How to select an NLP training provider
Choosing an NLP training provider is a challenging experience. Even here in the UK there is a huge selection of training organisations available although, as a first step, you may wish to narrow the search by checking out Member Organisations of the Professional Guild of NLP which provide the traditional full-length, full-syllabus 120 hour Practitioner Certification training programme.
If you live outside the UK you can travel to take part in our 5-day trainings or seek a training provider locally by using a search engine and searching on "NLP" plus the name of your town or country.
How to select a Practitioner Certification Training provider
In taking part in an NLP training the investment you will make of your time, your money and your expectations is not insignificant so we have assembled the following list of questions to assist you in choosing an NLP training organisation that will meet your personal needs:
1. How long are the workshops?
The original requirement for Practitioner Certification Programme was 18-20 days or 120 hours of attendance at a workshop and with a Certified NLP Trainer in attendance. It is also possible to 'do' NLP in a much shorter time by attending an 'accelerated' or 'fast track' training.
2. How many other participants?
This is a critical question. In some trainings you will be part of a group of anywhere from 50 to 100's. Usually such trainings get around the need for hands-on coaching and feedback by having 'training assistants'. However such assistants will frequently be previous participants (rather than skilled trainers) who are coming back from free training in return for managing the crowd by ensuring that you do not 'bother' the trainer and take up their valuable time. Here at Pegasus we do have training assistants but these are at least Certified Master Practitioners or graduates of our NLP Trainer Training programme. And these are an additional resource since the group is still no more than 18-21 people and you still have access to the course trainer.
3. How trained are the trainers?
Just a few years ago becoming a Certified NLP Trainer required that, in addition to being certified as a Practitioner and Master Practitioner and Trainer, you also did an 'apprenticeship' through being an active observer at a number of Practitioner and Master Practitioner Programmes.
This ensured that your own trainings had depth and quality. We believe that an effective trainer will have many times more knowledge, experience and material than they actually have time to teach - this ensures that their work has depth and that they can draw upon practical experience in answering questions from participants.
Nowadays, through some organisations, it is possible to become a "Certified NLP Trainer" in a matter of weeks. These trainers can be training people in material, that a short while previously, they didn't know themselves .
For this reason we recommend that you be quite thorough in assessing who you will choose as your training provider. Aim questions about the organisations trainers such as:
 | How long have they been been actively involved in NLP? |
| When did they receive certification as a Practitioner and Master Practitioner of NLP? |
| Who did they do they Practitioner Training with and was it a 120 hour full-syllabus programme? |
| When did they receive certification as a Trainer of NLP? |
If they have gone from Practitioner to Trainer in a year or two their trainings they are likely to be 'training from the book' and what you will learn is unlikely to have the breadth and depth that comes from in-depth familiarity with the material.
5. What is the background of the trainers?
Have they had a life other than NLP? Are they experienced in the fields in which you are interested?
6. What is the organisation's attitude towards their participants?
You can get a pretty good idea about this by how they respond to the other questions - while wondering silently ...
Do they believe in empowering or do they just teach?
Do they take a genuine interest in you as an individual or are you just another 'customer'?
Do they get a little impatient or uncomfortable when you ask them probing questions such as the ones on this page?
How do they respond to 'money-back guarantee' question...?
7. Money-Back Guarantee?
NLP Trainings are not cheap - they represent a quite significant investment of time and of money.
It is not a nice experience to arrive at a training that you have carefully selected, and for which you may have pre-paid in order to receive an 'early bird' discount, to discover that it is not what you expected or that the trainer is not treating you as they had promised.
So ensure at the outset that you have a day or two to decide whether or not to continue with a training - and that you will get a full, no-questions-asked refund if you choose not to continue attending.
Click on these links for more information about NLP
NLP FAQ
Why learn NLP
How to learn NLP
Where to learn NLP - and how to choose a training provider
NLP Core Skills - our course in the New Forest
What's special about Pegasus NLP Trainings
What people have said about our courses
How we integrate NLP with outdoor activities
