Important Information on SHEP Fees, Reduced Fees & Payment Methods
Option 1 – Course Fee: €850
€60 discount for those who pay in full before the course starts – Fee €790
Option 2 – Payment plan available spread out over 6 months (no discount available in this case).
————————————————————————————————–
Very limited bursaries available – should you be successful your course fee will be €550 (The SHEP Bursary Fund is very low at the moment).
€60 discount for those who pay in full before the course starts – Fee €490
To be eligible to apply for a bursary you must be in receipt of a social welfare payment (proof of Social Welfare payment required).
————————————————————————————————–
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 €100 up front and set up your Standing Order with your bank. First payments will come out in September. Once your fees are paid or Standing Order set up, we will then confirm your place on the course.
If you decide in the first three weeks to discontinue, the first €175 of your 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.
Introduction
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 (and in the main the fees charged have not increased since 2008). We believe our training offers tremendous value for money. In general, the training fee to each participant is €8 per hour.
Because we are core-funded by the HSE, all SHEP courses are subsidised. Every participant benefit 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 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. We also offer a Payment Plan of 6 monthly payments.
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.
Our preference is to receive the balance of the fee in one payment when the course place is being offered. This can now be done online. We appreciate this is not possible for everyone. This means that the cost of the course may be paid over 6 payments. All course fees need to be paid in full by March 2025 these payments can be made by Standing Order. If you wish to avail of a payment plan, 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.
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 recipient.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 only if you are a social welfare recipient.
If you are a social welfare recipient and wish to apply for a reduced fee place please provide the name of your payment and proof of receipt of your payment dated within the last 3 months.
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 the following:
- Name of payment and proof of social welfare payment.
All of the applications for Reduced Fee places will be assessed by the Director of SHEP. All applicants for Reduced Fee places will be notified of the result when course places are offered. For those who don’t qualify for a Reduced Fee. It is important to remember that a Payment Plan can be arranged to pay the remainder of the fee in instalments over the first 6 months of the course. Details of how to do this will be enclosed with the course place offer. SHEP takes online payments via the SHEP website – all major credit and debit cards accepted.
A participant who has not paid the fee in full will not receive a Certificate.
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 the course. If you decide in the first three weeks to discontinue, The first €175 of your payments 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.
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