WSET (Wine & Spirits Education Trust) is the world’s foremost provider in beverage education. Beginning with wine education more than 50 years ago, later moving into spirits and sake, and now with a new beer certification course to be announced soon, WSET can be a one-stop shop for all your alcoholic beverage education needs. All WSET schools around the world (known as APPs - that is, Approved Program Providers) must go through rigorous training and certification procedures before they are permitted to offer WSET programs, and they must re-certify every year to keep their licence.
One might think that this means all APPs are equal, but this is not so. Each APP can charge any price they want for courses, whether they be in-person or online. APPs are only permitted to offer in-person instruction and exams in their territory of approval as determined by WSET. The minimum amount of class instruction hours and wine samples to be poured in an in-person course is specified by WSET, but each APP is allowed to put their own spin on this. They can choose to only offer the bare minimum amount of samples and squeeze all the learning into the shortest amount of time possible, or they can spread the learning out over several days, weeks, or months, and add in extra samples or other personal flourishes as they see fit.
When I write about online courses in this post, I want to clarify that I’m not referring to online courses offered by an APP via Zoom or other live online instruction as a result of the pandemic, but the interactive global online classroom that was originally created by WSET a few years ago and undergoes annual changes and updates, and will still be around when lockdowns are over and schools open back up again.
Not every APP offers these online courses, and online courses are only available in English, though this may change in the next few years. Some APPs may offer more or less online courses than others. APPs that offer online courses do not have flexibility on the dates of the courses nor are they the instructors for those programs. All online courses are run directly through the WSET in England, and the APP that a student chooses to register with is merely the student’s local contact.
These online WSET courses are offered at the same time to students all around the world, with each student receiving the same amount of instruction over the same time period. In effect, it’s the great equalizer for APPs, and this is where an APP can either shine or fall short of the student’s expectations.
If you are choosing to take an online WSET course, think of your local APPs as you would think of local bottle shops. There may be 10 wine stores in your area and all of them offer your favourite selections, so how do you decide which shop to patronize? Generally, a few key considerations come to mind: PRICE, CONVENIENCE, SERVICE, and CONFLICT RESOLUTION.
PRICE: when booking a WSET course, check what the TOTAL cost is. Does it include textbooks, shipping fees, exam fees, taxes, and any other hidden costs?
CONVENIENCE: does the APP make it easy to communicate with them? Do you have a choice of reaching them by email, phone, and/or text message?
SERVICE: does the APP take your money and then you never hear from them again until it’s time to take your exam, or does the APP perform regular check-ins to ensure you aren’t having troubles with the platform? Does the APP help you find the tasting samples you need for the course? Does the APP help you with ideas on how to improve study habits? Is the APP committed to helping you achieve your educational and career goals? Does the APP respond quickly to any questions you have?
CONFLICT RESOLUTION: if you encounter a problem, how helpful is your APP?
Each of us will place a different priority order for these considerations, and some people might have other criteria not mentioned here that are important to us, like corporate social and environmental awareness.
If you have ANY questions at all, make sure you communicate with the APP and get answers to all your questions before paying for any course.