Continuing Education: Buffet Style

With so many options out there, it is often difficult to choose which provider to complete your continuing education with. Many providers are now offering an “All-You-Can-Eat” model which is often priced affordably and has a real appeal for agents with upwards of 20 hours due each compliance period. Here are a few things to think about when enrolling in these packages:

Is it a subscription that will charge you every year?

Oftentimes agents who aren’t reading the fine print will realize a year later that they have enrolled in a subscription program that automatically charges them each year for the all-you-can-eat service. Most state requirements are not annual and only require agents to complete training every two to three years. Agents are then burdened with the responsibility of canceling the service, however, at such a small fee agents or corporations often won’t notice the charge or won’t bother to protest. Providers with these plans are banking on your apathy.

What exactly does the “additional fees may apply” mean?

It is important to research what additional fees may be charged to you in the process of completing your CE. Currently 22 states have additional processing charges assessed to the provider when course completions are filed with the state. Some of these fees are charges per hour while others are charged per course. Providers will often pass these fees on to the student in addition to charging for the issuance of the completion certificate, the immediate processing of the credit, additional credit types, the issuance of print material, the mailing of a certificate, course credit hours over a certain limit, etc. Be sure to research what “additional fees may apply” before you sign on for a package that could cost you more than you bargained for.

How many courses will you need to take to complete your continuing education compliance requirement?

On average, state continuing education requirements range from 20 – 30 hours per compliance period. It is important to review a provider’s course catalog to ensure that you will not only find enough courses that will meet your licensing needs, but also that you won’t have to take 12 of them to reach your CE requirement. While the content may be shorter, a fifty question exam will take the same amount of time for a 4 hour course as it does for a 12 hour so why not save yourself the hassle of doing it in triplicate to reach the same number of credits.