Important Information on SHEP Fees, Reduced Fees, Bursary Places & Payment Methods (Mid-West Region Only)
Introduction
Course Fee: €790
Payment plan available.
Where possible bursaries of €300 might be available – should you be successful your course fee will be €490
In exceptional cases a discount of €600 may be available- course fee €190 (open to social welfare participants only).
To be eligible to apply for a bursary you must be in receipt of a social welfare payment.
You will receive a Letter offering you a place on the course by email with a link for you to pay, where you can pay the full fee, or if you are paying by instalments you will need to pay the first instalment over the phone or online and fill out your direct dept form which will be attached. Second payments will come out in September. Once your fees are paid or direct debts set up, we will then confirm your place on the course.
If you decide in the first three weeks to discontinue, the first payment is non-refundable. The balance of the fee paid will be refunded.
If you drop out after the first three weeks no refund of the fee
will apply.
Thank you for your interest in training or further training with SHEP. Our philosophy is to keep our training as affordable and as accessible as possible. The vast majority of our courses have a participant fee which we try to keep to a minimum. We believe our training offers tremendous value for money. In general, the training fee to each participant is less than €8 per hour.
Because we are core-funded by the HSE, all SHEP courses are subsidised. Every participant benefits from this HSE support because without it the standard course fee for all courses would be significantly higher.
The HSE core grant to SHEP is used to cover most of the coordination and administration costs of SHEP courses. Fees collected from participants are used to pay the costs of the two Facilitators (and where applicable the module Facilitators ) who co-facilitate the course and to contribute towards costs such as supervision, promotion, administration and the presentation of certificates.
In order to make the courses accessible to those less well-off we also offer (in so far as possible) a Reduced Fee & Bursary Fee places. We also offer an interest-free Fees Payment Plan option.
The payment of fees is arranged between the participant and the SHEP Finance Team who can be contacted if you have a query. It is a deliberate policy in SHEP not to involve Facilitators in the collection of participant fees: this is to allow the Facilitators to focus on their work with participants. However, should you experience difficulty, the important thing is to talk to someone in the Project and this may include approaching a Facilitators if this is what you wish to do.
Depending on the course you may be able to spread the payments over a number of months.
Our preference is to receive the balance of the fee in one payment when the course place is being offered. This can be done online. We appreciate this is not possible for everyone. For the moment, for most courses, SHEP operates an interest-free Fees Payment Plan. This means that the cost of the course may be paid over a number of months (though not longer than the length of the course) on a monthly basis, by Standing Order. If this option is available and you wish to apply for it, please fill in the Application for Payment Plan, which you will receive with your letter/email of offer and return to SHEP by the agreed date before course commences.
You may be able to source some grant support yourself
Some participants have been supported by their employers or by their Local Development Partnership to undertake training with SHEP. SHEP cannot make such applications on behalf of participants, but we encourage you to make your own enquiries.
SHEP offers a Reduced Fee for some courses
SHEP recognises that for some people, the course fee, even though it is a subsidised fee, may still be prohibitive. The SHEP Bursary Fund (to which people and companies have made donations) is a small fund which helps us to make some of our courses more accessible to those facing financial difficulties. We also get some funding from the HSE each year to support concessions. The number of Reduced Fee places available for any SHEP course will depend on money available in the SHEP Bursary Fund, along with any funding available from the HSE. Priority is generally given to SHEP’s two foundation courses (the SHEP Certificate in Personal Development and the SHEP Certificate in Social Awareness and Community Empowerment).
Eligibility to apply for a Reduced Fee place
You may apply for a Reduced Fee place if you are
- A full-time student or
- If you are experiencing financial hardship.
- In receipt of a Social Welfare Payment.
Criteria are as follows:
- Full-time student: you may apply for a reduced fee place by submitting a letter setting out your case and name the course and college you are attending.
- Financial hardship: if you are in difficult financial circumstances, you may apply for a reduced fee place by submitting a letter setting out your case.
- Social Welfare Recipient please name your payment and attach proof of payment being received.
There is a very limited amount of money available in the SHEP Bursary Fund for reduced fees. We cannot guarantee therefore that all applicants will be successful. Please note reduced fees will be awarded to those who meet the eligibility criteria on a first-come, first served basis. Early applications have an advantage.
How to apply for a Reduced Fee
To apply, you must complete and submit the standard Course Application Form and also enclose one of the following:
- Name of college and course being undertaken
- A letter setting out your case for a Reduced fee Place
- Name and proof of Social Welfare Payment.
How applications are processed
All of the applications for Reduced Fee and Bursary places will be assessed by the Director of SHEP. All applicants for Reduced Fee and Bursary places will be notified of the result when course places are offered. For those who don’t qualify for a Reduced Fee or a Bursary Fee, It is important to remember that, for most courses, a Payment Plan can be arranged to pay the remainder of the fee in instalments over the duration of the course. Details of how to do this will be enclosed with the course place offer. SHEP has the ability to take online payments via the SHEP website all major credit and debit cards accepted.
You must apply for each course
It is important to note that Reduced Fee must be applied for each time you apply for a course if you received a Reduced Fee previously you must apply for it again for your next course and there is no guarantee you will be successful.
What happens if you have financial difficulties?
The Project understands that from time to time a participant may experience difficulties with the payment of fees. The Project will be as supportive as possible and will make every reasonable effort to accommodate participants with financial difficulties. However, if such a situation arises, it is essential for the participant to contact either the Finance Team or the relevant Training and Development Officer (in confidence) as soon as possible so that a suitable arrangement can be put in place.
A participant who has not paid the fee in full (and who has not made arrangements with SHEP to pay the balance) will not receive a Certificate (or a Statement of Attendance).
What happens if you leave the course before it ends?
It is the policy of The Social and Health Education Project that if a participant leaves the course before it ends he/she is liable to pay in full the cost of training delivered up to his/her last date of attendance, as well as a sum amounting to 20% of the cost of the remainder of the course.
Don’t hesitate to contact us if you need assistance
Thank you again for your interest in SHEP training. If you are unsure about any of this and need assistance please don’t hesitate to ring us at the main office on
(021) 4666180 main office Cork/Limerick