All NEC courses are online, which means that you can study whenever and wherever suits you, without having to attend a regular class. 

When you enrol we’ll send you an email explaining how to log in to learn@nec, our virtual learning environment and your gateway to the NEC community. 

You’ll get support from a qualified personal tutor and will be able to contact them through learn@nec messaging. Your tutor will be an expert in their subject and will be with you every step of the way, from introductory assignment to revision schedule.

All your course materials have been expertly written and designed to guide you through the subject, and carefully selected resources will be signposted within your course. Our course development team are highly experienced and include learning design experts, examiners, teachers and other industry professionals.

You’ll be able to work through the course at your own pace, completing assignments and uploading them to learn@nec for your tutor to mark. Your tutor will then upload their feedback for you to read. There are no deadlines (other than exams and non-exam assessment, of course), so you can work at a pace you’re comfortable with and that fits in around your other commitments.

Through learn@nec you’ll be able to interact with other students in the course forums. Interacting with your peers is a great way of discussing what you’re learning and helping you to really understand it. In a connected world, there’s no need for an online or distance learning course to leave you feeling isolated. We use technology – like the forums – to enhance your all-round learning experience.

To find out about entry requirements, check the Course information page for your chosen subject, before you enrol.

None of our courses require you to have any previous qualifications, but for some we would strongly recommend that you’ve already studied the subject to some extent. We would strongly recommend that you have a GCSE in maths to study A level maths, for instance, to give yourself the best possible chance of success.

If English isn’t your first language, you should be aware that all of our courses require a good level of English comprehension.

For some courses, the assessment uses real experience in the workplace, so you must be working in a suitable setting when you enrol. This mostly applies to our childcare courses, where it is essential for some that you are assessed in a real work situation. For others you’ll be asked questions that relate to your working day.

As courses are online, you’ll need to use a computer to access your course.

If you’re still unsure about any entry requirements, simply get in touch with our friendly and helpful Course Advice Team who will be happy to talk through your situation and help you decide what to do.

You can study an NEC course no matter where you are: distance learning is perfectly suited to international study. Some courses, though, do have requirements which you’ll need to check carefully before deciding to study outside the UK.

• If your course leads to an exam, you should make sure that you’ll be able to sit the exam before you enrol. Check with the awarding body to find out where exams are held.  If you need to travel to the UK to take exams, some of our partnership exam centres are conveniently located near airports with excellent transport links. The British Council also often arranges exams in overseas cities, so it may be worth contacting your nearest office to check with them.
• AQA does not conduct exams overseas, so if you are studying an AQA course you will need to come to the UK to sit your exams.
• If you are considering enrolling on a childcare course, it’s possible that there will be an element of workplace assessment; this may be more difficult to organise outside the UK and will involve an additional cost. It’s also important to be sure that any professional qualification you gain will be accepted in the country in which you wish to work.

If you’re thinking about enrolling from overseas, the best thing is to contact us for a chat about your requirements first, so we can help you make sure it will work for you.

With NEC you can enrol at any time and begin studying whenever suits you best. But it’s worth bearing in mind that if you’re taking a course that involves an exam, exam dates are on fixed dates. So you’ll need to enrol early enough to be able to complete all your assignments and any non-exam assessment in time. For advice on this just contact our Course Advice Team or look at the course information page for your chosen subject(s).