Writers Bureau, The Success Story Of Three Decades Of A Home Study College.
THE Writers Bureau College is a Distance Learning Correspondence centre based in England. It is a training Institute for professional Writers. It offers certificates in different writing courses to create jobs or open new job opportunities for many young and old people around the world.
In the scramble for education by people around the world at the wake of the 20th century, famous leaders around the world particularly in third world nations, who played enviable and significant role in the development of their nations, got their degrees or diplomas through established British distance learning correspondence schools as universities and colleges available at the time were expensive and very few.
As a proud alumnus of the college, I would like to join well wishers across nations of the world, to extend my congratulations and good wishes to the founder, staff and students of the college on the festive mood of the 30th anniversary celebration of its establishment, selfless service and immense contributions to the growth and development of home based distance learning education for writers not only in the United Kingdom but around the world.
The Writers Bureau College was set up for young, old and even trained professionals in other fields who have the ultimate ambition to improve their writing talents or potential to achieve their long life dream of becoming Writers, Novelists, Poets or well acclaimed book Authors.
As a non-resident college, staffs at the head office are always busy and willing except for public holidays to attend to the needs of students by Email, Phone calls or Fax messages.
In my student days, despite the long distance between my home in Africa and the college in England, I love contacting the head office by phone and the student services unit staffs of the college are always there to my needs or requests. In situations when they are unable to answer your questions with regards to your needs as a student, you might be advised to talk to the Principal or the Director of Studies of the college for counseling or guidance on your course.
Mrs. Frances Diana Nadin
Mrs. Frances Diana Nadin is the Director of Studies at the Writers Bureau College. She is a fine home maker, a soft spoken, gentle listener and understanding woman. If she is there in the office, she is always ready to talk and discuss with students to proffer solutions to problems they might be facing with regards to their courses.
Mrs. Nadin is an experienced educationist. She is an English graduate of the University of Nottingham, United Kingdom. She is a member of the councils for both the Association of British Correspondence Colleges(ABCC) and the Open and Distance Learning Quality Council(ODLQC), she also served as a member of the Public Relations(PR) Committee of the European Association For Distance Learning(EAFDL). She is also a foundation staff of the college.
On the 30th Anniversary celebration of the college, I had an online interview with Mrs. Nadin, during which we discussed issues bordering on the founding of the college and its growth.
Going down the memory lane, Mrs. Nadin says, the Writers Bureau College is a privately owned institution and has no affiliation with any other organization.
She says, Mr. E.H.Metcalfe established the college in 1989 out of his passion and commitment to create jobs and improve the quality of writing education and the publication industry through open distance learning to meet the growing aspiration of the people at the time.
Mrs. Nadin stressed that the founder was the first Principal of the college. She says Mr. Metcalfe had earlier in 1931 established in the United Kingdom, two distance learning colleges, the National school of Salesmanship and a Business school. He put in great resources to develop and raise the Writers Bureau College to its present day international standard.
Mrs. Susie Busby is the current principal of the college. She took up the management of the college after the retirement of the founder.
Mrs. Nadin says, the story of the three decade journey of the college has enabled her and her husband served and strengthen their commitments to helping writers globally across genres in the writing profession.
The Director says, course fees at the Writers Bureau are cheap and affordable and admission is open to only students from English speaking countries of the world irrespective of their educational background or orientation, the training given at the institute she says, will enable students set up their own business or gain employment and practice what so ever they have learnt to earn a living anywhere in the world.
She says, the courses are written in English, each course takes about 2-4 years to complete depending on the seriousness of the student.
She emphasized that all the fifteen courses offered by the college are practical oriented and students are always taught what are really important, so that they can perfect their writing and compete favorably with students trained elsewhere.
The college Mrs. Nadin says, has an Alumni Association and of which many of them have documented their achievements and successes as Novelists, Poets, Writers, Speech Writers, Radio, Television, Film, Theater or Play Wrights, Editors and a couple of them are employed as tutors by the college.
The college tutors are highly esteemed and experienced people. The college she says, employs competent tutors to teach the students. To be employed as a tutor in the college, Mrs. Nadin says, you must have a good career in writing and publishing and in addition, the college will have to re-train them, to make, sure they have good training experience that will have positive impact on the writing standard of students for publication.
Mrs. Nadin says, the anniversary brought together present and past students of the college in different competitions organised to test their skills and competence in Poetry, Short story Writing, Proof reading and Copy editing with cash prizes and free course registration for winners.
She further stressed that 30 best Poems and Short Stories by authors, will be printed the college's 30th year Anthology publication. She noted that awards and gifts will be given to deserving tutors and the celebration will be rounded up with a dinner party for staff and for which I believe dignitaries and guests from within and outside the United Kingdom will be invited to attend.
"It takes intelligence, Ideas, Perseverance, Research skills and good Knowledge of what Newspapers and Magazines want, are required as a trained individual to be a good Writer and the Writers Bureau College trains its students to be skilled in all these areas," she said.
Mr. E.H.Metcalfe
“A good Writer must have nose for good stories that will make news and attract the attention and interest of editors to be willing to publish them,” she said.
She says, enrollment at the college can be done online by credit card or through bank transfer. After registration, she stressed course materials can be instantly accessed on the internet or the hard copies of the course materials might be sent by post as quickly as possible.
On how much she enjoy her work as a female Director of the college and her plan on the future of the college, Mrs. Nadin says, all through her service with the college, she had enjoyed a lovely time with the staffs and students of the college from the different nations of the world.
"I am always happy and fulfilled when my students write to tell us success stories of their writings and publication. I am deeply interested in the success stories of my students," she said.
Mrs. Nadin advised writers to keep trying and never give up in the face of rejection letters. Writing she says is a lonely business and a writer must therefore be persistent in his or her writing and keep faith with their ambition, love and talent in writing, and success will at last come. She promised that Writers Bureau College will intensify its commitment and efforts towards helping students around the world to meet their writing and publishing dream for many years to come.