My son did years 11 and 12 by distance. He didn’t have any problems. At the end, we noticed a significant improvement in his grades, which was awesome. Good luck with your choices

It is hard and you need to be organised with your time and motivated to actually study! Lol I hope you do great!!

I enrolled last week but havent heard anything back yet. Does anyone know how long it usually takes?

I completed my year 10 certificate through OTEN and it was great, i always had support on hand and they were extremely flexible.. id say go for it.

I did, and generally i found them quite supportive. There was no timeline on assignments due so that worked well for me around when i could fit time in to do assignments and complete online tests. They had good forums to have conversations with other students and teachers. This i found excellent in any assignments questions. My only issue was when it came to placement. For me this was difficult to organise, but overall OTEN were great. Just need good organisational skills and motivation to put the time into the study. Good luck.

My name is Carmen Saparas. I did my Bachelor of Arts and Diploma of Education by distance education not because i lived too far from the Uni but because my husband (now ex- ) told me I could study as long as I had done the cooking, cleaning, washing and ironing! So I ventured into the lonely world of studying late at night. My degree took 10 years but in that time i had had to cope with a messy divorce; a very nasty ex- and getting Multiple Sclerosis.

BUT i persisted and came through with a degree which helped me to live a better life as a single mum.

All I can say to anyone wanting to ‘better’ themselves. Give it a go! There will be many lonely times and you will wonder if it is worth it. Believe me, IT IS!
Carmen Saparas

It’s a good way to study if you can’t get to a TAFE or the course you want to do isn’t in a TAFE near you

I’ve considered it. good on you for going ahead. good luck with your studies.

I have been a lecturer and tutor for open universities in the past, I was always amazed at how much some of my students were able to juggle. I am now myself back studying online and it is a challenge so good on you for thinking about online learning. Unfortunately all learning institutions and tutors/ lecturers are different but in general you should find that you have access to the information and support you will need.

yeah i reckon , go for it! why not! it is another way to get educated

Thank you for your comments, i will look into it further

Well done Carmen! Sticking with your study for 10 years is definitely disciplined! Congrats to you!

I have done both open learning through uni’s with set times to hand in assessments and then having to go some where to do the exams. Also have done open learning where it was not so structured but had a time limit to do my studies but could extend it if needed. I preferred the later being a SAHM with young children. Both need you to put time aside and if possible a study area that you can call your own, even a small desk or nook will do. My oldest is doing one at the moment he has been able to work through the holiday period and not have a set date to start, Can start when you want.

I am currently studying through open colleges who are a really supportive team and they make everything seem so easy, just incase your looking for another avenue..

Following as this is something I’m considering also.

hi. my name is carmen. i did most of my bachelor of arts and then diploma in education degrees as an external student. it took me 10 yrs. i went through a divorce and worked full time but i did it. its hard but worth the effort.

A school friend of mine did her enrolled nurse course via TAFE and had do placement – a few weeks in a row – Mon. – Fri. She was fortunate she was only given metropolitan ones. Depending on the subject you do it could be shift work. My friend was lucky she wasn’t sent to the country, especially as she had a toddler she was still breastfeeding.

My daughter did literacy and numeracy to improve job prospects and oten were amazing. They were easy to contact when needed and very supportive. Go for it

I did my optical dispensing certificate through OTEN and RMIT. They were very good. As it is distance Kerang you do have to organise yourself really well. There is no one hassling you about getting assignments in etc. time management and dedication and you will do well, I found my course was comprehensive and well presented. I really enjoyed it

This type of study always take a lot of discipline and the best way to study is to make a study schedule with set days and times and work on your study during this time. It is a good way to study and the flexibility allows you to fit in home/work/study.