Association directories do a specific job. They tell you who's recognised, who holds what credential, and which training programmes lead to professional registration. They're built for verification, not decision-making. For decisions, you need more than any directory can hold.
That's where school and teacher websites come in. For anyone researching CST training — or trying to understand the background of a practitioner they're considering — the school's own site usually has the kind of detail that makes a decision possible. This article looks at how to use both sources together.
What the association listing gives you
A BCTA/NA training listing typically gives you a name, a general location, and enough information to confirm that the programme is run by an Approved Teacher and leads to RCST eligibility. That's useful — it tells you the official status and places the programme inside the accreditation structure.
But listings are compact by design. They aren't built to explain seminar structure, break down what each module covers, describe the venue and accommodation, or tell you what the tuition costs. These are all things a prospective student needs to know before committing to a two-year training, and none of them reliably appear in a directory entry.
The listing is the official anchor. The school website is where the programme exists as a real thing you could sign up for.
What school websites add
A well-maintained school or teacher website usually shows the full programme structure — how many seminars, how many days each, over what period. Body Intelligence, for example, runs its foundation training across ten five-day seminars and breaks down what each segment covers. That kind of detail helps you understand the arc of the training and assess whether it works for your schedule and learning style.
Cost is another thing association listings skip. Tuition for a 700-hour professional training is a serious investment, and fees vary by country, school, and structure. School websites often publish fees or at least say how to ask. For programmes running in multiple countries, fees are usually set locally, which can make a meaningful difference depending on where you train.
Teacher bios on school sites also go further than association listings. A listing might note that someone is an Approved Teacher; the school site explains where they trained, who their teachers were, how long they've been practising, and where their interests lie. For a programme that means two years of close work with one teacher, that context matters.
When the two sources diverge
Sometimes what's on the school site doesn't quite match the association listing. Several reasons: the school may have updated its structure since the listing was last refreshed, the teacher's credentials may have changed, or the school may run a version of the training with extra hours beyond the minimum.
A BCTA/NA listing that says '700-hour foundation training' and a school site that describes a 'ten-seminar, two-year programme totalling 800 hours' aren't contradicting each other — the school may simply offer more than the minimum. That extra is worth knowing. If a school site describes a significantly shorter programme than the listing suggests is standard, that's a reason to ask a direct question.
The usual way to resolve a gap is to email the teacher or school. A short message explaining what you've found and asking for clarification is always reasonable, and in the BCST world, teachers are generally responsive and happy to talk through their programmes. The listing plus the school site gives you the context for that conversation to be specific and useful.
Using association listings and school websites together rather than as alternatives gives you a much clearer picture of what a training programme actually involves. The listing establishes credential status; the school site brings the programme to life. Together they're a solid foundation for choosing well.