Edinburgh Garden School; RHS Horticulture Home Study Course

Edinburgh Garden School was Excellent in the beginning but useless at the end!

During the course I was given as much support as I needed. There was always EGS staff available to help me with whatever requests I had.

Things took a severe turn for the worst when I submitted my work for marking at the end of September 2017. Much of it I sent via email, but all my designs, drawings and course notes I sent via Royal mail.

After a couple of weeks I sent an email to EGS asking them if they had received my coursework but all I got was an automated response! In fact that all I get now when I send them messages regarding my course!

What I find particularly frustrating, and its not that I have lost £300 plus which included the red folders, but its the work I mailed via the post which were all originals, which I hasten to add took me hours to complete!!

Reading some of the other reviews I now feel like I have been taken in by what I thought was a legitimate company

Unfortunately, their CEO passed away in October 2017. However, they are still taking money of you for courses and they are not delivering. No-one responds to emails and they are not contactable by phone (Jan 2018). Now trying to get money back via paypal.

As far as I can see, the EGS has ceased operations following the sudden death of its CEO. An announcement appeared on the website on 29th October 2017 to the effect that 'the EGS tutorial team' expected to contact individual students with an update within seven to ten days. To the best of my knowledge, nothing has happened since. I paid in full for a course which it seems I shall not now have the opportunity to complete, and I know several other people in the same boat. I have sent umpteen messages to the EGS and my tutor, and have received neither acknowledgement nor reply. I don't know what is going on, but the current state of affairs is simply deplorable, and I certainly cannot recommend or praise this organisation.

I'm currently studying for the RHS Level 2 with EGS and very pleased with both the course and the tutor support. Assignments are returned quickly and the online support is fantastic, especially now I'm revising because I can speak to an adviser whenever I want. They also produce a really good collection of revision notes that are free to anyone studying for the exams (you don't have to be an EGS student)-well worth requesting a copy, they've been invaluable to me. The revision notes alone are worth 5 stars.

This program is very expensive, and the material is of poor quality. It reminded me of the photocopied handouts we were given in elementary school. The material is confusing and disorganized, nothing is explained, the photos are really basic, and the text is full of typos. Trying to get in touch with the instructor is challenging, and they always have excuses as to why their phones/internet are offline. You would be better off starting with the outline of the Exam, and looking up each subject on YouTube. I am very sorry I wasted the money, and I am suspicious that this is a fraudulent organization.

I really enjoyed this course. The tutorial support is very good, and the tutors I've spoken to are obviously keen gardeners, which makes a difference, I think. The course material is excellent and the course itself includes tutor support right up to the exam - I didn't really take much notice of this when I enrolled, but it turns out when it got the exam, it was a relief, to say the least :P The exams for this qualification are daunting - I don't know why the RHS have decided on 4 exams. Ok, they're quite short exams, but to get the full Level 2 you still need to complete 4 exams. WTF... Exam fees are paid directly to your exam centre and currently amount to around £110. Almost as much as the whole course, so something to consider. The tutors were very good at helping me prepare for the exams and answer questions quickly.

Incredibly slow to respond to emails, the feedback is good once it comes, but the wait for the new assignment really slows your momentum. (I've been waiting 3 months for feedback on my last assignment and have emailed twice since then)

The online help stopped for a month or so over the summer without warning students and without any warning on their website. The staff are friendly when you do manage to pin one down, but it's just no good enough for the money charged. I paid full price for my courses and then realised afterwards that they seem to be 50% off most of the rest of the year, which left me feeling a little cheated.

I have done other courses at the Royal Botanic Gardens Edinburgh and they are fantastic- definitely recommend them instead!

The course material for their own courses is rather basic, but clear and interesting. The tutors seem very nice and friendly but sometimes take weeks to respond.

If you are interested in RHS courses, definitely go for a taught class, absolutely worth the extra money. I did the RHS level 2 course at the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh and the teachers were fantastic, really knowledgeable, every lecture was really interesting.

Really enjoyable, easy to follow and information. I'd definitely recommend. Their exam support is excellent too, and I think you can use a lot of it even if you're studying with someone else. The course material is of a very high quality but the tutorial support is the real winner - second to none, with a number of expert tutors.

This is a well-structured, up-to-date course. Excellent course material and very extensive tutor support. I work in a HE college and we chose this course because we had just 4 students who wanted to study horticulture which isn't enough to run a whole class.

The tutors are supportive and professional in their approach, and work with you all the way through revision up to the exam day itself. This is a huge plus compared to most other providers. The course materials are of a very good quality and the assignments are well-designed to prepare students for the exams. Highly recommended.