This course starts well but as you move further along and expect more information on asanas and pranayama or meditation, there is hardly anything on these. I do not recommend this course if you are serious about your yoga training. I had to do quite a few other courses and lots and lots of self practice and learning after the course.

Short version: I completed the BSY Massage Diploma course. I thought the course was rubbish. I passed with a “high merit” and I would feel like a criminal if I charged somebody for a massage after completing this course.

Long version: I completed the BSY Massage Diploma Course. The course comprises of 12 sets A4 printed pages. At the end of each, there’s an “open book” test – a series of questions which you answer and then send back by post or email to be marked by one of the tutors. Many of the questions test your ability to type a question into Google. Such as “Name a muscle that flexes the wrist” and “How many phalanges are there on a normal human skeleton?”. Other questions require more thought. Many involve abstract ideas which you probably wouldn’t expect in a test about a massage course (don’t be mistaken; I don’t mean abstract as in thought-provoking and interesting – I mean abstract as in irrelevant and nonsensical).

The size of the units varies somewhat. The shortest has around 800 words. To give you an idea how little text that it, it doesn’t quite fill a page of A4 if typed in font size 12 with normal spacing. Though of course they use double-spacing and plenty of big gaps, but obviously those are there for us to make our own notes, not for any other reason... why would you think that? BSY Group advertises a number of complementary therapy and mind, body, spirit courses on their website, and many parts of this course feel like they’ve been lifted from their other courses. Some are loosely-related to massage, others seem entirely out of place in a massage course. This course will leave you feeling like you’ve had a little taste of various subjects, such as psychology, hypnotherapy, Traditional Chinese Medicine, first aid, shiatsu… sadly though, despite the name of the course, it won’t leave you feeling like you’ve learnt how to be a massage practitioner.

The language and the tone of the course makes it feel like it was written in the 1940s by a Good Housekeeping Magazine columnist… “We continue with the study of first aid, and having already dealt with a situation with the initial letter ‘C’, we must stay with that initial letter as we commence this lesson with the study of the procedure for the administration of first aid to a casualty with Convulsions”. What the actual f? Yes, that’s copied and pasted from the course. That’s what to expect. Pretentious codswallop.

In my experience, the BSY group, other than having a basic website and an email address, didn’t use any form of technology whatsoever for this course. There was zero interactivity with other students – you just read through the uninspiring rubbish they send you and then answer the questions and wait for them to send you their feedback along with the next chapter of rubbish they’ve thrown together. No online lessons, no photographs, no videos... Let’s think for a minute… do you think that to learn massage, you can just read through 12 texts and you’re good to go? Seriously, think about that. OK so if we weren’t in a pandemic, you’d also have to go and do one day of practical training which presumably would then make you a massage specialist. I was asked “How I would feel” about sending a video of me giving a massage instead of having practical training. This is an excellent scheme the BSY group offers! It only costs £45 (that’s a saving of £30 on what the practical training costs) and you still get to become a qualified massage practitioner! By this point, after getting to the end of the course I just paid it and got my certificate. I’d spent £450 or more on the course and for the sake of paying a bit extra, at least I didn’t leave it unfinished. The school claims to offer tutor support by telephone. The only one time I needed help I was told that no tutors were available, that they couldn’t call me back as I’m overseas and asked me to send an email. I think considering the amount for money I paid for the course, they could have afforded a quick telephone call to Europe.

Seriously, there is no way I feel it would be morally correct to charge somebody for a massage based on what I’ve learnt on this course. It cost me the best part of £500 and I would have learnt more by finding a decent book for £20. I don’t know what I was thinking. In fact, I do know what I was thinking, I fell into the honeytrap… I wanted to see my name on that official-looking certificate, underneath the word “Diploma” and above the words “Professional Massage Therapist”. Don’t fall for that – I’m £500 worse off and although I have a lovely certificate to frame and display on the wall, I’m not a professional massage therapist, nor an unprofessional one. I’m not a massage therapist. That certificate doesn’t mean anything to me. In fact, I’m embarrassed every time I see it because it makes me feel like I’m a fraudster. I’ve learnt that it’s important to do some research into the company that “certifies” any course you’re interested in doing. Next time I do a course, I won’t be fooled by official looking logos on the certificate – if you’re doing a course with the intention of working in a specific field, such as complementary therapies, I think it’s important to find a course which is certified by a big name in that specific industry. Massage is not a regulated industry which, worryingly, means that anybody can call themselves a massage therapist, and any school can sell you a “practitioner level” massage course. That means that even the worst massage course will get you a practitioner’s certificate. Think about the quality of training you need and want before signing up for a course like the one I did. Do some Google research and you’ll quickly understand what I mean.

I’m a fan of distance learning. In fact, I’ve just completed an Ofqual regulated level 5 certificate in teaching English as a Foreign Language, 100% online. Excellent value-for-money, a really challenging course that’s set me up for a new career. My BSY course didn’t do that. I wasted a lot of time and money and came out the other end disappointed and feeling unqualified and regretful. If you’ve got the time and motivation to put into distance study, I highly recommend you think carefully about what types of subjects you could realistically learn without having to attend presential classes. Look for an official, recognised qualification that is regulated, for example by Ofqual (or at the very least certified by a respected organisation in the field you wish to study). And find a school that specialises in the subject you’re studying (BSY offers courses on literally anything they can flog from “Dragon Magic” to “Wedding Planner”).

A good way to check whether your qualification is worth the paper it’s printed on, is to ask the main professional associations for that industry whether your qualification would entitle you to become a member (for complementary therapies, ask the Federation of Holistic Therapists, or the Complementary & Natural Healthcare Council; these are the two main professional bodies in this industry). And phone round a number of well-known insurance companies to ask whether they would give you professional indemnity insurance based on that qualification (don’t just ask the insurance company the course provider recommends; phone around and ask other companies to get a better idea of the courses value in the real world).

When you pass your final exam and have a certificate in your hand which really has value and really reflects the time and hard work you’ve invested in your future, you will feel great for having made the right choice.

This method of learning from home is just what I needed. My job is full on but I needed that extra mental challenge. Everybody within the organisation is extremely friendly and the tutors are always at hand and very helpful. I am delighted with my experience so far and have recommended to a friend.

I have been studying with BSY since 2000,obtained high merit and have now completed 8 diploms's. tutors feedback is positive and help is always at hand.I am using all my knowledge in my day to day job. excellent company to study with. I liked the fact you can study at your own pace. didn't like the wait sometime for the exam paper coming back.

I really enjoyed learning in this way receiving the materials and being able to work through them at my own pace. The materials are very clearly laid out and easy to acress. The assessment tasks are clear and I liked the fact that I could email my responses. Responses back with marks and feedback were timely and helpful. I would have perhaps liked additional practical sessions or maybe videos to illustrate some of the poses

I would highly recommend BSY to anyone thinking of doing a course, friendly service and very helpful if needed, I did anatomy and physiology and after doing this course and getting the diploma it gave me the confidence to start a university degree. One thing I liked about BSY is the option to pay for the course monthly which is brilliant, with this it gives people the chance to do what they want without a big upfront cost holding them back. The one thing I didn't like is that I enjoyed so much I didn't want it to end. The main reason why anyone wanting to do a course should choose BSY is everything you need to know is their front of you, nothing is left out i.e no small print or hidden costs and there is always a friendly voice at the end of the phone if needed.

I really enjoyed studying Healing Meditation with BSY. The course gave me new and valuable information, skills and practices which I have incorporated into my personal as well as my professional life. It is a great course for both beginners and more experienced healing and meditation students. I recommend it to anybody who is interested in the healing aspects of meditation, both for self and for others. The self-paced timing was perfect for me so that I could schedule the time around my work. Thank you BSY for providing great courses.

This is the best decision I have ever made and leading with BSY made it so much easier to learn and at my own pace, I have managed to do both course within 4 months I’m so so happy to be able to be starting my own business now .

I really like the home study system as it’s very flexible and this helps me to organise my studying and revising more efficiently. Also I receive prompt and useful feedbacks from the team, that improve my skills and knowledge. I would recommend the BSY group courses to anybody who needs to balance between work, family responsibilities and aim to change or build up their qualification.

On my second course. Very supportive lovely people to talk to if you need to. Love it.

I enjoyed a lot my course. The staff was amazing with my difficulties and give me the perfect fed back that I needed. I want to make other courses and I will sure enjoy making them. I totally recommend BSY to other people. The aspect that I didn’t enjoy much was not being placed somewhere that I can practice what I have learned! Thank you BSY Really Grateful

Lessons are interesting with no pressure on timescale to complete. Good feedback from tutors. Practical day centre facilities could be refurbished and road signage display could be enhanced.Wide range of courses to suit a wide range of interests.

Currently studying child psychology with BSY, it's a good course to do & has given me a lot of information! Although I'm in a mental block at the moment the tutors are super helpful with their marking & comments. So far so good! I'm liking the lessons that you get given, the questions generally link up with the information in the lesson but sometimes they don't and it can be tricky to find the right information you need to complete the question and give a lengthy answer to gain your marks. Haven't got to my exam yet so I'm hoping to learn more info about how it works.

So far I have been very impressed with my studies with the BSY group and feel that the courses are run very professionally and very supportive. I would be happy to recommend family and friends. The course work is very in depth certainly tests you to improve your performance.