Frequently Asked Questions
You can read some of our most asked questions below. If you have any further queries then feel free to contact us directly either through our website, email or by phone and our friendly team will be happy to help.
We are located at Waddon Railway Station, in Croydon, Surrey, CR0 4UP, Greater London. We are South of London and approximately 25 minutes from the M25. As we are situated in Waddon Railway Station, travelling by train may be the most convenient way to get to us. Trains by National Rail to London Victoria take approximately 30 minutes and stop at West Croydon, Selhurst, Thornton Heath, Norbury, Streatham Common, Balham, Wandsworth Common, Clapham Junction and Battersea Park, or approximately 25 minutes to London Bridge passing through West Croydon and Norwood Junction. Trains to Epsom Downs pass through Wallington, Carshalton Beeches, Sutton, Belmont, Banstead and Sutton. Trains to Dorking pass through Sutton then onto Cheam, Epsom, Ashtead and Leatherhead. We also have a variety of buses which route from Croydon, Wallington, Norwood, Crystal Palace, Bromley and Morden. See ‘location’ for further details.
Free parking is available within a few minutes walk. Please call the centre if you require advice on where to park.
For those interested in achieving the 18th Edition qualification, we offer the City & Guilds e-learning Home Study Course (35 hours of teaching – full course) as an alternative to our 3 day City & Guilds 18th Edition Course.
We also offer a 7 hour 18th Edition update e-learn course for existing electricians that hold the 17th Edition qualification and only require teaching on the changes.
We have a modest canteen which sells hot and cold drinks and snacks. We are fortunate to be surrounded by various places to purchase food including Morrisons, a Café and McDonalds, all within a few minutes walk of our main centre. Alternatively, you are very welcome to bring your own food.
We are situated just off the Purley Way on the A23, where there is a large range of Superstores which includes Next at Home, Curry’s, Adidas, TK Max, Hobbycraft and Sainsbury’s (and Argos), to name just a few. Just 7-8 minutes drive away there is also the Valley Park Retail Complex which is home to many retail outlets including Ikea, and also offers multiple restaurants, cinema, gym and ten pin bowling. Just a few minutes walk from the Centre is also Waddon Leisure Centre which includes a pool and gym. We are ideally situated for those wishing to combine training with leisure, particularly those using local accommodation.
Once you have paid your deposit, your place will immediately be secured on your chosen date. A confirmation of booking will be emailed to you, unless otherwise requested, usually the same day.
The balance payment can be paid any time up to the start of the course, including the first morning.
The first day of any course is the most important and may effect whether you can continue for the rest of the course. All of our courses cover Health and Safety issues on the first day, as well as the correct use of tools, etc. If you miss this part of the course you may be told that, for safety reasons, you cannot continue.
By giving us more than 2 weeks’ notice, you can reschedule your course. See terms & conditions of booking for more information.
If you choose to arrive late or leave early you will undoubtedly miss parts of the training as the courses are run to schedule. The instructors will of course do their best to enable you to catch up on what you have missed, but this will not always be possible.
The Centre is open from 8.00 am until 5.30 pm, 7 days a week (excluding Bank Holidays). We are happy for you to simply turn up at the Centre any time between 8 am and 5.30 pm to look around and discuss booking details with our office team. There is a good chance that you will be able to briefly speak to the tutor, or chat with the existing students whilst visiting. Please be aware that we do not tend to run courses on Bank Holidays, or for the period between Christmas Day and the New Year, so you would definitely need to call us in advance on 020 8649 9340 to make an appointment at that time.
If you have a disability, please initially indicate this on our Application Form then follow up by completing the Questionnaire that we send you. This will provide us with a better understanding of what help you may need so that we can provide appropriate assistance to facilitate your learning here. You can also make us aware of any other information you feel we should know via the Application Form. If we require further information, we will be in contact.
All our prices include VAT, and where applicable, exam fees. The only additional costs would be for safety boots if you don’t already have a pair, and books if required for a qualification course.
Books required for our electrical qualification courses can be bought from the centre (subject to availability) either by telephone (postage will apply), or in person. Books are sent out by recorded delivery. Alternatively, these books can be purchased from any good book store or from the internet.
To be covered under The BTC insurance policy, steel toe capped boots/shoes are to be worn by all students on all our courses. These are available to purchase from the office for £20.00, if required. We stock sizes 3-13.
All of our foundation courses are suitable for people with little or no previous experience. Our advanced courses and electrical qualification courses will require you to have some previous experience/existing qualifications. Please view the individual course/ qualification pages for details of pre-requisites.
Course timings can be found on the individual course pages. Due to the practical element of the majority of our courses, it should be noted that the finish times are approximate, and courses can finish earlier or later than the specified time due to a number of different factors.
No, all relevant tools and materials will be provided whilst you are completing your course.
You will need to be at least 18 years old to attend our courses. Providing you are of good health you can attend our courses and you will be made to feel at home.
The majority of our electrical courses are qualification courses, therefore if you are successful in achieving the relevant units, you will be awarded the relevant qualification, and a Certificate will be issued by either City & Guilds or EAL. Our other courses are aimed at giving students hands-on practical experience and, although a formal qualification is not obtained, you will receive a certificate of continuous professional development upon full completion of the course.
Unless we are advised otherwise, you will automatically receive an email from Credly via City & Guilds when you successfully complete a qualification with us to enable you to sign up for digital credentials (also known as digital badges) which will allow you to share your achievements quickly and easily online, making them visible to potential employers and professional networks.
Once you have successfully passed your qualification we will claim your certificate from City & Guilds or EAL. City & Guilds / EAL will then send your certificate to us, which usually takes between 7 to 10 working days. Once we have received it, we will check and record it, then post to you (unless you have advised us otherwise). You will receive an email from info@thebtc.co.uk to let you know when your certificate is being posted.
Following City & Guilds/EAL rules, you will have 3 years to complete your qualification.
We have always achieved the HIGHEST Level of Compliance in ALL areas set by EAL (Green – Fully Compliant), and we have now been registered with EAL since 2005 (Centre No L1944EW). We are particularly proud of one of the quotes that appeared in our report, after our External Quality Assessor interviewed the students: “the learners spoke very highly of the staff and of the advice support and guidance given throughout the delivery of the qualification.” It is always our aim to make the whole learning experience a very positive experience, and this was clearly reflected in the comments made by our students.
We have also been registered as a City & Guilds approved centre (Centre No 007253) since 2007, and our External Quality Assessor has always been more than happy with what he has seen on his routine annual inspections. The last assessment (2021) was carried out remotely due to Covid but the feedback was very much in line with previous years. The following was included in the feedback ‘due to the prompt supply of the requested documentation to the EQA by the Centre, and with the agreement of both the EQA and the Centre, this activity has been completed within a shorter time frame than the required standard and demonstrated the Centre’s excellent comprehensive record keeping and QA processes’. Yet again, there were no improvements listed.
We are a City & Guilds Approved Centre (member 007253) and EAL Approved Centre (member L1944EW). Many of our students leave us and go straight into employment or start their own business, whilst others simply enhance their skills, to increase their chances for employment.
The Centre will continue to operate, as usual. Therefore, if you are booked to attend a course, you should always assume your course is running, as planned, unless you hear otherwise, and equally, if you are looking to book a course, you know you can do so with confidence, in the knowledge that, to date, we have never had to cancel a course due to the weather. If you have any concerns, please call the office on 020 8649 9340, and speak to Matt, Sally or Andy. It goes without saying that it would be advisable to leave extra time to travel to the Centre in certain weather conditions.
We do not run courses between Christmas and the New Year, but you can still contact us on 020 8649 9340 to make bookings, as usual. If you wish to look around the Centre, please call us beforehand to make an appointment. Alternatively, please send an email via the ‘Contact Us’ page.
