pick up on your return.
There are a number of ways to become a PA including;
- a temping role
- working your way into the role
- apprenticeships
- studying a specialist PA course
This final point is where we come in. We have been providing bespoke online PA and EA courses to students since 2004. The course content is geared entirely toward the role, and our students have a great record of finding work as a PA both during and directly after the course.
Being a Personal Assistant is such a diverse and multi-skilled role, that you probably already have transferable skills to the role whatever your experience.
The PA role is prevalent in a huge range of sectors and industries which means there is an abundance of choice and you can work in a field that really interests you. From celebrities to Managing Directors of FTSE 100 companies and everything in between, the PA role can be whatever you want it to be.
Nearly all of our courses offer multiple Diplomas, single Diplomas or Certificates.
A Diploma is made up of several single modules and is required to be more than 370 guided learning hours (GLH) to qualify as a Diploma to comply with OfQual regulations.
A Certificate is made up of fewer single modules and is required to be between 121-369 GLH to qualify as a Certificate.
There are Level 2 Diplomas and Certificates which are GCSE/Intermediate level.
There are Level 3 Diplomas and Certificates which are A Level/Advanced level.
Level 4 Diplomas are Foundation Degree standard.
Each course has an overall course time frame which is how long the course will be open for you to study.
This is based on a complete beginner studying a minimum of 2 hours per week plus time out for holidays and illness. If you have prior experience or knowledge in some of the modules you may find you can complete your course in a shorter time.
Most of our courses teach MS Office and you will therefore need to have this on your computer or access to it to study your course. MS Office no earlier than 2016 version or MS Office 365 are suitable. You can now pay for MS Office 365 on a monthly subscription of less than £9 per month and Office 365 is updated by Microsoft regularly so you will always have the latest version.
MS Office is the main suite of programs used in the business world and therefore essential to know how to use when applying for jobs.
Most of our students do complete their course within the time frame – many earlier! However if you do not you can choose to complete your course at that point and receive certificates for those modules you have completed.
If you wish to carry on you can pay course extension fees to cover a further month or more to suit.
You can decide what you would like to do when you are nearly at the end of the course.
You are kept regularly informed as to where you are on the course – so you have plenty of time to plan ahead.
Payment Questions
We offer a range of payment options to suit different budgets — including Klarna, Clearpay, PayPal, and all major debit/credit cards, as well as employer payment. You can also choose to pay in full. See our Payment Options page for details.
Yes! See our Employer Funded Enrolment page for details on how your employer can fund your training.
We offer a range of discounts throughout the year - be sure to check out our homepage for the latest offers.
At Lewis College, we want all students to feel confident and supported in their decision to study with us. This policy outlines your rights to cancel your enrolment and request a refund in line with UK consumer protection law.
Cooling-Off Period (Private Students Only)
In accordance with the Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013, you are entitled to a 14-day cooling-off period starting from the day after your enrolment form is submitted.
During this period, you may cancel your enrolment without providing a reason.
If you cancel within the cooling-off period, any monies paid will be refunded within 10 working days, less a £75 administration fee to cover registration and processing costs, and the cost of any textbooks or vouchers already issued.
As course materials are released gradually, you will always retain your 14-day right to cancel. No additional deductions will be made unless physical materials have been dispatched.
After the 14-day cooling-off period has expired, all fees paid are non-refundable, and any outstanding balance remains payable.
Refunds are processed via the original payment method used at checkout.
How to Cancel
If you wish to cancel your enrolment within the cooling-off period, please contact our Admissions Team in writing at administration@lewiscollege.co.uk with your name, order number, and course title.
Payment Security
All online transactions are securely processed by Stripe Payments UK, Ltd., our PCI DSS-compliant payment provider. Lewis College never stores your full card details. Payments can also be made through approved third-party providers such as Klarna and PayPal, where applicable. Each provider’s own terms and privacy policy apply.
Contact Us
If you have any questions about this policy, please contact us:
📞 0800 500 3096
✉️ administration@lewiscollege.co.uk
Studying Questions
Yes! All our courses are exclusively designed for home study. There is no need to attend the college – you can study at your own pace in your own place!
We have regular start dates for courses but places are limited to ensure we can look after our new students to the right standard.
In the early weeks of the course we provide extra help and support to ensure our students settle into their course and start to build their confidence and study skills effectively. It makes all the difference!
Yes! All of our courses can be studied at home (or anywhere!). There is no need for you to attend any centre to study the course.
So that’s 100% of the course that can be studied at home including the Assessments.
You will need:
- A laptop or desktop PC (Mac or Windows). Any reasonably recent machine (up to 5 years old) should be suitable. You cannot use a tablet, iPad or Chromebook for our courses as they have restricted features.
- Microsoft Office not older than 2016 version or Office 365. You can see options on how to get Microsoft Office here: Microsoft Office – Purchase Options including monthly subscription.
- Internet connection. Most of the courseware can be downloaded so that you can study “off-line” but you will need internet access to do the download and of course for email correspondence. You will access your course through our Lewis Learning Portal.
One of the many advantages of home study is that it gives you the flexibility to adapt your learning schedule to suit your lifestyle, fitting your study in around work, the kids and everything else that life throws at you!
We do recommend that you study at least 2-3 hours per week on average most weeks. Many of our students find that planning their study sessions and making them part of their weekly schedule really helps them to keep on track with the course.
How you split your weekly study hours up is up to you and you will learn by experience whether you are better doing a few long sessions or more frequent shorter sessions. Remember there is no hard and fast rule, we all learn in different ways.
Some students study more for several weeks and then have a break whilst they are busy with other commitments. So maybe monthly planning is better for you?
Of course, you are free to study more than 2-3 hours per week as many of our students do and this will allow you to complete the course more quickly. This depends on your payment choice.
Some students study full time and we are in touch with them several times a day.
So whatever method of studying suits you – study that way!
Yes! You can study as many hours per week as you wish.
Some students like to study intensively and complete their course in a short a time as possible. We can adjust the teaching programme to reflect your study pattern.