NCT courses- any good?

[rieb95]

Hey,

So I've heard about the NCT antenatal courses and was considering signing up for one. But I've heard very mixed reviews of people saying the content itself is poor and they are only really good for making friends...

I don't have any pregnant friends so that would be a bonus but I just wondered what your experiences had been of the courses if you did one ? I don't have much knowledge of looking after a baby so even if they covered things very basically I think it may still benefit me. I just don't want to spend the money if one of the free courses would be just as good 🤷

Thanks for your advice

Not sure if this is just posting a comment on someone else’s question but I can’t work out how to start a new post of my own. I was wondering if there is such a thing as NCT for LGBTQ people? Looking for resources in the London area.

I figured out how to post this question generally so please ignore this comment! Thanks 😊

This is my favourite comment to this post!
my thoughts are the same.

I started my NCT course today and it was brilliant. Everyone was really nice and from a whole range of backgrounds. The teacher was fab and went through a whole range of birth choices / options / outcomes and didn't seem to prioritise one thing over another. It sounds like it depends on the teacher. Everyone on our course today seemed quite nervous and didn't know much beforehand but we went away feeling much more confident. Hope this helps.

Thank you. I think you're right it's very dependent on the sort of leader you get and group you get out in. I did sign up in the end and feel like I got a lot out of it in the end 🙂 I hope yours is the same experience.

I wish I had seen some of the reviews before buying the antenatal class for myself and my partner. We booked on in earnest, however, despite their website saying they average 12-14 people on their courses and the groups providing are 'networking opportunities', there were only 3 other couples present! I was so disappointed after the first session because this was not communicated in advance of the course to enable me to make the informed decision to change to a larger course.

Other people in the group also expressed disappointment to me. The lack of communication was disappointing, but what was worse was the response from the complaint's team who just provided the T&Cs without understanding the nuance of the situation - there should have been communication to allow me to say if I was happy attending with just 3 other couples. There were still 2 other courses I could have joined and a courtesy to ask if I'd like (as their website advertises) at least somewhat of an average NCT experience in line with what other people get when they pay.

Whilst I wouldn't have minded at the very least paying the £25 fee and an acknowledgement of this as perhaps a miscommunication, their response leads me to believe this isn't a one-off situation. I was informed by the facilitator that a previous group also had a low group size - so not ideal if you want to build your network of mums - Avoid. Having already paid over £300 and then having to pay another £25 PLUS the two hour session effectively twice (another £60-odd pounds) for their lack of communication when this could have been easily avoided beforehand had they made me aware (when only they had all of the information) is shockingly poor and disappointing. This is not a person centred organisation as far as I can see, so I will be review this online.

I can't recommend NCT courses for this reason. As a professional (child psychologist), good communication is an integral part of working with people. I work with many families and children/young people (0-25) directly and I run courses too. I wouldn't dream of doing this to paying clients. I won't be recommending NCT to my clients or anyone else and I will be sure to share my experiences with them because of the response that has been given. Instead I wish I had gone with one of the other local antenatal groups I saw advertised beforehand. A clear and expensive lesson for me. Dr D - in relation to course C018567

I wish I had seen some of the reviews online and social media before buying the antenatal class for myself and my partner. We booked on in earnest, however, despite their website saying they average 12-14 people on their courses and the groups providing are 'networking opportunities', there were only 3 other couples present! I was so disappointed after the first session because this was not communicated in advance of the course to enable me to make the informed decision to change to a larger course.

Other people in the group also expressed disappointment to me. The lack of communication was disappointing, but what was worse was the response from the complaint's team who just provided the T&Cs without understanding the nuance of the situation - there should have been communication to allow me to say if I was happy attending with just 3 other couples. There were still 2 other courses I could have joined and a courtesy to ask if I'd like (as their website advertises) at least somewhat of an average NCT experience in line with what other people get when they pay.

Whilst I wouldn't have minded at the very least paying the £25 fee and an acknowledgement of this as perhaps a miscommunication, their response leads me to believe this isn't a one-off situation. I was informed by the facilitator that a previous group also had a low group size - so not ideal if you want to build your network of mums - Avoid. Having already paid over £300 and then having to pay another £25 PLUS the two hour session effectively twice (another £60-odd pounds) for their lack of communication when this could have been easily avoided beforehand had they made me aware (when only they had all of the information) is shockingly poor and disappointing. This is not a person centred organisation as far as I can see, so I am reviewing this online to alert other unsuspecting parents to be.

I can't recommend NCT courses for this reason. As a professional (child psychologist), good communication is an integral part of working with people. I work with many families and children/young people (0-25) directly and I run courses too. I wouldn't dream of doing this to paying clients. I won't be recommending NCT to my clients or anyone else and I will be sure to share my experiences with them because of the response that has been given. Instead I wish I had gone with one of the other local antenatal groups I saw advertised beforehand. A clear and expensive lesson for me and one that could have been resolved fairly - in relation to course C018567