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Important changes to the FHSS Certificate Programmes

The Family History Skills and Strategies (FHSS) Certificates programmes, developed and taught by Pharos in combination with the Society of Genealogists, have now been running for several years. We have recently conducted a review of both programmes to look at what works well, what we could better and how we can make things more accessible for you.

Intermediate Certificate

The Intermediate Certificate continues to be popular. On review, we have decided that it needs to include some teaching of methodology and techniques. Under the current scheme this is not taught as a standalone subject until the Advanced Programme. We are therefore changing one of the Intermediate Certificate courses, so the list of ten will become:

17th Century Sources (382)
Apprenticeship Records (281)
Before the Modern Census - Name-rich sources from 1690 to 1837 (381)
Building on a Solid Foundation – Genealogy Methods and Techniques (204)
Employment Records (380)
Nonconformity - Its Records and History 1600 - 1950 (280)
Recording the Poor - From Parish to Workhouse and beyond (203)
Victorian Crime and Punishment - Courts, police and prisons (308)
Wills and Administrations; the riches of probate records (205)
Your Military Ancestors (224)

The new course will replace the Migration in the British Isles course. This may later run again as a regular Pharos tutor-led course.

How does this affect you?

If you have already taken the Migration course

• There is no need to take the methodology course to achieve your certificate. Just continue as planned with the original other nine courses.
• (You are welcome to sign up for the new course as an additional course if you wish).

If you are currently enrolled on the Migration course in September 2021

• The Migration course will no longer run in September 2021
• If you were enrolled as an assessed student on the Migration course, we will move you across to the new Methods and Techniques course (giving you a four-week course for the price of a three-week course).
• If you are not enrolled as an assessed student, we will be in touch to offer you a refund or a place on an alternative course.
• The Methods and Techniques course will start slightly earlier than the scheduled date for the Migration course, on 6th September, so that it finishes the same day as the Migration course was planned to, and enables students booked on the 17th Century sources course in October to have time for assignments
• Any questions, comments or concerns, just drop us an email: info@pharostutors.com

Advanced Certificate

Changes coming into effect immediately:

Our first goal with the Advanced Certificate is to make it more accessible to you. You can now take any of the Advanced programme courses at any time within the three years prior to embarking on the Advanced certificate programme and have the marks count towards your certificate (so long as you passed the assessment!)

Previously a single payment has been taken for the whole academic year in the August before the September start. To reduce the financial burden in one go, you can now sign up for any of the individual courses for the upcoming academic year in advance (a limited number of early places will be made available) and / or buy gift vouchers ahead of time to reduce the amount you need to pay in a lump sum in August.

This applies to both year one and year two.

Here’s an example:

Susan wants to take the Advanced programme and passed the Intermediate Certificate with an average mark of 80%. Susan is therefore eligible for the Advanced Programme.

Last year she took the assessed versions of the Manorial Records (£79) and Church and Community courses (£76), totalling £155, and passed the assessment on both. These courses can therefore be counted towards the Advanced Programme.

This May her sister bought her a gift voucher to the value of £100, which she has not yet spent.

In June the dates were released for next year and Susan bought herself an assessed place on the Advanced Methods and Reports course (£76)

The total cost for Year One is £669.
Susan will be invoiced in August for £669 - £155 - £100 - £76 = £338 for Year One.

She has paid the same amount, but paid different parts at different times upfront.

Changes coming into effect for those starting Year One in September 2021:

It is now possible for the Advanced certificate to be taken by those living overseas, so long as you have access to a range of original records (or copies thereof) for your project work via e.g. an LDS Family History Center.

We have also responded to customer feedback about the courses, where they sit within the programme and the transparency around the “extras” required to achieve the certificate.

We have moved Advanced Methods & Reports from Year Two to Year One, to enable this type of study to take place earlier in the programme. We will also be breaking down the current Deeds and Disputes course into two separate courses: Title Deeds and Chancery Disputes, both of which will be written and taught by Susan Moore.

The new scheme is shown below:

Any questions? Drop us an email: info@pharostutors.com.