One thing you must always insist on is 24x7 round-the-clock support via expert mentors and instructors. Too many companies only seem to want to help while they're in the office (9am till 6pm, Monday till Friday usually) and nothing at the weekends. Be wary of any training providers which use 'out-of-hours' messaging systems - with your call-back scheduled for normal office hours. This is no use if you're stuck and could do with an answer during your scheduled study period.

It's possible to find professional training packages who give students direct-access support around the clock - even in the middle of the night. Never make the mistake of compromise when it comes to your support. Most trainees that throw in the towel, would have had a different experience if they'd got the right support package in the first place.

Many companies focus completely on the certification process, and forget what you actually need - which is of course employment. Your focus should start with the final destination in mind - too many people focus on the journey. Students often train for a single year but end up doing the actual job for 10-20 years. Avoid the mistake of choosing what sounds like an 'interesting' course and then put 10-20 years into a job you hate!

Never let your focus stray from what it is you're trying to achieve, and build your study action-plan from that - not the other way round. Keep your eyes on your goals and study for something that will keep you happy for many years. Always seek guidance and advice from an industry professional, irrespective of whether you have to pay - it's usually much cheaper and safer to investigate at the start whether a chosen track will suit, instead of discovering after several years of study that you're doing entirely the wrong thing and have to return to the start of another program.

People attracted to this sort of work often have a very practical outlook on work, and won't enjoy sitting at a desk in class, and poring through books and manuals. If this could be you, opt for more involving, interactive learning materials, where you can learn everything on-screen. Where we can utilise all of our senses into our learning, then we often see hugely increased memory retention as a result.

You can now study via self-contained CD or DVD materials. Through instructor-led video classes you'll find things easier to remember via their teaching and demonstrations. Then you test your knowledge by utilising the practice lab's and modules. Every company that you look at must be able to demonstrate a few samples of their training materials. You should hope for instructor-led videos and a variety of interactive modules.

You should avoid purely online training. Always choose CD or DVD based study materials where obtainable, as you need to be able to use them whenever it's convenient for you - it's not wise to be held hostage to your broadband being 'up' 100 percent of the time.

Adding in the cost of examination fees as an inclusive element of the package price and offering an 'Exam Guarantee' is a popular marketing tool with many companies. Consider the facts:

They've allowed costings for it ultimately. You can be assured it's not a freebie - they've simply charged more for the whole training package. It's everybody's ambition to qualify on the first attempt. Progressively working through your exams in order and funding them one at a time sees you much better placed to get through first time - you revise thoroughly and are aware of the costs involved.

Isn't it in your interests to not pay up-front, but at the appropriate time, not to pay any mark-up to a training company, and also to sit exams more locally - rather than possibly hours away from your area? Paying in advance for exam fees (and if you're financing your study there'll be interest on that) is bad financial management. Why fill a company's coffers with your hard-earned cash just to give them a good cash-flow! A lot bank on the fact that you won't get to do them all - so they don't need to pay for them. Pay heed to the fact that, with the majority of Exam Guarantees - they control when and how often you can re-take the exam. Subsequent exam attempts are only authorised at the company's say so.

VUE and Prometric examinations are around 112 pounds in Great Britain. Why pay exorbitant 'Exam Guarantee' costs (usually wrapped up in the course package price) - when the best course materials, the right level of support and a commitment to studying and the use of authorised exam preparation tools are actually the key to your success.