Interestingly, once you have decided to learn NLP there is work to be done! Throughout the world there are number of NLP trainers, and not all are the same. We have constructed a number of questions that would be valuable for you to know more information about. We at the Worldwide Institutes of NLP pride ourselves on being one of the leading and most respected NLP providers in the world. It is better to do your homework and choose a credible NLP training provider than to be disappointed.

Just to be fair, you will find our answers to these questions below.

Good luck in your search for NLP!

1. How long have the trainers been training NLP? This is an important question as there are no real regulations about NLP and trainers. Many people in NLP unfortunately complete their NLP training and immediately start to train others without any practical experience behind them. Although they may be great trainers, there is something special that makes a great NLP trainer. Our suggestion, and the requirements for a Trainer in the Australian Board of NLP is a minimum of 2 years and 40 students. Another part of this question is how long has the training organisation been established? You can even do a web search in your country to see when the company name was registered. Most likely you are not looking to be the first student someone has had, its a good thing to ask!

2. How do they use their NLP skills outside of the training room? This means a few things - 1) are they using NLP in a clinical, therapeutic, coaching or consulting way? This is imperative. For you to really understand and grasp the skills that you are being taught you need to learn from someone who has been using them for a few years, (our suggestion is 2 years of practical experience before they started training). 2) the other thing you are looking for is are they congruent with what they are teaching. Do they walk their talk? Again, unfortunately many NLP trainers do not. You are making a large time and financial commitment to have to read between the lines.

3. Do you have rapport, respect and a liking for your trainer? Having rapport for your trainer is very important. If you don't have rapport, or a feeling that you can learn from them easily then your learning may not flow as easily.

4. Can you call, email or drop into see your trainer when you want?  Some trainers are unavailable or unapproachable. Ensure you have the ability to talk to them first hand if and when you need.

5. What kind of after course support does your trainer provide? Your training should not stop on your last day of training. Many trainers travel through the world and train, therefore leaving your country. What programs do they have in place to continue to support you?

6. How long are their courses? The time span of NLP courses range from 1 week to 3 weeks in length. The old-school format was over a 21 day period and globally this trend has moved in the past 10 years. We suggest, as does the ABNLP (Australian Board of NLP) that no training should be less than 7 days of classroom time. From personal experience, we also suggest that longer courses are not necessarily better - just longer. And do you have 21 days to spare? See our FAQ's for more information on accelerated learning.

7. How many people are in one class? Some training organisations are aiming less at quality training and more at dollar signs and teach NLP to 50 plus. Some even to 400+ at the same time! This is less like learning and more like being in a lecture. Our suggestion is a minimum of 8 and maximum of 30 students at one time to ensure you have plenty of one-on-one contact with your trainer. If the number of students is over 20, enquire about the trainer to student ratio, which normally in NLP training should be approximately 20:1. Also another point to keep in mind is that if a class is too small there may not be enough people to practice the skills with and the group dynamics aspect of the learning will be missed.

8. What associations or NLP organisations In your country are your trainers members of? There are a number of different Associations around the world. While there is not one governing body of NLP, chances are your country has an organisation which has created a standard of NLP for you. Are your trainers members of one of these organisations? If not - why not? This may be a sign that they are not in support of the NLP community and a desire for growth in the field of NLP. Also, ensure it is an organisation that is in your own country. It may even be valuable to research the Associations to ensure they are not simply adjuncts to the training company but are stand alone organisations set to standards similar to other counselling or therapeutic associations.

9. After completing the training can you join any NLP associations or organisations in your country? This one is pretty self explanatory. Not only will you want to know if you will be eligible to join, but is the trainer able to give you application forms, answer questions and be knowledgeable about the associations you can join. If not, their focus may be less on NLP and more on building their business.

10. What are the trainers cancellation fees, guarantees and matching programs? Find out what their escape clauses are. Most reputable training organisations will have all of the above.

What not to base your course on

• The dates of the course - just because they fit your schedule, that doesn't mean it will fit your needs.

• The cost of the course - some organisations that are new to training NLP will have very low rates. Sometimes (and not always), you get what you pay for.

• The location of the course - although a course may be offered in your own state, city or area you may find a better course and one that fits your requirements by travelling a way. This may mean to another state or across town or even to another country.

The Worldwide Institutes of NLP answers to the 10 Questions.

1. How long have the trainers been training NLP? We started training in 1994 in Sydney, Australia; making us the longest established NLP Training Institute located in Sydney. Laureli, who founded the Australasian Institute of NLP was first trained in NLP in 1983 and utilised her skills in her corporate job and then in an NLP Coaching and therapy capacity until she began training NLP. Heidi  joined the institutes in 2000. In 2002 we expanded to international markets, creating the European and American Institutes of NLP.

2. How do they use their NLP skills outside of the training room? Both Laureli and Heidi run their own Private Practices where they use their NLP skills in a Therapeutic and Coaching capacities. In addition, they offer consulting services to business clients and assist them in a variety of areas of corporate growth and change. They also run a corporate training company Training Point International. In addition, both write books and articles about NLP and regularly appear on TV and Radio as professionals in their field.

3. Do you have rapport, respect and a liking for your trainer? The best way to know this is to meet us in person or on the phone. In Sydney we are located on York Street, opposite the QVB in Sydney's CBD. It is important that you feel comfortable with us and we encourage you to find this out for yourself. If you are in another country, make an appointment to meet us while we are there or contact us in the Sydney office for a chat on the phone.

4. Can you call, email or drop into see your trainer when you want?  In Australia, we are the only NLP Training Institute with a commercial premises that you can come to anytime you wish. In addition, we are easily contactable via email or the phone. Before your training or after, our door is always open to you. Our intention is not just to teach you NLP but to help you to use and incorporate NLP into your life in whatever way you choose.

5. What kind of after course support does your trainer provide? We feel that your NLP training does not end on the last day of your training. Through the world we offer NLP Practice Groups where you can meet with a group of NLPers and practice some of the process oriented tools of NLP. We also send all of our students a bi-weekly newsletter and provide ongoing courses and workshops for our students to help them continually grow their skills. In addition, all of our trainers are available in person, on the phone and via email to answer any questions and offer support to you (see after course support for more information). If you desire to start your own NLP coaching or therapy business we can help you in a coaching capacity to get to your dream even quicker.

6. How long are their courses? We teach NLP in an accelerated manner using generative learning skills to teach NLP. This approach helps you to use all of your learnings as you learn NLP. Our Practitioner Certification is 8 days in length, Master Practitioner is 9 days and our NLP Trainers Training spans 17 days. (See FAQ for more information)

7. How many people are in one class? We have a maximum of 20 students in any of our Certification courses. In general, either one or two trainers will facilitate your training and we normally have the assistance of one or more of our past students to help oversee exercises. We pride ourselves in our common-sense and communication style approach to NLP. We want to know more about our students than just their names and usually tailor the various examples we give during your course to the individuals present in the course.

8. What associations or NLP organisations In your country are your trainers members of? We are members of many NLP Associations through the world as we are fully supportive of the growth of the industry while meeting and exceeding the training standards set by various organisations. We are members of the Australian Board of NLP (Aust), the Australasian NLP Association (Aust/Asia), the American Board of NLP (USA) and the NLP Association (UK).

9. After completing the training can you join any NLP associations or organisations in your country? After completing our training course you are eligible to join many organisations. We can assist you with information and membership applications to any of the organisations we belong to - and when in Australia, we will actually pay and send in your application for membership in the Australasian NLP Association.

10. What are the trainers cancellation fees, guarantees and matching programs? Because our training courses are in high demand, we have a fairly stringent, yet fair cancellation policy. See our Terms & Conditions for more specific information. We also offer a money back guarantee for any workshop or certification course. If for any reason at the end of the first day of your training you are not happy or satisfied with the training you will receive, simply return your manual and text book to us and we will refund any monies paid in full - no questions asked. In addition, we have a Price Matching program which can ensure that if your decision of who you will train with is a monetary decision we will match their price. Certain criteria apply, so please see our Price Matching Policy for more information.

We hope this information has been valuable in your search for NLP. If you have any questions or want to meet us for a more in depth chat please let us know! We look forward to meeting you soon.