Application in progressTier 4 · Professional body recognised
International Coaching Federation
Level 1 accreditation, providing our coaching learners a recognised route towards an ICF credential.
Verify with International Coaching FederationAccreditation
What we hold, and what it means
Exactly which accreditations The Study Guild holds, which are still in progress, and an honest explanation of what accreditation does and does not prove.
We currently hold no third-party accreditation. Applications are in progress and their status is below. We will not display an accreditation mark anywhere on this site before it has been granted, and no programme page claims one.
What our credentials currently rest on is the identity and credentials of the tutor who marks your work, published on every programme page, and the assessment rubric, which we publish in full.
The four tiers, weakest to strongest
Providers routinely describe the first tier using language borrowed from the third. Here is what each actually proves.
CPD accredited
An independent body has checked the course against its own published standards for content and hours. It is not a regulated qualification and creates no register anyone can check you against.
Awarding body endorsed
An awarding organisation has endorsed the course quality, usually for a fee, without it entering the national qualifications framework. Stronger than CPD accreditation alone; still not a regulated qualification.
Ofqual regulated
The qualification sits in the national framework at a defined level, awarded by an Ofqual-regulated awarding organisation. This is what most employers mean when they ask whether a qualification is recognised.
Professional body recognised
The profession's own body recognises the training, typically providing a route towards its register or credential. In coaching, the ICF and EMCC are the meaningful examples.
More detail, including what employers actually accept, in our answer on whether CPD-accredited courses are recognised.
What we have applied for
Every application, its tier and its honest status. Several competitors currently hold more than we do; that is accurate and we are not going to obscure it.
Application in progressTier 2 · Awarding body endorsed
Quality Licence Scheme
Awarding-body endorsement of programme quality, a tier above CPD accreditation.
Verify with Quality Licence SchemeApplication in progressTier 1 · CPD accredited
The CPD Group
Independent accreditation confirming programme hours meet recognised CPD standards.
Verify with The CPD GroupApplication in progressTier 1 · CPD accredited
CPD Standards Office
Assessment-led accreditation covering trainer competence and learner outcomes.
Verify with CPD Standards OfficeWhat accreditation actually proves
Accreditation means an independent body has checked a course against its own published standards for content, hours and learning outcomes. It is a genuine third-party check. It is not a licence to practise, it is not a regulated qualification, and it says nothing about who taught the course or whether anybody marked your work.
What it does tell you
- The course content was reviewed by someone outside the provider
- The stated hours are broadly what you will receive
- The provider submitted to an external process at all
What it does not tell you
- Whether the tutor is qualified in the subject
- Whether your work will be marked by a human
- Whether any employer or client will recognise it
- Whether you may legally practise the profession
This is why our programme pages lead with the tutor’s credentials and the assessment rubric rather than with a row of logos. If you are comparing providers, our comparison pages set out how we measure against the large self-paced platforms, including where they win.
Accreditation questions
Is an accredited course a recognised qualification?
Not in the regulated sense. Accreditation means an independent body has assessed a course against its own published standards. A regulated qualification is one recognised in a national framework, such as an Ofqual-regulated award or a degree. Both can be valuable; they are not the same thing and providers who blur the two are not helping you.
Why do you not display accreditation logos yet?
Because we do not hold those accreditations yet. Displaying a mark before it is granted is a misrepresentation, and it is common enough in this market that we would rather be conspicuously slower and accurate.
Does accreditation mean I can practise professionally?
In unregulated fields such as coaching, nothing is legally required to practise, so no accreditation confers a right you did not already have. In regulated professions, the right to practise comes from the statutory regulator, and no private course provider can grant it.
What should I actually look for in a training provider?
Who teaches it and what their verifiable credentials are, whether your work is marked by a named person against a published rubric, whether the provider is clear about what the credential does not entitle you to, and whether the price is stable. Those four tell you more than any logo.