Sheffield School of Interior Design Distance Education

Frequently Asked Questions About the
Sheffield Interior Design Course

Q: Does Sheffield have experience working with foreign students? A: We certainly do. In fact, we enjoy working with our foreign students and the unique perspective they bring to our training. We have received many exciting success stories from our foreign students, and we always enjoy looking at the innovative room designs they send to the school from all around the world. We have found that e-mail and fax communication is vital to establishing a good working relationship with our foreign students. This way, we can rush answers to you without worrying about surface mail or the difference in time zones. We used to have a student that had to call us from a coinbox telephone in Nepal, and every time he called the first few minutes were spent just listening to him put coins into the telephone! Now, thanks to computers and fax lines, those days are over. Q: How can I make payment for my Sheffield Course? A: To avoid confusion based on ever-changing exchange rates and bank charges for international exchange, we require that all payments be made in U.S. dollars in one of the following ways: Option 1: Credit Card - Visa, MasterCard, American Express or Discover. This is the easiest way to pay and assures immediate shipment of your texts and other materials. Your credit card company will convert your funds into U.S. Dollars for you. Option 2: Money Orders written in U.S. Dollars. Post Offices in many countries will issue you these money orders. Option 3: Bank checks written in U.S. dollars and payable at an American Bank. Banks in many countries will issue such checks. Option 4: Wire transfer of funds. Please contact us by e-mail or fax for wire transfer information. Q: What About Postal Service? A: You will find on the Enrollment Form that you have a choice of Surface Mail or Air Mail Service. If you select Surface Mail, your course materials and all the tape-recorded analyses of your Design Projects will be sent to you by ordinary surface mail at no additional charge. Realize, however, that surface mail sometimes takes over six months to reach certain parts of the world and can be unreliable, so we recommend Air Mail where possible. If you select Air Mail, your course materials and all the tape-recorded analyses of your Projects will be sent to you by Air so you will receive them in a matter of days! The additional charge for this service is $150 U.S. for the entire Course. Please add this $150 to the payment that accompanies your Enrollment Form. As noted above, we highly recommend Air Mail since it will enable you to get started immediately, and continue your training throughout the Course with no delay. If you authorize payment by credit card, we will add the charge for airmail if you check the airmail service box. Q: What about videotape format? A: On your Enrollment Form you are given a choice of videotape formats— NTSC, PAL, or SECAM. The format you want is probably the format that is standard on the television sets in your country. NTSC is the standard format in the United States, Canada, and some other nations. If you check off NTSC, we supply you with tapes in this format at no additional charge. PAL is the format used in Great Britain, in many other European countries, and in some other nations around the world. If you check this option on your Enrollment Form, add an extra $30 U.S. to the payment with your enrollment. SECAM is the format used in France, Russia, China and some other countries. If you prefer this format, add an extra $30 U.S. to the payment with your enrollment. If you authorize payment by credit card, we will add the appropriate amount for tapes in PAL or SECAM format, as indicated by the box you have checked. That's all there is to it. Q: I've been away from school for some time. Will I have difficulty adjusting to study? A: You might if you were returning to classroom routine. The Sheffield School method is entirely different. You are literally in a class by yourself—comfortable and relaxed in your own home. There's no pressure of classroom competition. The Listen-and-Learn tapes and the Design Projects are so fascinating that you will look forward to each home-study session. To see some sample pages from Lesson One Eye of the Designer, click here. Q: How much time must I devote to study? A: Only as much as you can spare, perhaps just a part of the free time you now have. You set your own pace. You are neither hurried nor held back by other students. You don't lose a single day from your present job or your home. Q: Do I get personal supervision and help? A: Yes. Your Sheffield School instructors are as near as your phone. If you ever have a question, just call your Personal Advisor's direct-dial number or send an e-mail. And, of course, after you study each series of lessons, you mail your Design Project to the School. Shortly there after, you'll receive it back along with your instructor's helpful guidance and suggestions on audio tape—personally recorded for you. Q: Must I quit my job or school? A: No. You take your Sheffield training in your spare time, at your own pace, on your own schedule. It shouldn't interfere with any aspect of your regular life. Q: How long is the course? A: This depends upon you, since you set your own pace. Because there is much to cover and many decorating projects, you cannot just race through the Course. So figure on at least eight to ten months if you are willing to study regularly a few hours a week. If, like most students, you don't have much free time to devote to the Course, you may choose to stretch out your lessons at a more leisurely pace. You may take 12 months, or even longer. You set your own pace from beginning to end, and can take up to three years at no extra tuition charge. Q: Do I need any special artistic talent? A: If you think you've got talent hidden within you, then that's all you need. You don't need to know how to draw. You don't need any training in art or design. What you need is a love of beautiful objects and a desire to succeed. The Sheffield School will give you all the training you need, and teach you lots of tricks to unlock your creativity. Q: How soon can I get started as an interior decorator? A: Many students start earning money from freelance work before they complete the Course. To help you get started, your lessons on Business Methods instruct you in how to contact prospective clients, how to promote your services, how to charge, how to gain access to trade-only showrooms, how to successfully handle any job from start to finish. Result: Many students pay for their entire tuition—and more—out of profit from their very first job. Q: Does the tuition fee cover the entire cost? How long is the course? A: Yes. The low tuition fee at the Sheffield School covers everything you need: All lesson books, Audiotapes and Videotapes, Drafting Kit, Painting Kit, Resources File, Design Projects, personal analysis of your Projects, consultation privilege, and all the other materials and services described in this catalog. You pay only the cost of postage on the assignments you mail to the school. The entire cost of the complete Course is only a fraction of what you would pay for tuition and expenses at a classroom school. As you'll see on the enrollment form, there is a monthly payment plan available. Q: Is Sheffield training for the homemaker as well as the pro? A: Absolutely. About half our students pursue interior design as their "hobby." They want to beautify their own homes, express their instinctive sense of taste, and save money when they buy furniture and furnishings. The other half of our students are interested in decoration as a new career—either part-time or full-time. The choice is yours. Q: Do I need any special education or previous experience? A: No. The course assumes no prior knowledge or training. It starts with fundamentals and moves up to complete mastery of professional techniques in easy, carefully planned steps. If you have a desire to put your natural love of beauty to practical use, you're all set to go.
"This Course was fabulous. The teachers work with you on a personal level to make you feel as if you're in a class. Because of Sheffield I am now working as a professional interior designer with an established clientele. Everyday I receive more and more referrals. I owe everything to Sheffield!" —Michelle C., Virginia